In the course of conducting public opinion surveys and demographic analyses, the Pew Research Center found a wide range of data milestones, breakthroughs, peaks and valleys in 2013, including record support for same-sex marriage and the legalization of marijuana; record levels of distrust of the federal government; record numbers of mothers who were the primary breadwinners for their families; and record numbers of Millennials living with their parents. Here is a look at the highs and lows Americans reached this year, according to Pew's data.
1... Just over half (51%) of the public now favors same-sex marriage [4], while 42% are opposed.
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2... A majority of Americans (52%) now favor legalizing the use of marijuana [6].
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3... A majority agrees the U.S. should mind its own business internationally [7], the highest measure in nearly a half century of polling.
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4... The share of Americans saying they do not want their own representative in Congress reelected [8] – 38% – is at its highest point in two decades.
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5... For the first time, a majority of the public (53%) says that the federal government threatens their personal rights and freedoms [9].
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6... 36% of the nation’s young adults ages 18 to 31—the so-called Millennial generation— now live in their parents’ home [10], the highest share in at least four decades.
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7... A record 40% of all households with children under the age of 18 include mothers who are either the sole or primary source of income [11] for the family.
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8... The U.S., which has a total population of 317 million, is now home to a record 40.4 million immigrants [12].
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9... A record seven-in-ten (69%) Hispanic high school graduates in the class of 2012 enrolled in college that fall [13], two percentage points higher than the rate (67%) among their white counterparts.
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10... The percentage of Americans who say the U.S. plays a more important and powerful role as a world leader than it did 10 years ago has fallen to a 40-year low [7] of just 17%.
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11... The percentage of American Catholics calling themselves “strong” Catholics [14] is at a four-decade low.
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12... For the first time since Pew Research Center began tracking smartphone adoption, a majority of Americans now own a smartphone of some kind [15].
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13... 50% of the public now cites the internet [16] as a main source for national and international news.
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