Ruth Igielnik

A majority of Americans would like to see more women in top leadership positions in business and politics, but many are skeptical there will ever be gender parity in these areas. Views about the state of female leadership vary by party and gender.

Women are running for Congress in record numbers this year, and most Americans say this is a good thing. But there’s little consensus among the public about how – or whether – things would change if more women were elected. More than four-in-ten Americans say they personally hope a woman will be elected president in their lifetime.

Despite widening gaps in politics and demographics, Americans across community types have a lot in common in key facets of their lives.

Our analysis finds that Millennials stand apart from the young adults of the Silent generation when it comes to education, employment and home life.

Nearly six-in-ten rural Americans have a gun in their household, compared with smaller shares of suburban and urban gun owners.

About four-in-ten Americans say they either own a gun themselves or live in a household with guns, and 48% say they grew up in a household with guns.

Americans have broad exposure to guns, whether they personally own one or not. About seven-in-ten say they have fired a gun at some point and 42% currently live in a gun-owning household.

Of the 84,995 refugees admitted to the United States in fiscal year 2016, the largest numbers came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Burma (Myanmar) and Iraq.

Although many middle-class areas voted for Barack Obama in 2008, they overwhelmingly favored Donald Trump in 2016, a shift that was a key to his victory.

Overall, Americans with disabilities are engaged with the upcoming election, but they are less likely to turn out to vote as they face a number of obstacles to voting.