Age & Generations

The public’s leading long-range foreign policy goals for the United States are focused on security, including economic security. About seven-in-ten (72%) say that taking measures to protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks should be a top priority for the country, while about as many (71%) say the same about protecting the jobs of American workers.

Close to half of U.S. teens say they are on the internet “almost constantly." Yet highly plugged-in youth in America are just as likely as their less-connected peers to socialize regularly with their friends in person.

Teens credit social media for helping to build stronger friendships and exposing them to a more diverse world, but they express concern that these sites lead to drama and social pressure.

The 2018 midterm elections significantly boosted the number of Millennials and Generation Xers in the lower chamber.

The United States is a nation divided when it comes to food, and Americans’ food preferences are especially evident in what they don’t eat.

Today’s 6- to 21-year-olds are already America’s most racially and ethnically diverse generation – and more of them are heading to college than previous generations.

Younger adults in eight Western European countries are about twice as likely as older adults to get news online than from TV. They also are more critical of the media's performance and coverage of key issues.

They tend to be more left-leaning, more progressive in their social and political views, more receptive to immigrants and more favorable toward the European Union. They are also more mixed in their views of traditional center-left parties than older Western Europeans.

Some 15% of U.S. households with school-age children do not have a high-speed internet connection at home. Some teens are more likely to face digital hurdles when trying to complete their homework.

Younger U.S. adults were better than their elders at differentiating between factual and opinion statements in a survey conducted in early 2018.