April 16, 2024
Here we go again. I’m out of ideas for a decent post, so Harper’s will fill today’s void. Herewith some choice tidbits from a recent Harper’s Index:
Portion of Republicans who say that it would be a good idea to let Trump be a dictator for the first day of a second term: 3/4
Percentage change since 2020 in the portion of Americans who say they would vote for a Muslim presidential candidate: +8
Percentage change in the portion who say they would vote for a Jewish presidential candidate: –5
Percentage of Americans who say that the United States should spend more money on assistance for poor people: 72
Percentage who say so when this assistance is called “welfare”: 29
Factor by which low-income Americans are more likely than others to identify as vegetarian: 2
Percentage decrease in the number of Americans who identify as vegetarian since 2018: 20
Percentage of Americans who believe they will be harmed personally by climate change: 45
Portion of the global population that lives in places where air quality does not meet World Health Organization standards: 9/10
Percentage of Americans who said in January 2020 that they were very satisfied with their lives: 65
Who say so now: 47
Percentage change in the total net worth of white Americans since 2019: +26
In the total net worth of black Americans: –4
In the total net worth of American adults under 40: +76
Percentage of millennial Americans who believe they have “money dysmorphia,” or unfounded feelings of financial insecurity: 41
Percentage of U.S. teens who have investment accounts: 23
Minimum number of layoffs in the U.S. media sector since January 2023: 26,102
Number of the 100 largest American law firms that say they use generative AI in their work: 41
Portion of U.S. human-resources officers who expect AI to replace jobs at their company within the next three years: 7/10
Percentage by which employees who work in person are more likely to be promoted than those who work exclusively remotely: 45
Percentage by which workers who primarily sit at work are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those who do not: 34
Percentage by which lesbian and gay American adults are more likely to smoke than their straight counterparts: 27
By which bisexual American adults are more likely to smoke: 66
Percentage of Americans who say that lesbian and gay “relations” are morally acceptable: 64
Percentage change since 2022 in the portion of Americans who say so: –10
Percentage change since 2022 in those who say that married men and women having affairs is morally acceptable: +33
Portion of LGBT Americans raised Christian who have left the faith: 2/3
Portion of transgender Americans who have been homeless at some point: 3/10
Who are currently unemployed: 1/5
Percentage of transgender Americans who have had gender-affirming surgery who report an increase in life satisfaction: 97
Percentage of Americans who say they typically know the cost of a health-care service or product before receiving it: 17
Percentage by which syphilis cases have increased in the United States since 2018: 80
Percentage by which the rate of premature births has increased in the United States since 2014: 12
Percentage increase since October 2023 in miscarriages reported in Gaza: 300
Estimated percentage of children in Gaza under the age of five who have an infectious disease: 93
Percentage decrease in the United Nations’ requested annual budget for humanitarian aid in the past year: 11
Portion of U.S. veterans who say they feel awkward or uncomfortable when they are thanked for their service: 1/2
Portion of U.S. veterans under 30 who say so: 7/10