The United States is the oldest continuous democracy in the world, and a model and inspiration for other nations seeking to build democratic institutions. One of the core pillars of American liberty is a free press. Pew conducts opinion surveys that track public attitudes toward the press and politics. At the same time, Pew issues major reports that examine long-term trends in the political values of Americans, as well as their views on policy issues and priorities, political knowledge, and news interest.
Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon. 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics. By contrast, just 10% say they always or often feel hopeful about politics.
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Public trust in government remains low, as it has for much of the 21st century. Only two-in-ten Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (19%).
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63% of Americans are pessimistic about the country’s moral and ethical standards, and 59% are pessimistic about its education system.
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Six-in-ten U.S. adults say gun violence is a very big problem in the country today, up 9 percentage points from spring 2022.
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If Congress passes the Oct. 1 deadline without either a new set of spending bills or a continuing resolution, nonessential operations would be forced to shutdown.
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Six-in-ten U.S. adults say being a man helps a lot or a little when it comes to a person’s ability to get ahead in the U.S., compared with 14% who say it hurts
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Despite the Chinese Communist Party's ban on religion, some 6% of party members formally identify with a religion.
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Black workers account for about 13% of all U.S. workers, including those who work full time, part time and are self-employed.
The post Black workers’ views and experiences in the U.S. labor force stand out in key ways appeared first on Pew Research Center.