November 28, 2023
My regular readers know me well enough to know that, when the well runs dry, I run to Harper’s Index to bail me out when I have nothing of interest to report. Herewith some tidbits from a recent Harper’s Index:
Portion of Americans who are considering opting out of family gatherings in order to save money this holiday season: 1/3
Who are considering going into credit card debt to purchase holiday gifts: 1/3
Percentage of Republicans who say that their families are worse off than they were a year ago: 60
Of Democrats who say so: 24
Factor by which Republicans report hearing more negative than positive economic news: 10
Percentage of Americans who believe that the country is in a recession: 44
Percentage change in the use of cash since 2017: –43
In the use of digital mobile payments: +200
Portion of Americans who wish they had paid more attention to math in school: 2/5
Who wish they had paid less attention to math in school: 1/5
Percentage decrease since 2019 in the number of U.S. accountants: 16
Portion of Americans who view their jobs as a spiritual calling: 1/5
Percentage by which black Americans are more likely than white ones to do so: 72
Portion of Americans who identify as “spiritual” but not “religious”: 1/3
Chances an American between 26 and 54 has not been to the doctor in the past five years: 2 in 5
Percentage increase this year in the number of Americans concerned about affording medical treatment: 47
Year in which the youngest baby boomer will become eligible for Medicare: 2030
Percentage of Republicans who believe that one ethnic group can only become wealthier at the expense of others: 22
Of Democrats who believe this: 40
Percentage by which Democrats are more likely than Republicans to consider New York City safe: 191
By which Democrats are more likely than Republicans to consider large U.S. cities safe in general: 29
By which this was the case in 2006: 2
Percentage change in the divorce rate between 2008 and 2020: –31
In the divorce rate between 2020 and 2022: +2
Percentage of millennials who are not planning to get married: 21
Of adult Gen Z-ers who are not: 7
Percentage of Gen Z-ers who use their phones to share their location with friends: 38
With their romantic partners: 41
Portion of U.S. college students whose parents track their location: 1/3
Percentage of U.S. college students who support “speech codes” on campus: 51
Percentage by which this support has increased over the past year: 22
Percentage of U.S. college students who believe that violence can be a justified response to hate speech: 45
Percentage of U.S. adults who say the political system is working “very” or “extremely” well: 4
Who express little confidence in the future of the political system: 63
Who say there is too little attention paid to the important issues facing the country: 78
Percentage decrease over the past two years in social-media referrals to the top one hundred news sites: 40
Percentage decrease over the past decade in the number of Americans who trust the tech industry: 31
Percentage of Gen Z-ers who say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of trust in science: 36
In the news: 3