A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers.

Politics
U.S. whites more solidly Republican in recent years, Gallup
In N.Y., Gov. Cuomo still leads challenger Astorino, but ratings slip, topline, Siena
Americans are still unhappy with Congress, USA TODAY/Bipartisan Policy Center
GOP’s very slow shift on gay marriage, The Wall Street Journal
GOP picked as slight favorite to win control of Senate, FiveThirtyEight

Economy
San Jose, D.C. tied for highest in economic confidence, Gallup
Study: Mortgage-interest deduction mainly benefits the rich, The Wall Street Journal
CEO pay for Fortune 100 executives, Huffington Post
How unconventional monetary policy effected financial institutions, Harvard via Brookings
New model of how education affects health, and wages, NBER

Health & Society
Large majority opposes paying NCAA athletes, Washington Post/ABC News
The geography of Boomer fame. as measured by Wikipedia, New York Times
29% of LGBT adults experienced food insecurity, UCLA via The Atlantic
A ‘crisis’ in online ads: One-third of online traffic is bogus, The Wall Street Journal
Racial disparities in preschool suspensions, Politico
Worries over fines aid health-insurance sign-ups, The Wall Street Journal
Only 11% of new Twitter users in 2012 are still tweeting, The Wall Street Journal
Which states’ residents are most likely to have a passport? Business Insider
College students can learn almost as well with fewer lectures, NBER

International
China is now world’s largest importer of petroleum and other liquid fuels, EIA
59% of Europeans seldom or never exercise or play sports, Eurobarometer
Large increase in asylum applicants registered in EU in 2013, Eurostat

Got new data to share? Send it to us via email facttank@pewresearch.org or Tweet us @FactTank.

George Gao  is a former associate digital producer at Pew Research Center.