More Americans now say academic concerns should be a top factor in deciding to reopen K-12 schools

As K-12 schools around the country decide whether to reopen, a higher share of Americans say academic concerns should be a top factor in these decisions than did so in July, while smaller shares now point to the health risks for teachers and students. At the same time, 59% of adults say schools that are not currently open for in-person instruction should wait to reopen until all teachers who want the coronavirus vaccine have received it.

• See all coronavirus research

Majority of Americans confident in Biden’s handling of foreign policy as term begins

Six-in-ten U.S. adults have confidence in President Joe Biden on foreign policy – fewer than said the same of Barack Obama as his presidency began (74%) but more than for Donald Trump in his first year (46%). Nearly nine-in-ten Democrats (88%) express confidence in Biden’s ability to handle foreign affairs, compared with only 27% of Republicans. And large majorities of Americans say it is important that the United States is respected around the world and that Biden’s leadership will result in other countries viewing America more positively.

• Views on compromising with allies and America’s role in the world
• Economic and security issues are public’s top foreign policy priorities

How Americans navigated the news in 2020: A tumultuous year in review

A look back at Pew Research Center’s yearlong study of Americans’ news habits and attitudes finds evidence of media “echo chambers” on both the left and the right, with consistent and dramatic divides in opinion between different groups of U.S. adults based on where they get their news and information. A final report for this project summarizes this and other key takeaways that emerged throughout the year.

• About a quarter of Republicans, Democrats consistently turned only to news outlets whose audiences aligned with them politically in 2020
• Republicans who relied on Trump for news in 2020 diverged from others in GOP in views of COVID-19, election
• Explore the data in our interactive tool

In Vice President Kamala Harris, we can see how America has changed

The swearing-in of Kamala Harris as the vice president of the United States marked several important “firsts”: She became the first female vice president, as well as the first Black person and first Asian American to hold that office. But her ascendance to the second-highest office in the land represented much more. It held up a mirror to America, revealing how key demographic trends have reshaped the country.

• Black Americans have made gains in U.S. political leadership, but gaps remain
• The data on women leaders in the U.S.

Decoded: Contending with the 80/20 rule when studying online behavior

The Pareto principle, or “80/20 rule,” holds that in many systems, a minority of cases produce the majority of outcomes. That can have implications for researchers studying the use of Twitter, Facebook and other online platforms.

From our research