Across 27 countries surveyed, people generally see social media as more of a good thing than a bad thing for democracy.

Americans overwhelmingly see small businesses as having a positive effect on the way things are going in the country. By contrast, their views of large corporations are broadly negative. And most people – including identical shares in both parties – are critical of the impact of banks and financial institutions.

Most U.S. adults today say they use the internet (95%), have a smartphone (90%) or subscribe to high-speed internet at home (80%). About four-in-ten report being online almost constantly.

Today, nearly all U.S. teens (96%) say they use the internet every day. And the share of teens who report being online “almost constantly” has roughly doubled since 2014-2015 (24% vs. 46%).

Here’s a look back at 2023 through some of our most striking research findings.

35% of U.S. parents with children younger than 18 say they are extremely or very worried that their children might be bullied at some point.

U.S. adults and teens are more likely to support than oppose requiring parental consent for minors to create a social media account.

71% of adults say they are very or somewhat concerned about how the government uses the data it collects about them, up from 64% in 2019.

The share of Americans who say they are very or somewhat concerned about government use of people’s data has increased from 64% in 2019 to 71% today. Two-thirds (67%) of adults say they understand little to nothing about what companies are doing with their personal data, up from 59%.

Americans’ understanding of digital topics varies notably depending on the subject. For example, majorities of U.S. adults know what cookies on websites do and can identify a secure password, but far fewer can recognize an example of two-factor authentication.