A new Pew Research Center analysis of survey data shows that younger generations tend to have more-positive views than their elders on a number of institutions that play a significant role in American society.
Here are 7 figures you should know from the report:
1. Millennials’ rating of churches and other religious organizations dropped 18 percentage points from 2010 to 2015. In 2010, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) said churches have a positive impact on the country; today, only 55 percent make that same claim.
2. As of 2015, 86 percent of Millennials say small businesses have a positive effect, up 15 points since 2010.
3. Evaluations of large corporations have similarly improved among Millennials (an increase from 28 to 38 percent), though they also remain more negative than positive.
4. Five years ago, just 35 percent of Millennials said banks had a positive impact on the nation; today 45 percent say the impact of banks is positive.
5. Labor unions are also seen more positively today than they were five years ago (45 percent now say they have a positive impact on the country, up from 32 percent in 2010). And Millennials remain much more likely than their elders to view unions positively.
6. While about half of Americans (48 percent) view the energy industry as having a positive impact on the country, this view is somewhat more common among those in younger generations than older: 54 percent of Millennials and 52 percent of Xers say this, compared with just 42 percent of Boomers and 35 percent of Silents.
7. In 2010, four-in-ten Millennials said the national news media was having a positive impact on the way things were going in the country. Now, just 27 percent say it has a positive impact, compared with 26 percent of Generation Xers and Silents and 23 percent of Boomers.
