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1. More than 8 in 10 Americans are concerned about gun violence on average.
A school shooting in a Georgia high school took four lives earlier this month, and it was far from the first this year. Data from the Gun Violence Archive show that, on average, there have been 1.5 mass shootings per day in 2024 so far. Ongoing CivicScience tracking reveals that gun violence remains a significant concern for the majority of U.S. adults. In the past two years, between 80% and 84% of Americans have expressed at least some concern about gun violence, including between 40% and 46% who are ‘very’ concerned. The percentage of strong concern has risen by three points over the past month.
2. Over a quarter of parents say their driving-age teens have chosen not to get a driver’s license.
Recent reports suggest that Gen Z is less interested in taking up driving than older counterparts. New data from CivicScience reveal that among parents with children aged 16-18, as many as three-fourths say their teens have obtained a driver’s license, while up to 42% have not, including 27% who said their teens have chosen not to. Teens living in both urban and rural areas are the most likely to hold a license, while urban teens are also the most likely to go without one.
Join in: Did you wait until you were 18 to get a driver’s license?
3. Shoppers are more likely to use debit cards and cash for their holiday spending this year.
As of mid-September, 51% of Americans are thinking about and preparing for the upcoming holiday season, consistent with last year’s percentage.1 Younger Gen Z aged 18-24 leads the way, with 71% in holiday mode, followed closely by Millennials aged 25-44 at 65%.
Holiday shoppers are equally as likely to expect they’ll take on debt to buy gifts as they were this time last year (12%). However, a notable shift is emerging in payment methods, as more holiday shoppers plan to use debit cards or cash for the majority of their purchases this year, while fewer are opting for credit cards.
Let us know: In general, what is your typical budget for a holiday gift?
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- 57,499 responses from 8/11/2020 to 9/11/2024; Excluding ‘Not at all’ ↩︎
