Pew Research Center Research Articles

The US Peace Corps as a public diplomacy strategy

The US Peace Corps has been operating programs globally since 1961 with an enduring mission toward international friendship and world peace structured around clear goals that emphasize cross-cultural learning objectives. Little is known about whether the program has a positive effect on US soft power abroad and, if so, the magnitude of that influence. This paper examines the impact of Peace Corps programming in foreign states on US public diplomacy objectives. The primary research aims to understand the relationship between indicators of a foreign population’s favorability toward the US and Peace Corps participation to determine the effects of program size as well as program presence and removal. Pew Research Center US favorability scores were analyzed alongside Peace Corps volunteer cohort sizes between years 2004 and 2016 among 20 sample countries. The findings indicate a positive and statistically significant relationship between the size of the Peace Corps volunteer cohort and US favorability. Each additional volunteer increases favorability toward the US by 0.12 points. The results are robust to the inclusion of additional soft power factors. Supplementary findings illustrate that the removal of Peace Corps programming may adversely impact favorability toward the US, establishing the negative soft power effect of ceasing participation.

Digital Disenfranchisement and COVID-19: Broadband Internet Access as a Social Determinant of Health.

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately one quarter of American adults do not have access to broadband internet. This number does not account for the millions of people who are underconnected or lacking a stable internet connection. Although digital disparity in America is not new, the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has increased our societal dependence on the internet and widened the digital divide. Access to broadband internet has become a basic need in this connected society, linking people to vital resources, such as jobs, education, health care, food, and information. However, it is still an overlooked and understudied issue in public health. In this article, we highlight five key points for why advocating for the expansion of affordable and accessible internet for all should be a priority issue for public health and health promotion. Recent studies offer evidence that digital disenfranchisement contributes to negative health outcomes, economic oppression, and racial injustice. Now more than ever, health advocacy to promote digital equity and inclusion is critical to our meaningful progress toward health equity.

Building APRN Gerontology Workforce Capacity Through New APRN Gerontological Specialist Certification

Building APRN Gerontology Workforce Capacity Through New APRN Gerontological Specialist Certification

Liming Wang Comment on How China Managed the COVID-19 Pandemic

Liming Wang Comment on How China Managed the COVID-19 Pandemic

Black, Hispanic employees are underrepresented in US science and engineering, Pew report finds

Black and Hispanic people are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers in the US, and that is unlikely to change if current trends continue, according to a new report on diversity in science from the Pew Research Center . In an analysis of federal data, the Pew report shows that Hispanic people are the most underrepresented in STEM fields, making up just 8% of the STEM workforce but 17% of all US workers. Black employees hold 9% of STEM jobs yet represent 11% of all workers. Black workers are especially underrepresented in engineering, physical sciences, and life sciences, where they hold less than 6% of the jobs. Asian and White scientists are overrepresented in STEM jobs in relation to their percentages of the population, the analysis finds. The report also looked at the proportion of women in STEM careers. In physical sciences, the percentage of women rose

Explaining the Varieties of Volunteering in Europe: A Capability Approach

Volunteer rates vary greatly across Europe despite the voluntary sector’s common history and tradition. This contribution advances a theoretical explanation for the variation in volunteering across Europe—the capability approach—and tests this approach by adopting a two-step strategy for modeling contextual effects. This approach, referring to the concept of capability introduced by Sen (Choice, welfare and measurement, Oxford University Press, 1980/1982), is based on the claim that the demand and supply sides of the voluntary sector can be expected to vary according to collective and individual capabilities to engage in volunteering. To empirically test the approach, the study relied on two data sources—the 2015 European Union (EU) Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), including an ad hoc module on volunteering at the individual level, and the Quality of Government Institute and PEW Research Center macro-level data sets—to operationalize economic, human, political, social, and religious contextual factors and assess their effects on individuals’ capability to volunteer. The results support the capability hypothesis at both levels. At the individual level, indicators of human, economic, and social resources have a positive effect on the likelihood of volunteering. At the contextual level, macro-structural indicators of economic, political, social, and religious contexts affect individuals’ ability to transform resources into functioning—that is, volunteering.

A Primer on Celtic Spirituality With Recommendations for Counseling Practice

Research suggests that expressions of Celtic spirituality are widespread among the U.S. populace (e.g., Pew Research Center, 2014; Sullivan, 2016). Adherents vary in their commitment levels, ranging from informal cultural participants to followers of structured forms of the faith tradition (e.g., Celtic Christianity, Wicca, Paganism). The counseling literature provides scant information on this movement and germane approaches to support clients who identify with this spirituality. To respond to this deficiency, we address the topic by contextualizing Celtic spirituality from definitional, historical, and thematic perspectives. Next, we consider implications for spiritually sensitive counseling practice. We include a case study, exemplifying potential adaptive counseling processes and interventions.

Future Challenges of Secularization to Asian Christianity and Theology

Future Challenges of Secularization to Asian Christianity and Theology

‘Staying in the Nationalist Bubble’

‘Staying in the Nationalist Bubble’

Projecting Religious Demographics: The Case of Jews in the United States

AbstractDrawing upon the comprehensive survey of the American Jewish population conducted in 2013 by the Pew Research Center, we estimate the trajectory of the population and its denominational segments, 50 years into the future. Our analysis relies upon estimates of the population in 2013, fertility rates, marriage behaviors, and denominational switching patterns as inputs into a model of population demographics. We project that over the next 50 years, the demographics of U.S. Jews are likely to change dramatically, with the share of the population that is Orthodox rising from 12 percent to 29 percent, with their share of the child population increasing from 22 percent to 51 percent. Among Reform and Conservative Jews, the number of 30‐ to 69‐year‐olds is projected to drop by approximately 46 percent over this period. We also project a slight drop in the total Jewish population followed by a recovery propelled by the growing Orthodox population.

Factors affecting climate change concern in Pakistan: are there rural/urban differences?

There is a growing interest in studying the determinants of climate change concern, but there are few studies conducted on developing countries like Pakistan. This study has three objectives. Firstly, to find whether there are differences in climate change concern levels between Pakistani citizens residing in rural and urban areas. Secondly, whether climate change concern is influenced by the same or different factors in rural and urban areas. Finally, whether the religious denomination one adheres to plays a role. The 2015 database provided by Pew Research Center, a representative sample of the Pakistani population, is used, and ordered logit models are run by including the independent variables in steps. The main finding is that the place of residency matters: rural residents show higher levels of concern than their urban counterparts. Climate change concern is influenced in both areas of residence by the gender of the respondent: females are more concerned than males. Nonetheless, there are differences in other determinants of climate change concern in rural and urban areas, for example, the education level, which affects mainly rural citizens. The religious denomination affects the concern of rural residents: Sunni Muslims show higher levels of climate change concern than Shi'a Muslims. Recommendations include the implementation of policies aiming to increase the education level in rural areas and the incorporation of courses and curricular or extra-curricular activities that would promote more concern among high school students.

Extension’s Potential to Respond to Suburban Food Insecurity

Between 2000 and 2013, the suburbs in the country’s largest metro areas saw their low-income population grow twice as fast as primary urban cities. In 2018, the Pew Research Center reported that poverty increased more sharply in suburbs than in urban and rural counties (Parker et al., 2018). The rise in suburban poverty coincides with an increasing prevalence of food insecurity. The social and physical environments of suburban communities pose unique food-related challenges for the suburban poor. Awareness and stigmatization of food assistance programs, lack of transportation options, access to food pantries, and limited community gardens are examples of challenges that many families face. With a growing suburban population facing poverty and food insecurity, Extension is positioned to address the complex problem of suburban food insecurity through community-engaged research and education involving the areas of family and consumer sciences, community development, agriculture and natural resources, and 4-H youth development.

Review: Lifeworlds of Islam: The Pragmatics of a Religion, by Mohammed A. Bamyeh

Review: <i>Lifeworlds of Islam: The Pragmatics of a Religion</i>, by Mohammed A. Bamyeh

The Proverbial Closet: Do Faith and Religiosity Affect Coming Out Patterns?

Disclosing one’s sexual minority identity or “coming out of the closet” is a key milestone in sexual minority identity development. While scholars have explored how race, gender, class, and other social classifications shape coming out patterns among lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) individuals, we know far less about the effect of religious contexts. To address this shortcoming, we extend existing theoretical insights to better understand how faith and religiosity shape coming out patterns among sexual minorities both independently and collectively. Specifically, we examine how religious affiliation and religious attendance (a measure of religiosity) affect when LGB individuals privately realize and publicly disclose their sexual minority identity. Using data from the Pew Research Center’s 2013 Survey of LGBT Adults, we conduct a series of ordinary least squares regressions on a representative sample of LGB adults ( n = 1,136). We find religious contexts—both religious affiliation and attendance—have no independent effect on when a person realizes or publicly discloses their sexual minority identity for the first time. However, evangelical Protestants that frequently attend religious services publicly disclose their sexual minority identity at older ages. These results highlight the social cost of publicly disclosing an LGB identity, especially within conservative religious spaces.

Comparing Writing vs. Smartphone Tapping Speed

As COVID-19 pushes the world into emergency remote teaching mode, many teachers struggle with designing online or computer-mediated language learning activities due to having little to no prior experience. It is imperative to understand how the use of technology affects not only the processes of learning, but also the outcomes. Particularly in Japan, where smartphone ownership among adults aged 18-34 topped 96% in 2018 (Pew Research Center, 2019), many students use their phones to access their schools’ learning management systems (LMS) and complete assignments (i.e., mobile learning). The current study therefore sought to elucidate how different writing media can affect the execution of a simple writing task by examining the differences in transcription speeds between handwriting and ‘tapping’ on a smartphone. A total of 176 participants were divided into 3 groups (L1-English, writing in English; L1-Japanese, writing in Japanese; and L1-Japanese, writing in English), and their times-on-task were recorded. While no difference was found for the L1-English group, the L1-Japanese groups were found to be significantly faster at one task than the other (tapping in Japanese and writing in English). Pedagogical implications suggest the need for instructors to be aware of the extreme difficulty language learners may have when using mobile devices for writing tasks.

Ichiro the Public Diplomat: Professional Sport as Cultural Intermediary in Configuring US-Japan Relations

Summary This study examines the confluence of sport and soft power within public diplomacy. It analyses professional baseball player Ichiro Suzuki’s role in the United States as a sporting ambassador from Japan — potentially catalysing goodwill, cultural interest, perceptions of national personality traits and even views of policy issues such as international trade and country relations. In doing so, this research draws from non-state public diplomacy, which considers the transnational impacts of non-traditional communication vehicles such as cultural and sporting exchanges. It measures US public sentiment towards Japan through quantitative analysis of survey responses collected by Pew Research Center in conjunction with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. The success of Japan’s cultural and sporting exports highlights their potential and realised role in binding national ties. Furthermore, Tokyo’s hosting of the Summer Olympiad emphasises the role of sport not only as a vehicle for competition and entertainment but also its utility in global engagement.

Going Viral: The 3 Rs of Social Media Messaging during Public Health Emergencies.

Going Viral: The 3 Rs of Social Media Messaging during Public Health Emergencies.

Re-Establishment of Health for Professionals in Higher Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Professors in an HIS as an Example

The purpose of this study is to investigate faculty health and well-being (H&amp;W; SDG#3) in a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and how these professionals seek to re-establish their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent research has shown that H&amp;W concerns from COVID-19 are much higher among Hispanics than Whites (Pew Research Center, 2020), and COVID-19 is affecting Hispanics at an alarming rate (CNN, 2020). Understanding how COVID-19 is affecting Hispanic faculty’s H&amp;W is paramount as literature has shown that faculty H&amp;W are important to the success of their students, their profession, and their institutions of higher education. However, few studies have explored H&amp;W for faculty in an HSI. The study explores how these professionals re-establish their H&amp;W during the pandemic. The study takes place in an HSI in South Texas. Survey method with convenience sampling (n = 50), followed by one-on-one in-depth interviews with purposive sampling (n = 5) are conducted. Based on the Hetler’s H&amp;W model and referenced to the Travis’ and Ardell’s models, all aspects of H&amp;W are inquired (physical, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, and intellectual health). Quantitative data are analyzed using statistical methods. 86% of participants reveal that this pandemic has decreased their H&amp;W. 75% of participants indicate they thought about building or re-establishing their H&amp;W. However, only 30% of participants reveal they actually implement their H&amp;W plans. Qualitative data are analyzed using thematic analysis methods. Several themes emerge: (1) H&amp;W challenges faculty face, such as increased stress from work, family, and children at home; (2) their awareness and attempts of re-establishment of H&amp;W, such as needs to be more organized, eat better, and exercise more; (3) recommendations from faculty that echo UN’s H&amp;W tips, such as of staying home more, keeping social distancing, enjoying things in life, sleeping, exercising, having balanced diet, and a positive mental attitude.

Traditional vs. Social Media: A Phenomenology of Influences on Political Ideological Development in Adolescents.

Increased political polarization in Congress and the general public seems to align with the advent of social media. Events such as the 2019 government shutdown highlight Congressional partisanship that has led to unsettling gridlock. As a truly representative democracy could be at stake, it is important to understand how partisanship among citizens mirrors congressional discord. As Ronald Brownstein asserts in The Second Civil War, “extreme partisanship has produced a toxic environment...that disenfranchises the millions of Americans attracted to pragmatic compromise” (2007, p. 13). According to the Pew Research Center, the gap between political values of Democrats and Republicans is now larger than at any point in Pew Research Center history (Mitchell, 2017). The cause of this polarization has been tied to many different sources. Traditional media is a linkage institution—a system that connects the government to the people—that has been examined for spurring hyper partisanship. Legislation and court decisions have extended first amendment rights for traditional media, resulting in more biased news sources and possible misinformation, as well as a lack of consistency across the ideological news spectrum. However, traditional media still has an important filter: a large portion of the population doesn’t have access to their own news show or newspaper to spread their ideals. Social media has also become a prevalent linkage institution for constituents and representatives, and can be an accessible way to find information about candidates, parties, and current events. However, it is also easier to spread misinformation to a significant audience. Many social media programming setups can create an “echo-chamber”, and only share information with citizens that strengthens their political ideology. Another factor differentiating social media from traditional media is the age group it attracts. Approximately 81% of teenagers use social media (Anderson & Jiang, 2018). Because of this, more than half of teens get news from platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (Common Sense Media, 2019). As teens develop their political ideologies, social media may affect their exposure to information and thus affect socialization towards polarizing issues. Consequently, teens could be developing polarized views at a younger age, affecting future polity tremendously. As such, it is important to develop a better understanding of the difference between the influence of social media and traditional media on teens' development of political ideology. This leads to the question: Since the rise of social media, how has social media affected teen’s political ideological development? To answer, I must identify the history and effects of traditional and social media, define terms imperative to my research, and analyze teenage use of social media.

The affluenza epidemic: consequences of parent-child value congruence in a material world

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to offer a theoretical explanation for the perpetuation of materialistic values among adolescents. In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center (2019), adolescents in America say that having a lot of money is more important to them in their future than getting married or having children. This research answers the call for a theoretical explanation for the perpetuation of materialistic values among adolescents. Using person–environment fit (P-E fit) theory, this study argues that it is not the content of the values, but rather the fit between a person’s value priorities and the values prevailing in the environment which is crucial to well-being.Design/methodology/approachA national online panel was used to collect cross-sectional survey data from 278 families (adolescents aged 13–18 and their parents).FindingsFindings indicate that adolescents in congruent value households express significantly greater life satisfaction and less depressed mood than adolescents in conflict value households. In fact, materialistic adolescents living in materialistic households expressed the greatest life satisfaction, a finding which contrasts with the current claims that materialism uniformly causes anxiety and depressed mood.Research limitations/implicationsTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to test person–environment fit theory in the context of the family and to offer this theory as a viable explanation of affluenza among America’s youth. The results of this study support the P-E fit theory and suggest that materialism is not universally associated with negative well-being, but rather that adolescents’ well-being is a function of the congruency of an adolescent’s values to his/her family environment.Social implicationsWhile materialistic socialization within the family does enhance the well-being of adolescents temporarily, it may also set adolescents up for a lifetime of harmful expectations from the pursuit money. A consistent pattern of overconsumption as a reward to adolescents may later produce materialistic adults who suffer from financial difficulties and mental health disorders. Disproportionate consumption further leads to environmental pollution.Originality/valueNo study to date has examined the impact of value congruence in the household (parent-child), as it pertains to the development of materialism in adolescents and its effects on adolescents’ well-being. This study suggests that highly materialistic adolescents can experience happiness from the pursuit of consumption. This offers insight into how a value deemed as detrimental as materialism continues to permeate in our society.