Gen Z, Millennials stand out for climate change activism

Plus, who is "truly American"? May 29, 2021 Weekly Roundup The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ Gen Z, Millennials stand out for climate change activism, social media engagement with issue Majorities of Americans see an array of actors, from government to business, as doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change. They are also broadly supportive of a range of policy approaches that would help address the issue, including moving toward renewable energy sources, developing infrastructure for electric vehicles, and increasing taxes and restrictions on carbon emissions. But partisan gaps in views of climate change remain vast, and there are generational differences over the need for action. Key findings: How Americans’ attitudes about climate change differ by generation, party and other factors Broad support among U.S. adults for key elements in Biden’s infrastructure plan Local impact of climate change, environmental problems In both parties, fewer now say being Christian or being born in U.S. is important to being ‘truly American’ Republicans and Democrats continue to differ over the factors they see as important for being “truly American,” such as being Christian or being born in the United States. But within both parties, the share of people who see these and other factors as important significantly decreased between 2016 and November 2020. Views about national identity becoming more inclusive in U.S., Western Europe Gender pay gap in U.S. held steady in 2020 The gender gap in pay has remained relatively stable in the United States over the past 15 years or so. In 2020, women earned 84% of what men earned, according to an analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers. Based on this estimate, it would take an extra 42 days of work for women to earn what men did in 2020. As has been the case in recent decades, the 2020 wage gap was smaller for workers ages 25 to 34 than for all workers 16 and older. COVID-19 was pervasive in the media’s early coverage of the Biden administration As the battle against the coronavirus outbreak was emerging as a defining issue in President Joe Biden’s young administration, the pandemic and its effects on society became a pervasive part of the media narrative about his first 60 days in office. Nearly three-quarters of all news stories about the Biden administration’s early days in office (72%) mentioned COVID-19 in some way. The presence of COVID-19 in these stories cut across a wide range of distinct topic areas, such as health care, the economy and immigration. Trump mentioned in about half of Biden stories during early weeks in office, but less so over time See all coronavirus research Religious Americans are less likely to endorse legal marijuana for recreational use Foreign policy scholars and American public agree that U.S. standing abroad is important ‘After the Fact’ podcast: Race and research What does America look like today? Pew Research Center’s director of race and ethnicity research, Mark Hugo Lopez, and other researchers break down current demographics – and the history behind the data – on The Pew Charitable Trusts’ new podcast season, “Race and Research.” From our research 76% The share of religiously unaffiliated Americans who say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, compared with 54% of people who identify with any religious group. Support Pew Research Center In times of uncertainty, good decisions demand good data. Please support Pew Research Center with a contribution on the Center's behalf to our parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts. DONATE Newsletter preferences View in browser Unsubscribe Facebook Twitter Instagram Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. © 2021 Pew Research Center