Insights & Analysis
Evidence-based commentary examining where America’s stated values collide with political behavior, public policy, culture, and everyday life.
Eight lenses for understanding moral strain
Browse the latest reporting below or use these themes to understand how each story fits the Index.
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Abuse of Power: How Donald Trump Became the Most Legally Challenged President in American History
⚖️ Institutional Decay Abuse of Power: How Donald Trump Became the Most Legally Challenged President in American History The Moral Decay Index · May…
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Human Trafficking in America: Modern Slavery in Plain Sight
🔒 Crime & Safety ← Back to All Articles Human trafficking — the buying and selling of human beings for labor and sexual exploitation…
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The Opioid Crisis: How America Got Hooked, Who Profited, and What It Says About Us
💊 Substance Abuse ← Back to All Articles More Americans have died from opioid overdoses in the last twenty-five years than died in World…
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The Retail Theft Crisis: What Organized Crime and Tolerance Have Built
🔒 Crime & Safety ← Back to All Articles Retail theft is not a victimless crime — but it has increasingly been treated as…
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THE ECONOMICS OF DIVORCE: HOW FINANCIAL STRESS DESTROYS FAMILIES
💔 Family The Hidden Cost of Divorce: What the Data Says About Children’s Outcomes The Moral Decay Index · April 6, 2026 · 6…
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The Collapse of Civic Engagement in America
🏛 Civic Life ← Back to All Articles Self-governance requires engaged citizens — people who show up, pay attention, participate, and accept the obligations…
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When Protectors Become Predators
🚔 Public Safety When Protectors Become Predators: The Betrayal of Institutional Trust The Moral Decay Index · April 21, 2026 · 5 min read…
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The Rise of Antisemitism and Hate Crimes in America
🔒 Crime & Safety ← Back to All Articles In 2024, the FBI recorded 1,938 hate crimes targeting Jews — the highest number since…
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America’s Financial Fraud Crisis: The Economy of Deception
🏛 Civic Life ← Back to All Articles A society’s ethical health is partly measured by what its members will do to each other…
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The American Marriage Crisis: Why Fewer People Are Getting Married — And Why It Matters
The United States marriage rate hit an all-time recorded low in 2022: 6.2 marriages per 1,000 people. To put that in context, the rate…
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SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE SEXUALIZATION OF ADOLESCENCE
📱 Digital Culture Social Media’s Quiet War on Youth Mental Health and Moral Formation The Moral Decay Index · April 10, 2026 · 6…
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Veteran Suicide: The Debt America Refuses to Pay
🏥 Public Health ← Back to All Articles In 2023, 6,398 American veterans died by suicide — more than seventeen every single day. The…