Who do Americans trust to use facial recognition technologies?

Americans are more likely to trust law enforcement than advertisers and technology companies to use facial recognition responsibly. While most say it is acceptable for law enforcement to use facial recognition tools to assess security threats in public spaces, fewer say it is acceptable to use these tools to track who is entering or leaving apartment buildings, to monitor the attendance of employees, or to see how people respond to public advertising displays in real time.

• Interactive: How does a computer 'see' gender?
• Essay: The challenges of using machine learning to identify gender in images

Americans and privacy: Concerned, confused and feeling lack of control over their personal information

Roughly six-in-ten Americans say they don’t think it’s possible to go through daily life without companies or the government collecting data about them. Majorities also report concern about the way these entities use their data, and say the potential risks they face because of data collection outweigh the benefits.

• Key takeaways on Americans’ views about privacy, surveillance and data-sharing

What Americans know about digital topics

Americans’ understanding of technology-related issues varies greatly depending on the topic, term or concept. While a majority of U.S. adults can correctly answer questions about phishing scams or website cookies, other items are more challenging.

• Quiz: How much do you know about digital topics?

Experts optimistic about the next 50 years of digital life

Fifty years after the first computer-to-computer connection, a canvassing of hundreds of technology experts and internet pioneers finds guarded optimism for the next 50 years of digital life. But experts warn that technology will only change human existence for the better if people embrace reforms allowing better cooperation, security, basic rights and economic fairness.

• Quotes: Experts’ predictions for the next 50 years of digital life

One-in-five Americans now listen to audiobooks

Americans are spreading their book consumption across several formats, and the use of audiobooks is on the rise. Yet print books remain the most popular format for reading, with 65% of adults saying they had read a print book in the year before the survey.

• Who doesn’t read books in America?

Most Americans say science has brought benefits to society and expect more to come

About seven-in-ten U.S. adults (73%) say science has had a positive effect on society, just 3% say it has had a negative effect and 23% say it has yielded an equal mix of positive and negative effects. Many of those who saw mostly positive effects cited medical advances, while those who saw mixed effects mentioned concerns about scientists and scientific theories.

• Democrats more supportive than Republicans of federal spending for scientific research

U.S. concern about climate change is rising, but mainly among Democrats

Millennials stand out for their technology use, but older generations also embrace digital life

Most Americans are wary of industry-funded research

Why survey estimates of the number of Americans online don’t always agree