The Week in Charts

Welcome to The Week in Charts, where we break down Gallup's latest insights on our constantly evolving world. Here are the five insights you shouldn't miss this week:

1. Americans on Abortion Policy: Loosen Up

Line Chart: Satisfaction with U.S. abortion policy from 2001 to 2023.

For the first time in over 20 years, there's a spike in Americans wanting to see abortion laws less restrictive in the U.S. Many of our abortion and SCOTUS-related trends have taken sharp turns since the demise of the Roe v. Wade decision was foreshadowed in Texas. In our latest poll, more Americans (even some Republicans) would like to see an easing of restrictive abortion laws — likely ensuring the issue, once written off as a political issue of the past, will continue to be front and center in coming election cycles.
Read Article

2. Diversity, Discrimination and Mental Health

Bar Chart: Frequency of discrimination felt by Black students in higher education.

In our latest research with our friends at Lumina, we've been digging into how private versus public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. fare in terms of perceptions of discrimination among Black students. Those in private institutions are twice as likely as those at public universities to feel occasionally or frequently discriminated against at school. And it turns out that having a more diverse student body does make a difference.
Read Article

3. How Much Spin Is in Our News?

Bar Chart: Perceptions of political bias in the news over time, by political party identification.

Speaking of friends … in our deepest dive ever into social media and trust in the news with Knight Foundation, we document a continued rise in perceived political bias in news coverage among Americans — well, among Republicans and independents, but not Democrats.
Read Report

4. Moldova Rings the Alarm

Line Chart: Moldovans' approval of Russian, German and U.S. leadership.

Coming up on a year into Russia's war with Ukraine, stability and security in the small neighboring country of Moldova have been a focus of Western powers. Last week, Moldova's Western-aligned government outlined a Kremlin plan to overthrow the government prior to its collapse in Chisinau. Attitudes toward Russia in the country have been taking a turn Westward.

5. Black Students More Likely to Multi-Life

Bar Chart: Percentage of full-time Black students who also work full time or act as caregivers.

We've all been students and learned how to multitask, but there are those who study full time and juggle other major life responsibilities while doing so. Our recent look at the subject finds that Black students in the U.S. are more likely than their peers to be studying full time and also serving as caregivers or full-time employees.
Read Article

And that's The Week in Charts!

Mohamed Younis
Editor-in-Chief
Gallup

A forward is the best compliment. Tell a friend to sign up for The Week in Charts here.