Unemployed Americans are feeling the emotional strain of job loss; most have considered changing occupations

About half of U.S. adults who are currently unemployed, furloughed or temporarily laid off and looking for a job are pessimistic about their prospects for future employment, and 66% say they’ve seriously considered changing fields or occupations since they’ve been unemployed. Many say they’ve experienced more emotional or mental health issues during the time they’ve been out of work. Job losses during the pandemic have hit workers in low-wage occupations particularly hard – something that distinguishes this downturn from the Great Recession.

U.S. Senate has fewest split delegations since direct elections began

Only six states now have U.S. senators of different parties – the smallest number of split delegations since Americans started directly electing their senators more than a century ago. The number of split Senate delegations has ratcheted downward since peaking at 27 in 1979-80. There were just nine split Senate delegations in the recently concluded 116th Congress, which tied the prior record low.

• Once again, nearly all Senate elections reflect states’ presidential votes

Immigrants and children of immigrants make up at least 14% of the 117th Congress

Immigrants and the children of immigrants account for a small but growing share of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. At least 76 (14%) of the voting members of the 117th Congress are foreign born or have at least one parent born in another country, a slight uptick from the prior two Congresses. Lawmakers who are immigrants or the children of immigrants are far more likely to be Democrats than Republicans.

• Racial, ethnic diversity increases yet again with the 117th Congress
• A record number of women are serving in the 117th Congress
• The religious composition of the new Congress

Boomers, Silents still have most seats in Congress, though number of Millennials, Gen Xers is up slightly

The number of Millennials and Generation Xers in the U.S. House of Representatives rose slightly with the new 117th Congress, though less so than with the 116th. And even as these generations gain representation in both chambers, older generations still make up the majority of senators and representatives.

For Valentine’s Day, 5 facts on relationships and dating in the U.S.

Valentine’s Day this year will be unlike any in recent memory as coronavirus-related restrictions continue to limit what Americans can do to celebrate. But many Americans may still find special ways to mark the holiday with their loved ones or hop on a dating website or app to meet someone new. Here are five facts about relationships and dating in the United States, based mostly on surveys and analyses conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Americans far more likely to say evangelicals will lose influence, rather than gain it, under Biden

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