Many around the world say their society is more divided than before pandemic

Plus, views of the EU, climate change content on social media and Pope Francis' favorability June 26, 2021 Weekly Roundup The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ People in advanced economies say their society is more divided than before pandemic A median of 34% of adults across 17 advanced economies feel their society is more united than before the pandemic, but about six-in-ten report that national divisions have worsened since the outbreak began. In 12 of 13 countries surveyed in both 2020 and 2021, feelings of division have increased significantly, in some cases by more than 30 percentage points. Some of these divisions reflect how people view the social limitations they have faced, such as stay-at-home orders or mask mandates while in public. Many in U.S., Europe and Japan say the pandemic has revealed weaknesses of their economic system EU seen favorably across 17 advanced economies, but views vary on its coronavirus response Majorities of adults across much of Western Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region have a favorable view of the European Union, with a median of 63% rating the Brussels-based institution positively. But perceptions of the EU’s response to the coronavirus outbreak are mixed. And while many in Europe say economic relief from the EU has been sufficient, substantial shares in most countries there feel it has not gone far enough. On social media, Gen Z and Millennial adults interact more with climate change content than older generations Gen Z and Millennial social media users in the U.S. are more likely than older generations to engage with climate change content and to express a range of emotions when they see it. Majorities of Gen Z (69%) and Millennial social media users (59%) say they felt anxious about the future the last time they saw social media content about addressing climate change. Fewer than half of Gen X (46%) and Baby Boomer and older social media users (41%) felt this way. Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption Americans, including Catholics, continue to have favorable views of Pope Francis Denominational switching among U.S. Jews: Reform Judaism has gained, Conservative Judaism has lost Have some data with your coffee Add Pew Research Center to your Alexa flash briefing. From our research 88% The proportion of Americans who say the U.S. is more divided than before the pandemic – higher than the share across 16 other surveyed publics. 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