A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers.
Politics What Americans want to see addressed in State of the Union speech, Gallup Americans fretful over future, Obama’s abilities, with topline, WSJ/ NBC News Obama’s puzzle: Economy rarely better, approval rarely worse, The New York Times Nonwhites more positive about state of U.S., whites less positive, Gallup Hawaii, D.C. most approving of Obama; Wyoming, West Virginia least approving, Gallup Democrats most likely to watch SOTU; GOP leads in congressional preference, Fox News State of the Union: Frequently used words, The Wall Street Journal Charting the ideology of State of the Union addresses, The Washington Post State of the Union: famous firsts, Bloomberg Stats of the Union: Interactive on America’s people, politics and economy, The Economist Christie numbers tank as scandals continue, NBC News
Economy Jobless rates down in 39 states, up in two, Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer confidence index increases again, The Conference Board How gender, ‘crowding’ and recession affect mid-career job promotions, BLS U.S. banks prune more branches, The Wall Street Journal 17 charts about economic inequality, The New Republic Why real wages are falling as profits are rising, The New York Times Income inequality in U.S. means princes don’t go after Cinderellas, The New York Times As temperatures drop, home searches rise, Trulia Super Bowl spending driven by automotive ads, The Wall Street Journal
Health & Society Medical bills squeezing budgets in more than a quarter of U.S. families, CDC ‘Global atlas’ identifies one-in-ten worldwide who need end-of-life palliative care, WHO The Great Recession may have dinged our wallets, but it improved our diets, DemoMemo Who fears vaccines and why? Social Science Research Network Strong stock market put college endowments back in the black, Chronicle of Higher Ed. Divorces rise as economy recovers, study finds, Los Angeles Times
Science & Technology Latest ‘State of the Internet’ report, Akamai What do young scientists think? New survey offers answers, Science Europeans split on further investment in space exploration (47% v. 46%), Eurobarometer
International Two decades of unemployment data in 177 countries, GIFed, Quartz In Germany, older voters have growing influence on election result, Destatis Business investment rate and household saving rate in EU, Eurostat Britain’s GDP up 0.7% in Q4 2013, early estimates show, Office for National Statistics Crime pays in Indian elections, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Trends in intolerant attitudes in Western Europe, RAND Corporation Argentina’s plunging peso is not alone, The Economist
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