Photo of a Christmas tree and its ornaments. Two people are walking away from the camera's view. We see their backs.

December 17, 2020

Holiday Spending in 2020

The holidays look different this year. In addition to traveling less, having smaller gatherings, and gathering virtually, Americans are also altering their spending habits. Continue Reading →

August 12, 2020

What Happens to Parents When Community Spaces Close?

If it takes a village to raise a child, what happens to parents when the village goes into lockdown? Continue Reading →

July 9, 2020

The Parents are Not All Right: The Experiences of Parenting During a Pandemic

Findings from the AEI COVID-19 and American Life Survey

Parenting during the pandemic placed a huge burden on those with children at home. Mothers (especially single mothers) have experienced a decline in mental health and are especially anxious about sending their children back to school. Continue Reading →

June 16, 2020

Hardship, Anxiety, and Optimism: Racial and Partisan Disparities in Americans’ Response to COVID-19

Findings from the AEI COVID-19 and American Life Survey

The COVID-19 and American Life Survey finds that most Americans do not think life will return to normal until 2021. Financial hardships have hit many households, disproportionately affecting minorities. Continue Reading →

April 16, 2020

The Urban-Rural Divide Over the Coronavirus Outbreak

Despite clear partisan gaps in views about the coronavirus outbreak, where Americans live is shaping how they respond to it. Continue Reading →

April 2, 2020

Fear, Frustration, and Faith: Americans Respond to the Coronavirus Outbreak

Findings from the March 2020 American Perspectives Survey

The March 2020 American Perspectives Survey finds that young people are most likely to have hoarded supplies and reveals a large partisan divide in opinions on how the federal government and Donald Trump handled coronavirus. Continue Reading →

March 20, 2020

Millennials and Baby Boomers Are Not at Odds Over Coronavirus

When it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, younger and older Americans are not responding so differently. Continue Reading →

Generation Uncoupled

Generation Uncoupled book

Generation Uncoupled: America's New Gender Divide and the Crisis of Human Connection

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Survey Reports

Daniel A. Cox
July 23, 2026

A Digital Divide in American Adolescence: Gender, Class, and the New Teenage Experience

If teenage years once represented a time of rebellion, teenagers’ lives today are marked less by pushing boundaries and more by building their own. Many teenage experiences are less common than they once were—dating, working a part-time job, and experimenting with drugs and alcohol are less common experiences. The 2026 American Teenagers Survey from the Continue Reading →

Daniel A. Cox, Jae Grace, Avery Shields
April 27, 2026

Strangers Next Door: The Decline of Neighborhood Socializing and the Class Divide in Belonging

Acknowledgment The American Enterprise Institute’s Survey Center on American Life is grateful to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for its generous support of this research. As Americans spend more of their time online, the neighborhood—once a primary physical location for real-world socialization—is playing less of a central role than ever before. Since Continue Reading →