A cartoon of a red hand shaking a blue hand
Blog

Can Americans Find Common Ground on Abortion?

Karlyn Bowman October 24, 2022

Most Americans are willing to find common ground on abortion. Continue Reading →

An image of a broken wedding ring. There is a significant crack in the ring which is showed in the image foreground.
Blog

 A Moral Double Standard on Marital Infidelity 

Daniel A. Cox October 12, 2022

Men and women hold different views of the morality of marital infidelity depending on who commits it. Continue Reading →

A children's coloring book of the Jewish Haggdah,
Blog

Jews and the Faith of Their Children

Samuel J. Abrams May 23, 2022

Just half of Jews in America today believe it is important for children to be brought up in a religion so they can learn good values, making the Jewish community an outlier compared to other religious traditions. Continue Reading →

An illustration of the side profiles of four people. From left to right: a young white man with blond hair, an older Black woman with short, curly Black hair, a young woman with tan skin and black hair with a blue streak, an older man with darker tan skin with curly grey hair and a mustache.
Survey report

Politics, Sex, and Sexuality: The Growing Gender Divide in American Life

Daniel A. Cox, Beatrice Lee, Dana Popky April 27, 2022

The nature of gender differences is a source of enduring debate in American society. The divide between young men and women is growing larger over sex, sexuality, and politics. Men spend more time playing video games, watching pornography, and report a greater interest in politics, while women are more likely to pick up a book or meditate. Continue Reading →

A young woman wrapped in a blanket stares pensively out the window.
Blog

The Childhood Loneliness of Generation Z

Daniel A. Cox April 4, 2022

There’s a growing concern that young adults today are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness, social isolation, and disconnection. A lot of blame is being placed on social media, or more recently the pandemic. Delayed family formation is another likely factor—young adults are marrying later than they once did. But what if Gen Z is lonelier Continue Reading →

A cartoon drawing of a church. Inside of the church is a pastor looking at empty pews.
Survey report

Generation Z and the Future of Faith in America

Daniel A. Cox March 24, 2022

The religious and social experiences of young adults today are entirely different than previous generations. New family dynamics and parenting choices are reshaping the religious experiences of young people, setting them on a very different trajectory than past generations and making Generation Z the least religious generation. Continue Reading →

Photo of main street, Grass Valley California
Blog

Diversity and Disconnection

Daniel A. Cox, Beatrice Lee, Dana Popky March 1, 2022

Americans who live in areas packed with neighborhood amenities tend to have a more diverse set of friends and acquaintances. Continue Reading →

The outline of two human heads in an argument, constructed out of neon.
Blog

Polarization in American Family Life is Overblown

Samuel J. Abrams February 23, 2022

Throughout the 2020 election, stories of families and friendships ripped apart by political differences were featured regularly in the press. Many also argued that numerous Americans had become trapped in ideological echo chambers. These narratives all fed into the larger national polarization thesis which suggested Americans were deeply divided and ideologically sorted into narrow social Continue Reading →

A child looks through a window of a car on a rainy day.
Blog

The Problem with Parental Favoritism

Daniel A. Cox February 10, 2022

There is no shortage of advice for parents. The Internet is awash with parenting tips, tactics, and strategies to meet every conceivable exigency. But for all the varying recommendations provided to parents, perhaps one of the most critical is something to be avoided—picking favorites. A new survey suggests that parental favoritism, or even the perception Continue Reading →

Artists rendition of several families sitting at tables having family dinners.
Survey report

Emerging Trends and Enduring Patterns in American Family Life

Daniel A. Cox February 9, 2022

Family dynamics are always evolving, but the emergence of new technologies, shifting economic realities, new cultural sensibilities, and social arrangements have reshaped family life dramatically. But there are enduring patterns in American family life as well. Women still do far more of the household chores, including cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Formative experiences, such as divorce, parental favoritism, and relationships have far-reaching influence. Continue Reading →

Survey Reports

Cartoon rendering of a series of different online dating app prospects, on phone screens

Daniel A. Cox
February 9, 2023

From Swiping to Sexting: The Enduring Gender Divide in American Dating and Relationships

The January 2023 American Perspectives Survey sheds some light on dating preferences, experiences, and perspectives. The national survey of more than 5,000 adults age 18 and older, including nearly 800 single adults, finds that Americans have strong dating preferences when it comes to living at home, being unemployed, and smoking. Continue Reading →

Red leather-bound Qur'an on a wooden table with prayer beads and a light blue surgical mask draped over top.

Lindsey Witt-Swanson, Jennifer Benz, Daniel A. Cox
January 5, 2023

Faith After the Pandemic: How COVID-19 Changed American Religion

The Survey Center on American Life at AEI teamed up with researchers at NORC at the University of Chicago to measure religious affiliation and attendance both before the pandemic (2018 to March 2020) and again in spring 2022, revealing who remained at the pews, who returned to the pews, and who left. Continue Reading →

A cartoon showing a vibrant office from the ceiling view.

Brent Orrell, Daniel A. Cox, Jessie Wall
October 25, 2022

The Social Workplace: Social Capital, Human Dignity, and Work in America

Over the past two decades, American social and civic life has been on an undeniable downward trajectory. New research finds that the workplace remains an increasingly important generator of social capital in the wake of this civic contraction. Continue Reading →

Photograph of pro-choice protestors holding signs

Karlyn Bowman, Daniel A. Cox
October 4, 2022

Gender, Generation and Abortion: Shifting Politics and Perspectives After Roe

In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the issue of abortion continues to garner widespread public attention. Young women are following the debate over abortion rights closely and more intensely than other Americans. How will it affect their vote in the upcoming election and their approach to politics? Continue Reading →