In 2018, PRRI found that Americans are more likely to say that the Democratic Party is responding very well or somewhat well to the issue of sexual assault than the Republican Party (47% vs. 34%). In Virginia, Claire Russo, a Democratic congressional candidate, has released a campaign ad where she speaks candidly about her sexual assault. The New York Times looks at how politicians have discussed their experiences with sexual assault, the current allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden, and the impact of independent voters on the coming election.

Shortly after coronavirus lockdowns began, PRRI found that Americans felt hesitant about engaging in many day-to-day activities. As the weeks have gone on, many businesses and industries have suffered due to the spread of the coronavirus. According to The Washington Post, the number of black-owned businesses have fallen 40% due to the pandemic. Robert Fairlie, an economics professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz, tells the Post that this will lead to more and more inequality. “We already have disparities. African Americans have the lowest business-ownership rate in the population. … And so here we’re creating a situation of closures that’s hitting the groups with the lowest rates even harder,” he says. “We’re just going to see further increases in inequality that has been so hard to change.”

Several weeks before President Trump’s Friday statement on reopening houses of worship, PRRI released data that showed Americans do not think religious institutions should be exempt from stay-at-home orders. In April, only about one in five (21%) Americans favored allowing churches and religious organizations to hold in-person services even when the government has issued a stay-at-home order. More than three in four (77%) opposed such a religious exemption. In the days that followed Trump’s statement, religious groups tried to find a balance for the safety of their congregants. According to The Daily Beast, there were instances of churches reopening despite stay-at-home orders in place across the country

When asked in 2018 to recount their experience with discrimination, young Asian American and Pacific Islanders (35%) were more likely than white young people (4%) to have experienced racially motivated discrimination in the last year. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, reports have circulated of increased discrimination against Asian Americans. Last week, over 100 prominent Asian writers released a statement calling for an end to the surge of Asian hostility in the country. “When such attacks are collectively driven by hate, in such large volume, the onus lies heavily on civil society and our elected representatives to condemn them,” the statement reads.