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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America Is Failing Its Own Children
🎓 Education Dropout Rates in Urban Schools: A Crisis Playing Out in Slow Motion The Moral Decay Index · April 4, 2026 · 5…
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Power Without Integrity: The Collapse of Leadership in America
🏛️ Institutions Leadership Integrity and the Erosion of Public Trust in America The Moral Decay Index · April 1, 2026 · 5 min read…
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The National Debt: America’s Slow-Motion Economic Suicide
🏛 Civic Life ← Back to All Articles The United States national debt has surpassed $36 trillion. Interest payments now exceed the entire defense…
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The Violent Crime Spike: What the Data Shows and What It Means
🔒 Public Safety ← Back to All Articles After decades of decline, violent crime rates in America’s major cities began climbing again. Assaults are…
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THE COLLAPSE OF RELIGIOUS IDENTITY IN YOUNG AMERICANS
✝️ Faith & Society The Collapse of Religious Identity in Young Americans The Moral Decay Index · March 29, 2026 · 5 min read…
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The Abortion Rate Rise: What the Numbers Reveal About American Society
💔 Marriage & Family ← Back to All Articles In 2025, approximately 1,126,000 abortions were performed in the United States — a number that…
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Domestic Violence in America: The Crisis Inside the Home
🔒 Crime & Safety ← Back to All Articles Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United…
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The Fentanyl Overdose Crisis: America’s Deadliest Drug War
🏥 Public Health ← Back to All Articles Since 1999, more than one million Americans have died from drug overdoses. At the peak, over…
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When Leadership Loses the People
Trust is the first currency of leadership. And right now, America is running low on it. Pew Research reported in December 2025 that only…
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Fatherless America: The Crisis No One Will Name
💔 Marriage & Family ← Back to All Articles More than 18 million American children — one in four — are growing up without…
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The War In Iran
🌍 Current Events The War in Iran: What It Reveals About America’s Moral Posture The Moral Decay Index · April 20, 2026 · 6…
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America’s STD Epidemic: The Sexual Health Crisis Nobody Is Talking About
🏥 Public Health ← Back to All Articles The CDC reports more than 2.5 million combined new cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis annually…