Is teen summer employment in the U.S. rebounding after a long fade?
Only 35.5% of U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 worked this summer, up slightly from 2025 but far below the more than half who worked most summers before 2000.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Drew DeSilver
Senior Writer/Editor
Drew DeSilver is a senior writer at Pew Research Center.
Publications
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Most Americans favor big changes to the political system that likely would require amending the Constitution
Most Americans support term limits, campaign spending caps, and Electoral College reform, but achieving these changes likely would require amending one of the world’s hardest constitutions to change.
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U.S. foreign aid is plunging in second Trump administration
U.S. foreign aid fell to its lowest inflation-adjusted level in over two decades in fiscal 2025, dropping to $47.3 billion — more than $24 billion less than the prior year.
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8 ways that U.S.-style democracy stands out globally
As the U.S. celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, here are eight ways its political system stands apart from the world’s other 105 democracies.
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Have Americans’ wages kept up with inflation? That depends
Determining whether workers’ wages have kept up with inflation depends on many factors.
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How Americans view Trump’s handling of trade and tariffs
Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults are not confident that Trump can make good decisions about trade policy. Views of trade between the U.S. and China, Canada and Mexico have shifted since 2025.
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U.S.-style birthright citizenship is uncommon around the world
32 other countries around the world have birthright citizenship laws that are substantially similar to the U.S. Another 50 or so countries have more limited variations of birthright citizenship.
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Federal workforce shrank 10% in Trump’s first year back in office
The federal workforce shrank by 10.3% in 2025, losing nearly 238,000 workers. Among major agencies, the Education Department and USAID had the steepest cuts.
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As the Academy Awards approach, a look at moviegoing habits in the United States
About half of Americans (53%) said in a summer 2025 survey that they had seen a movie in theaters in the past year.
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What the data says about Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges
Only about 6.9% of the total U.S. population buys health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
