Republicans, Democrats move even further apart in coronavirus concerns

The coronavirus outbreak increasingly looks very different to Republicans and Democrats. Republicans have grown less concerned about the health impacts of the virus and are more likely to say the worst is now behind us. Democrats remain concerned about health impacts and still largely say the worst is yet to come.

• Views on why Black Americans face higher COVID-19 hospitalization rates vary by party, race and ethnicity
• Most Americans say they regularly wore a mask in stores in the past month; fewer see others doing it
• See all of our coronavirus research

Recent protest attendees are more racially and ethnically diverse, younger than Americans overall

Some 6% of U.S. adults say they have attended a protest or rally that focused on issues related to race or racial equality in the last month, and those who have are more likely to be nonwhite and younger than Americans overall. They are also more likely to live in an urban area and to identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.

• Black, Hispanic and white adults feel the news media misunderstand them, but for very different reasons
• See all of our research about race and ethnicity

The global divide on homosexuality persists

Despite major changes in laws and norms surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage and the rights of LGBT people around the world, public opinion on the acceptance of homosexuality in society remains sharply divided by country, region and level of economic development. But in many nations, including the U.S., there has been an increasing acceptance of homosexuality.

Two-thirds of Americans think government should do more on climate

A majority of Americans continue to say they see the effects of climate change in their own communities and believe that the federal government falls short in its efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change. Large shares of both Republicans and Democrats say they would favor initiatives such as large-scale tree planting efforts and tax credits for businesses that capture carbon emissions.

• Democrats, Republicans continue to differ over role human activity plays in climate change
• Millennial and Gen Z Republicans stand out from their elders on climate and energy issues
• Younger, more educated U.S. adults are more likely to take part in citizen science research

As COVID-19 emerged in U.S., Facebook posts about it appeared in a wide range of public pages, groups

In March 2020, Facebook posts about the coronavirus outbreak appeared in a wide range of public Facebook pages and groups. Roughly three-quarters (74%) of these posts linked to news organizations’ websites, while just 1% linked directly to health care or science websites. The reliance on the news media for information was also evident in the reactions these posts received.

As states move to expand the practice, relatively few Americans have voted by mail

Sharp decline in remittances expected in 2020 amid COVID-19 lockdowns in top sending nations

From our research