What Is the Moral Decay Index? A Complete Guide to How We Track Social Health in America
The Moral Decay Index (MDI) is a data-driven framework for measuring the social and ethical health of the United States […]
Society
Society
Americans Are Bowling Alone More Than Ever: The Collapse of Social Capital
In 1995, Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam published a famous essay titled “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital.” He documented
Public Safety
Homicide Rates Surged 30% in American Cities: Understanding the 2020–2022 Crime Wave
Between 2019 and 2021, homicide rates in American cities surged by approximately 30% — the largest two-year increase in recorded
Civic Health
Only 32% of Americans Trust the Media: Inside the Collapse of Institutional Credibility
In 1976, 72% of Americans said they had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the media to
Public Health
107,000 Dead in One Year: Understanding America’s Drug Overdose Crisis
In 2023, approximately 107,500 Americans died from drug overdoses. That number exceeds the combined American death toll from the Vietnam
Family & Society
40% of American Children Are Now Born Outside of Marriage — Here’s What the Research Says
In 1960, approximately 5% of births in the United States occurred outside of marriage. By 1990, that figure had risen
Family & Society
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
Faith & Community
Is Church Attendance Really Declining? What the Data Actually Shows
America’s churches are emptying out — and the numbers don’t lie. Weekly church attendance among American adults dropped from 44%
Signals
The Wealth Gap Nobody in Washington Wants to Close
💰 Economy ← Back to All Articles The richest 1 percent of American households now hold $55 trillion in wealth
Digital Culture
Falling for a Chatbot: Inside America’s Growing Romance with AI
🤖 Technology ← Back to All Articles Twenty-eight percent of American adults say they’ve had an intimate or romantic relationship
Signals
The Death of the Third Place: Where America Used to Gather
🏠 Community ← Back to All Articles In 1965 there were about 12,000 bowling alleys in America. Today there are
Public Safety
Vaping Nation: The Youth Nicotine Epidemic America Keeps Declaring Over
🚬 Health ← Back to All Articles The CDC keeps announcing that youth vaping is falling. It is — and
Digital Culture
The Jobs America Is Quietly Losing to AI
🤖 Technology ← Back to All Articles In 2025, American employers blamed artificial intelligence for nearly 55,000 announced layoffs —
Signals
The Fall of Organized Labor in America
💼 Work ← Back to All Articles In 1983, one in five American wage earners belonged to a union. Today
Education
Is College Still Worth It? Confidence in Higher Education Erodes
🎓 Education ← Back to All Articles In 2015, 57% of Americans said they had a great deal or quite
Digital Culture
Watched: The Normalization of Surveillance in American Life
📷 Surveillance ← Back to All Articles Somewhere between the office and the front porch, America quietly agreed to be
Institutions
The Erosion of Public Health Trust in America
🏥 Health ← Back to All Articles In the spring of 2025, three out of four Americans said they trusted
Signals
Who’s Going to Fix It? America’s Vanishing Skilled Trades Workforce
🔧 Trades ← Back to All Articles More than one in five construction workers in America is over 55. Over
Institutions
Seeing Isn’t Believing Anymore: Deepfakes and the Collapse of Media Trust
📰 Institutions ← Back to All Articles Just 56 percent of American adults now say they trust national news organizations
Signals
Burned Out and Checked Out: American Workers Are Quietly Giving Up
💼 Work ← Back to All Articles Only 31 percent of American employees say they’re engaged at work. That’s the