Social and Demographic Trends

Societal changes drive public policy. These shifts include an aging population; the growth of high tech and service sector jobs; evolving views on race, ethnicity, and immigration; and changes in family structure.

Pew studies these attitudes and trends and their impact through the use of original public opinion survey research, along with social, economic, and demographic data analysis. Pew’s work includes a major study of the millennial generation and the distinct path it is forging toward adulthood, with fewer ties to traditional religious and political institutions and more use of social media to build personal networks.

Recent Work

January 17, 2019 Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues As Gen Z moves toward adulthood, their views mirror those of Millennials on a range of issues, from Trump’s presidency to the role of government to racial equality. Among Republicans, Gen Z stands out on some key issues.

May 22, 2018 What Unites and Divides Urban, Suburban and Rural Communities Despite widening gaps in politics and demographics, Americans across community types have a lot in common in key facets of their lives.

January 18, 2018 They’re Waiting Longer, but U.S. Women Today More Likely to Have Children Than a Decade Ago The share of U.S. women at the end of their childbearing years who have ever given birth was higher in 2016 than it had been 10 years earlier.

January 9, 2018 Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity Women in STEM jobs are more likely than their male counterparts to have experienced discrimination in the workplace and to believe that discrimination is a major reason there are not more women in STEM.

December 5, 2017 On Gender Differences, No Consensus on Nature vs. Nurture Most Americans see fundamental differences between men and women in their traits and characteristics and in the pressures they face from society.

June 22, 2017 America’s Complex Relationship With Guns Americans have broad exposure to guns, whether they personally own one or not. About seven-in-ten say they have fired a gun at some point and 42% currently live in a gun-owning household.

January 11, 2017 Behind the Badge Majorities of police officers say that recent high-profile encounters between black citizens and police have made their jobs riskier and left many officers reluctant to fully carry out some of their duties.

December 15, 2016 In a Recovering Market, Homeownership Rates Are Down Sharply for Blacks, Young Adults Homeownership in America stands at its lowest level in at least 20 years. The decline has been more pronounced among households headed by young adults, blacks and those in the lower income tier.