A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers.
Politics
Record-high 42% of Americans identify as independents, Gallup
What we know and don’t know about our polarized politics, The Washington Post
Economy
U.S.-NAFTA trade exceeds $100B for first time, Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Concentration of wealth, NYC, Center for Latin American, Caribbean & Latino Studies
Unemployment duration on subsequent wages, National Bureau of Economic Research
Housing ‘wealth’ and illusion, American Enterprise Institute
238,000 jobs added in December, ADP National Employment Report
Northeastern cold snap drives up natural gas prices, Energy Information Administration
Government’s redesigned reverse mortgage program, Center for Retirement Research
Occupation Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor statistics
Poverty
How Census measures poverty today; and the history of the measure, Census Bureau
Almost one-in-three Americans were poor at least 2 months 2009-2011, Census Bureau
War on poverty moves to the tax code, Tax Policy Center
Health
Physical activity in youth ages 12 to 15, 2012, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics
Health and access to care, coverage for LGBT, Kaiser Family Foundations
Wealthier patients in Ca. happier with their health care, Kaiser Health News
Demographics
More couples with kids living together but not marrying, Associated Press (via The Washington Post)
Babies and what demographics portend, National Journal
Racism may accelerate aging in black men, University of Maryland
International
Charting life expectancies of the world’s countries, The Atlantic Cities
EU leadership approval at record low in Spain, Greece, Gallup
Terrorist attacks in Russia since 1991, Russian Sphinx
Euro area unemployment rate at 12.1%, Eurostat
Canadian firm sizes and the productivity gap with U.S., Statistics Canada
UK economic review, January 2014, Office for National Statistics
Got new data to share? Send it to us via email facttank@pewresearch.org or Tweet us @facttank.
