A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers.
Politics
Americans are so-so on Sochi; Perceptions of Putin don’t help, ABC News/Washington Post
More than half of Americans plan to follow Olympics, topline, AP/GFK
Majority want gov’t to reduce income gap, expect terrorist attack in Sochi, CNN/ORC
Republicans closing the money gap in Senate races, The Wall Street Journal
Media make us think we’re more polarized than we really are, The Washington Post
IRS criminal prosecutions rise 23% under Obama, TRAC Syracuse
Economy
Millions have financial difficulty, but optimism about future grows, NBC News/Marist
Administrators, not faculty, drove boom in higher-ed workforce, Chronicle of Higher Ed
The labor market’s continuing weakness, in one chart, National Journal
How long do unemployed older workers search for a job? Center for Retirement Research
Do teen spending habits matter for success? University of Michigan
December’s leading indexes suggest expansion in 47 state economies, Philadelphia Fed
Higher education: How does culture affect post-secondary choices? OECD
December jobless rates down in 339 of 372 metro areas, payroll jobs up in 294, BLS
Health & Society
51% of Americans disapprove of ACA, Gallup
Americans more pessimistic about healthcare costs than quality, Urban Institute
Record-high 87 exonerations in 2013, University of Michigan
Does deregulation lead to fast-food eating and weight gain? WHO via WashPo
No agnostics in the (Army) foxhole, USA TODAY
Motor vehicle death rates among children down 43% from 2002 to 2011, CDC
Congress appropriates $100 million to neglected tropical disease control efforts, KFF
International
Human smuggling and trafficking into Europe, Migration Policy Institute
Volume of retail trade down by 1.6% in Euro Area, Eurostat
More babies in UK born to non-UK mothers, Office for National Statistics
Analysis of UK economy after crisis, Office for National Statistics
Study on alcohol and mortality in Russia, The Lancet
Got new data to share? Send it to us via email facttank@pewresearch.org or Tweet us @FactTank.
