Education & Politics

Amid shifts in demographics and partisan allegiances, registered voters are now evenly split between the Democratic Party and the GOP.

Public K-12 teachers express low job satisfaction and few are optimistic about the future of U.S. education.

68% of U.S. adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election turned out to vote in the 2022 midterms. Former President Donald Trump’s voters turned out at a higher rate in 2022 (71%) than did President Joe Biden’s voters (67%).

Half of U.S. adults say they disapprove of selective colleges and universities taking prospective students’ racial and ethnic backgrounds into account when making admissions decisions. 33% approve of colleges considering race and ethnicity to increase diversity at the schools, while 16% are not sure.

The public is sharply divided along partisan lines on topics ranging from what should be taught in schools to how much influence parents should have over the curriculum.

Around a third of U.S. school districts mention the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in their mission statements. But these references are far more common in parts of the country won by Joe Biden in 2020 than in areas won by Donald Trump.

52% of Republicans say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in K-12 public school principals to act in the public’s best interests.

53% of parents of K-12 students say schools in the United States should be providing a mix of in-person and online instruction this winter.

Pew Research Center’s political typology sorts Americans into cohesive, like-minded groups based on their values, beliefs, and views about politics and the political system. Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics.

Republicans are critical of how major institutions, from large corporations and tech companies to universities and K-12 public schools, are affecting the U.S.