Black Americans' Confidence in Police: Nine-Point Rise

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

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The voice of the world in numbers

May 20, 2025

Welcome to Front Page, 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. Black Americans' Confidence in Police: Nine-Point Rise

Line Chart: Black adults' confidence in local police still below national average.

The Data: In 2024, 64% of Black adults in the U.S. expressed confidence in their local police — the highest level in four years, yet still nearly 10 percentage points below the national average of 73%.

The Trend: While confidence in police remained steady among U.S. adults overall, confidence among Black adults rebounded after hitting a low of 55% in 2022. As a result, the gap in trust between Black Americans and the U.S. average narrowed, from 17 points in 2022 to nine points in 2024.

2. A New Look at the 'Nones'

Line Chart: Religious preferences of U.S. adults, 2000-2024.

The Data: In 2024, 22% of U.S. adults reported having no religious affiliation, nearly matching the percentage identifying as Catholic (21%). The largest religious subgroup continues to be Protestants or nondenominational Christians, at 45%, while 10% identify as another religion.

More Recent Trend: While up from near zero in the 1950s and 8% as recently as 2000, the percentage of Americans with no religious affiliation has leveled off at around 20% in the past several years.

Bar Chart: Young American men among the loneliest across OECD countries.

The Data: Younger American men are more likely than younger American women, U.S. adults at large and their peers in other wealthy nations to report feeling lonely. Based on aggregated data from 2023 and 2024, one in four men aged 15 to 34 in the U.S. (25%) said they felt lonely “a lot of the day yesterday” — 10 points higher than the OECD median for younger men.

Other OECD Countries: Only younger men in Türkiye (29%) are more likely to report feeling lonely. In contrast, the OECD median for men in the 15-to-34 age range stands at 15%.

Multiple Donut Charts: Most workers expect AI to help — few use it.

The Data: Two-thirds of U.S. workers (66%) expect AI to positively impact their work — but only 11% report using it at least a few times a week, and two-thirds say they never use it.

More Context: With a third of workers saying their organization is integrating new AI technology, the gap between optimism and implementation highlights a critical challenge: Leaders must build trust, communicate clearly and establish guidelines to see real change and realize AI's promises.

Line Chart: Americans' stock ownership, 1998-2025.

The Data: In 2025, 62% of Americans report owning stock, matching the 2024 level and exceeding the annual rates recorded from 2010 to 2022.

The Trend: Although stock ownership began to slide in 2010, it has since rebounded to the levels seen before the Great Recession, recovering from lows of 52% in 2013 and 2016.