Are American workers' wages keeping up with inflation? It's a simple question, but the answer depends on which workers you look at, how you define wages, how you measure inflation and which time period you evaluate. New from @pewresearch.org:

Analysis by @washingtonpost.com finds that 93% of Trump's second-term speeches so far have included at least one vulgar term: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

"A growing number of congressional Democrats have a new political villain in the fight over rising energy bills: electric utilities," @politico.com reports: www.politico.com/news/2026/05... In our recent survey, many Americans blamed utility companies for their rising home energy bills:

Barney Frank, who in 1987 became the first member of Congress to come out as gay, dies at 86: apnews.com/article/barn... Here's a look at how LGBTQ representation in Congress has grown over time: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

From our 2025 analysis: "Google users who encounter an AI summary are less likely to click on links to other websites than users who do not see one." www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/... Relevant (especially for publishers) as Google makes further AI changes to search: techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/g...

"Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has signed the nation's first law banning prediction market sites from operating in the state, the most far-reaching crackdown on massively popular services like Kalshi and Polymarket." (via @npr.org)

From the @pewresearch.org archive: Americans disapproved of Trump's pardons of those involved in Jan. 6, especially those convicted of violent crimes. www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

Ahead of today's Rededicate 250 event on the National Mall (www.washingtonpost.com/religion/202...), a new @pewresearch.org survey finds that awareness of Christian nationalism has grown. And as awareness has grown, so have negative *and* positive views of it. www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...

Trump's job approval rating has declined 14 percentage points among US Latinos since early last year. And it's declined nearly twice as much (-27 points) among the Latinos who voted for him in 2024. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

NEW from @pewresearch.org: Since early 2025, Trump's approval rating has declined 27 percentage points among the Latinos who voted for him in 2024. That far exceeds the 16-point decline among non-Latinos who voted for him. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

"In total, 115 ambassador posts out of 195 total positions are vacant nearly 18 months into the second Trump administration, according to the American Foreign Service Association." (via @wsj.com)

"Trade volume between the U.S. and China dropped off dramatically [in 2025], with imports from China tumbling 28.0% and exports falling 17.7%."

% of Americans who say China is a... Partner of the US: 10% Competitor of the US: 60% Enemy of the US: 28%

In the first @gallup.com survey on the topic, 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their area, including nearly half who strongly oppose it. news.gallup.com/poll/709772/...

"Food at home" consumer prices have nearly doubled since 2000, with an especially sharp increase since the pandemic. (via @washingtonpost.com) www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

NEW from @pewresearch.org: Do AI and bogus respondents threaten the future of polling?

Public concern about inflation has declined sharply among Republicans and increased sharply among Democrats since last year, according to our latest poll: www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

Partisanship and the economy: With the change in presidency from Biden to Trump, Democrats and Republicans have traded places on two economic issues: Democrats are now more likely than Republicans to be concerned about inflation and the budget deficit. www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

In a new @pewresearch.org survey, 66% of Americans say inflation is a very big problem in the US today. Since last year, Republicans have become much *less* likely to say inflation is a very big problem, while Democrats have become much *more* likely to say so. www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

% of Americans who have little or no confidence in Trump to make good decisions on US policy toward China 49% in 2024 55% in 2025 60% in 2026 www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

As Trump and Xi prepare for a high-stakes summit this week, Americans' opinions about China have warmed in recent years – a shift that has happened among Democrats and Republicans alike. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

"In no other country does young adults' confidence in the jobs market lag behind older adults' by such a wide margin." (via @gallup.com)

Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to have an unfavorable opinion of Israel. But in both parties, majorities of adults under 50 – 84% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans – now have a negative opinion of Israel. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

88% of moms in the US saying being a parent is one of the most important aspects of who they are as a person, including 35% who say it's the most important aspect. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

"A growing share of Republicans now say the administration is doing too little on deportations, according to a poll released by the Pew Research Center on Monday." (via @nytimes.com)

In our recent survey, 63% of Americans expressed little or no confidence in Trump's handling of tariff policy.

From our 2025 survey: "When it comes to Supreme Court justices keeping their political views out of their decision-making, 14% of Americans say the justices are doing an excellent or good job of this, while 56% say they are doing an only fair or poor job." www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Overall, 44% of Americans say they pray daily. In some groups, the percentage is much higher. www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...

Chart: Top perceived reasons for rising home energy costs in the US Notably, many Americans say their energy costs are going up because of data centers. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

NEW: Three-quarters of Americans say their home energy costs have gone up in recent years, including 42% who say they've gone up a *lot*. By far the most common reason these Americans cite is "utility companies wanting to make more money."

"87% of Americans have a negative view of Trump’s social media post appearing to depict himself as Jesus."

Should medication abortion be legal or illegal? In three @pewresearch.org surveys since 2023, more than half of Americans have said it should be legal in their state. But Republicans have become more likely to say it should be illegal. www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

May is AAPI Heritage Month, recognizing Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. One notable trend: Native Hawaiians are now more likely to live *outside* Hawaii than *in* Hawaii. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

58% of Americans view the Republican Party negatively; 59% view the Democratic Party negatively. www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

When he was reelected in November 2024, a 55% majority of Americans said the phrase "mentally sharp" describes Donald Trump well. That percentage has declined to 44% in the latest @pewresearch.org polling. www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

Far more Americans *disapprove very strongly* of Trump's job performance than *approve very strongly* of it (51% vs. 23%). Find much more here about Trump's job approval rating among Americans overall and among many demographic subgroups: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

9% of Americans say it's acceptable to name government buildings after Trump while he's president 21% say it's acceptable only when he's no longer president 50% say it's not acceptable www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

Trump's approval rating has declined among those who voted for him: 95% in January 2025 83% in January 2026 78% in April 2026 www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

NEW from @pewresearch.org: "Americans’ assessments of President Donald Trump have declined steadily over the last several months. His job approval rating now stands at 34% – the lowest mark of his second term."

Today is among the most widely recognized public holidays in the world: "International Labor Day on May 1, also called May Day, is a public holiday in at least 144 countries." www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

25% of non-homeowners in the US expect to buy a home in the next five years. That's the lowest percentage since @gallup.com started asking that question in 2013. news.gallup.com/poll/708995/...

Presenting the 2026 Warren J. Mitofsky Awardee: Scott Keeter, Senior Strategic Advisor, @pewresearch.org https://bit.ly/3QV4XNE Cornell University

It's a pleasure to work alongside @pollcat.bsky.social, the winner of this year's Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research: ropercenter.cornell.edu/2026-warren-...

"A historic drop in representation by Black members of Congress may be on the way after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision Wednesday to further weaken the Voting Rights Act." (via @npr.org @hansilowang.bsky.social) www.npr.org/2026/04/30/n...

"All four Black Republicans in the House are leaving Congress next year." (via @nytimes.com)

Chart: Racial and ethnic diversity in Congress, 2001-2025 At the start of the current Congress, Black representation in the House was on par with the Black share of the overall US population (both 14%). www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Gun homicides in the US tend to get more attention than gun suicides. But 62% of all gun-related deaths in 2024 were suicides, with a record 27,593 such fatalities that year. The US has far more gun suicides than any other country. New analysis: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

NEW from @pewresearch.org: Gun suicides in the US reached their highest level ever in 2024, according to recently published CDC data. Gun homicides declined sharply, pushing the total number of gun deaths down for the third consecutive year. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Chart: Americans' views of the countries that are gaining and losing global influence www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/...

% of Republicans who say America's influence in the world has been getting stronger 📈 10% in 2024 34% in 2025 55% in 2026 www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/...