2020 Context*

*Before digging into the information on this page, please read the narrative provided in the Annual Context Overview where you will find an important explanation that contextualizes the contextual information!

2020 SURVEY CONTEXT

The 2020 survey was fielded throughout the month of April. We list here factors that occurred the year prior and up through the survey period. Accordingly, for the 2020 survey the contextual factors presented range from January 2019 - April 2020, in loose chronological order. Note, the survey was fielded shortly after lockdowns due to Covid-19 began, at a time when little was known about the virus and its impending impact. People were operating in an environment of ambiguity and were filled with complex emotions and concerns. Leaders and leadership at all levels and in all sectors were in the spotlight during a time of crisis.

• Surge in Central Americans at the US southern border seeking asylum; US immigration system is overwhelmed

• Fires and deforestation increased dramatically in the Amazon in 2019, making it the worst year in the past decade

• US-China trade war continued throughout 2019

• 2019 opened with US government still in shutdown, which began Dec 2018 due to party conflict about President Trump’s demands for funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi elected as US House Speaker (Jan 2019)

• Longest US government shutdown in history (35 days) ended when President Trump agreed to sign a short-term funding bill (Jan 2019)

• US Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s transgender military ban to take effect (Jan 2019)

• Many candidates announced Democratic presidential bids (Jan-May 2019)

• US Senate confirmed William Barr as attorney general (Feb 2019)

• President Trump declared national emergency to build wall along US-Mexico border, which was challenged by federal lawsuits from attorneys general in 16 states (Feb 2019)

• President Trump signed border security measure negotiated by Congress, with $1.375 billion set aside for barriers; averted another government shutdown (Feb 2019)

• 50 people, including famous actors, charged in college admissions cheating scandal (Mar 2019)

• Gunman opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51 people; Prime Minister Jacinda Adern announced the ban of various types of assault weapons in New Zealand (Mar 2019)

• After two years of investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 US presidential election was released in redacted form; the report conveyed that the Trump campaign did not conspire or coordinate with Russia, yet provided much evidence that President Trump attempted to obstruct justice (Apr 2019)

• Volodymyr Zelensky, comedian and television star, elected president of Ukraine (Apr 2019)

• UK prime minister Theresa May resigned after her Brexit deal defeated; Boris Johnson took her place (July 2019)

• Gunman killed 12 people at a municipal office in Virginia Beach, Virginia (May 2019)

• President Trump formally launched his reelection campaign (June 2019)

• President Trump met with Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea, and became the first sitting US president to enter North Korea (June 2019)

• Two million people protested in Hong Kong against an extradition bill that would allow for criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China under certain circumstances, which protestors claimed would risk exposing people to unfair trials and violent treatment, give China greater influence over Hong Kong, and be used to target activists and journalists (June 2019); protests last into Aug 2019 when police officers use tear gas across the city; the bill was repealed in Sept 2019

• Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was arrested under the accusation of sex trafficking of minors (July 2019); in Aug 2019 Epstein is found dead in his jail cell

• President Trump tweeted that US Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley should go back to their home countries, despite the fact that three are natural-born US citizens and the other is an immigrant with US citizenship; the House voted to condemn Trump’s language (July 2019)

• Major conversations about pay equality began after US women’s soccer team won the World Cup (July 2019)

• Special counsel Robert Mueller, who led the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 US presidential election, testified before the House Judiciary and House Intelligence committees (July 2019)

• Gunman opened fire at festival in California, killing 3 people (July 2019)

• US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia because Russia was violating terms of the treaty (Aug 2019)

• Gunman opened fire at Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22 people; the following day a gunman opened fire in a nightlife district in Dayton, Ohio, killing 9 people (Aug 2019)

• US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided seven Mississippi food processing plants, detaining almost 700 people (Aug 2019)

• The Trump administration announced a regulation that could prevent legal immigrants from obtaining green cards, visas and citizenship if they use government services like food stamps and Medicaid; also announced a rule change allowing the indefinite detention of immigrant families, including children (Aug 2019)

• The Pentagon announced it would divert $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build a wall along the US-Mexico border (Sept 2019)

• US House Speaker Pelosi announced the launch of a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump (Sept 2019)

• US and North Korea reached agreement on nuclear negotiations; just hours later North Korea launched a ballistic missile in violation of UN resolutions (Oct 2019)

• Public impeachment hearings of President Trump began (Nov 2019)

• Two gunmen attack a Kosher market in Jersey City, New Jersey, killing three people; investigated as an act of domestic terrorism targeting Jewish people and police (Nov 2019)

• An independent internet for Russia is created, based on a law signed by Putin which established a national network for Russia that can operate independently from the rest of the world and close off Russia from external traffic (Nov 2019)

• US forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against five facilities the Pentagon claimed are tied to an Iranian-backed militia blamed for a series of attacks on joint US-Iraq military facilities housing American forces (Dec 2019)

• US House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump (Dec 2019)

• First impeachment trial of President Trump began (Jan 2020)

• Covid-19 crisis began when Wuhan, China went on lockdown; in crisis and confusion, people across the globe began to look to leaders for guidance (Jan 2020)

• First case of Covid-19 in US confirmed by Center for Disease Control; White House announced task force to monitor and contain Covid-19; travel bans began to be put into effect (Jan 2020)

• Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, announced they would step back as senior members of the Royal Family (Jan 2020)

• World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency (Jan 2020)

• United Kingdom officially left the European Union (Jan 2020)

• First Covid-19 death in US (Feb 2020)

• US evacuated the Princess Diamond cruise ship due to Covid-19 (Feb 2020)

• President Trump acquitted in first impeachment trial (Feb 2020)

• Ahmaud Arbery, while jogging in a Georgia community, was chased by a former police officer and his son, then shot and killed by the son (Feb 2020)

• Harvey Weinstein found guilty of criminal sex act and rape (Feb 2020)

• Growing criticism of US government’s handling of Covid-19; Vice President Mike Pence placed in charge of government response (Feb 2020)

• World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic (Mar 2020)

• Covid-19 repercussions in March 2020 included schools being mostly online, many people working from homes, sports and other in-person activities very limited, public transportation impacted; however, at this time it was widely believed that the crisis would not last more than a few weeks or months

• Major stock market crash due to Covid-19 (Mar 2020)

• New York sent National Guard into city with 108 Covid-19 cases (Mar 2020)

• Significant strain on healthcare and emergency services and providers began due to the Covid-19 outbreak; first significant supply chain disruption occurs (Mar 2020)

• Leaders of nations responded drastically different to the pandemic

• US Presidential primary elections took place (Mar 2020)

• Breonna Taylor fatally shot by Louisville, Kentucky police officers (Mar 2020)