The changing racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. electorate

In all 50 states, the share of non-Hispanic White eligible voters declined between 2000 and 2018, while Hispanic voters have come to make up increasingly larger shares of the electorate in every state. These trends are particularly notable in battleground states – such as Florida and Arizona – that are likely to be crucial in deciding the 2020 election.

• Interactive map: See racial, ethnic change in all 50 states
• Gen Z eligible voters reflect the growing racial and ethnic diversity of U.S. electorate

Before Ginsburg’s death, a majority of Americans viewed the Supreme Court as ‘middle of the road’

In August – before Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death – majorities of Americans said the Supreme Court has the right amount of power and that the court is “middle of the road” ideologically. A majority of Americans said the court should base its rulings on its understanding of what the Constitution means in current times (55%); fewer said the court should look to what it “meant as originally written” (43%).

• From July 2020: How Trump compares with other recent presidents in appointing federal judges

Economic fallout from COVID-19 continues to hit lower-income Americans the hardest

About six months into the pandemic, many Americans continue to face deep financial hardship. Among lower-income U.S. adults, 46% say they have had trouble paying their bills since the pandemic started, and 32% say it’s been hard for them to make rent or mortgage payments. Of the adults who say they lost a job because of the outbreak, half say they are still unemployed.

• Few in U.S. owned stocks outside of 401(k)s in 2019, fewer said market had a big impact on their view of economy

International cooperation welcomed across 14 advanced economies

In 14 countries surveyed this past summer, the United Nations is typically given high marks for promoting peace and human rights. But fewer say it cares about the needs of ordinary people or that it is effective in actually solving international problems. There is also strong support for taking the interests of other countries into account even if this requires compromise. And many believe greater global cooperation could have reduced the human toll from COVID-19.

• How people in 14 countries view the state of the world in 2020
• Americans give the U.S. low marks for its handling of COVID-19, and so do people in other countries

The ways Hispanics describe their identity varies across immigrant generations

For National Hispanic Heritage Month, we looked at terms Hispanics in the United States use to describe themselves. About half of Hispanic adults say they most often describe themselves by their family’s country of origin or heritage, while another 39% most often describe themselves as “Hispanic” or “Latino.” More than half of foreign-born Latinos most often use the name of their origin country to describe themselves, a share that falls to 33% among third- or higher-generation Latinos.

• Hispanic teens enjoy religious activities with parents, but fewer view religion as ‘very important’
• Key facts about U.S. Latinos for National Hispanic Heritage Month
• Who is Hispanic?

54% of Americans say social media companies shouldn’t allow any political ads

From our research