Short Reads

Most U.S. adults now say it is not necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values, up from about half who expressed this view in 2011.

Ahead of the 19th National Congress in China, read key findings about how the country is viewed by its neighbors.

About one-in-five U.S. gun owners say they have ever contacted a public official to express their opinion on gun policy, compared with 12% of non-gun owners.

When Americans are asked what has brought the biggest improvement to their lives in the past five decades, they name technology more than any other advancement.

In the past 10 years, the share of U.S. adults living without a spouse or partner has climbed to 42%, up from 39% in 2007.

Women in the U.S. are substantially more likely than men to say gender discrimination is a major problem in the technology industry.

Malala Yousafzai's shooting came at a time when social hostilities involving religion were at a high point, both globally and in Pakistan.

Americans are apprehensive about a future in which machines take on more of the work currently done by humans, and most are supportive of policies aimed at cushioning the economic impact of widespread automation, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Taxpayers with incomes of $200,000 or more paid well over half (58.8%) of federal income taxes, though they accounted for only 4.5% of all returns filed (6.8% of all taxable returns). By contrast, taxpayers with incomes below $30,000 filed nearly 44% of all returns but paid just 1.4% of all federal income tax.

The official poverty rate last year was close to its pre-Great Recession level, but the share of the U.S. poor in severe poverty increased.