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

Politics
Answers on affirmative action depend on how question is posed, The Upshot/NYT
Polls show tight Senate races in four southern states, topline, New York Times/KFF
Black voters could decide who controls the Senate in 2015, Washington Post
Party loyalty begins at age 18, FiveThirtyEight
74% of Colorado voters support metal detectors, 50% support arming teachers, Quinnipiac
Most New Jerseyans still think state not back to normal post-Sandy, Rutgers-Eagleton

Economy
Interactive: One-bedroom housing affordability by county, Washington Post
How long it takes each state’s residents to earn enough to pay all taxes, WashPost
How did Canada’s middle class get so rich? Look to housing, The Atlantic
Retirement remains Americans’ top financial worry, Gallup
Despite some improvement, still more STEM jobs than students, U.S. News

Health & Society
Estimates of U.S. population by age and sex, from April 2010 to July 2013, Census Bureau
The shrinking of the Baby Boom generation, Demo Memo
Provo and Boulder residents report highest daily learning, Gallup
55% increase in master’s degrees between 2002 and 2012, NCES
College enrollment rates converging for whites, blacks, Hispanics, WSJ
American Indian/Alaska Native death rates nearly 50% higher than whites, CDC
Nearly seven-in-ten say health plans should cover birth control, Los Angeles Times
Among prisoners in 30 states, 67.8% were rearrested within 3 years of release, BJS
Children in low-income areas often change schools and move homes, Urban Institute

International
The spread of democracy across the world, 1842-2012, Vox
Seven-in-ten Africans prefer democracy, but political elites fail to deliver, Afrobarometer
One-in-five African adults work on farms, Gallup
Diabetes is a growing and lethal problem, especially among Arabs, The Economist
Over half of U.S. $8.7 billion in health aid goes to HIV funding, KFF/JAMA

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.