White Union Members Grow More Republican: In the late 1960s, union households were Democratic households. Nearly half (46 percent) of Americans who lived in union households identified as Democrats. Over the ensuing decades, Democratic identification among white members of union households has slowly eroded, dipping consistently below four in 10 by 2002. Over that period, the proportion of white Americans in union households who identify as Republican nearly doubled from a low of 14 percent in the 1970s to 27 percent in 2016. As of 2020, white Americans living in union households were just as likely to identify as Republicans as Democrats (33 percent vs. 34 percent), for the first time in over 60 years.

Dating Difficulties: Most singles today do not enjoy dating, and many say dating has gotten worse. But for the most part, Americans believe dating is difficult for men and women alike. Overall, men tend to believe they have it tougher than women, while women say the opposite. Liberal women and conservative men stand out for feeling that dating is more difficult for their gender. Thirty-six percent of liberal women say dating is more difficult for women, and 30 percent of conservative men say dating is harder for men. Explore more of our dating and relationships data in the Dating Dealbreakers interactive, where you can compare the attributes that make Americans less likely to date someone.

Born This Way: Long before Americans debated the issue of same-sex marriage, Gallup probed public understanding about the nature and origins of homosexuality. In 1977, more than half (56 percent) reported that homosexuality could be attributed to environmental factors or to upbringing; a scant 13 percent viewed being gay or lesbian as something people are born with. Over the ensuing decades, more Americans came to believe it was an inherent human trait, or “something that people were born with,” in the wording of early poll questions. By the early 2010s, more Americans said being gay and lesbian was inherent rather than an artifact of upbringing, but, even as support for same-sex marriage continues to rise, fundamental disagreements remain. In 2023, we find that half of Americans report that being gay and lesbian is something people are born with and roughly three in ten (32 percent) attribute sexual differences to upbringing or environment.