Americans paid close attention as election returns came in

About a third of U.S. adults (36%) say they followed the results of the presidential election “almost constantly,” while another 34% say they checked in “fairly often.” Cable TV was the most relied-on platform for election night returns, followed by news websites or apps and network TV. A large majority of Americans give their news sources positive marks for helping them understand the results, though Republicans express far less satisfaction than Democrats.

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So far, Trump has granted clemency less frequently than any president in modern history

Donald Trump had granted 28 pardons and 16 commutations as of Nov. 23, the lowest total of any president since at least William McKinley. Trump’s sparse use of pardons, commutations and other forms of official leniency stands in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Barack Obama, who used the clemency power more frequently than any chief executive since Harry Truman.

In the pandemic, the share of unpartnered moms at work fell more sharply than among other parents

In September 2020, 67% of unpartnered mothers with children younger than 18 at home were working, down from 76% in September 2019. This 9-point drop was the largest among all groups of parents, partnered or not. The decline was sharper among unpartnered moms who are Black or Hispanic than among those who are White.

• Fewer mothers and fathers in U.S. are working due to COVID-19 downturn; those at work have cut hours
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Americans and Germans head into 2021 with divergent opinions on transatlantic alliance

As the U.S. and Germany prepare to gain new leadership, their current relationship remains unbalanced in the minds of their citizenries. An overwhelming majority of Americans continue to say that relations between the two countries are good. At the same time, almost eight-in-ten Germans say the relationship is in poor shape. Americans tend to see Germany as a partner on key issues, but few Germans say the same about the U.S.

• The American-German bilateral relationship
• Germans say international cooperation will increase after coronavirus; Americans split

Under Pope Francis, the College of Cardinals has become less European

Pope Francis’ additions to the College of Cardinals since his election in 2013 have tilted the leadership structure of the Roman Catholic Church away from its historic European base and toward Africa, Asia and Latin America. After his latest appointments, the College of Cardinals will have 128 voting members, 42% of whom are European, down from 52% in 2013.

From our research