Data Sources
This directory helps readers locate original evidence. Listing an institution is not proof that it supports a particular statistic, and none of these institutions endorses an MDI score.
Crime and violence
FBI Crime Data Explorer. Use a rate and a stated reporting year. Check agency participation and distinguish reported offenses from victimization surveys.
Overdose mortality
CDC final overdose mortality, 2022–2023. Final counts and provisional estimates are different releases. Compare the same series; record whether the rate is age-adjusted.
Households and families
Census families and households. Household composition is descriptive. It does not measure parental care, family worth, or an individual child’s future.
Mental health and substance use
SAMHSA NSDUH. Check the age group, survey year, uncertainty interval, and whether state estimates combine multiple years.
Religious participation
Pew Religious Landscape Study. Distinguish affiliation, attendance, and belief. Participation is not a measure of a person’s integrity.
International comparisons
World Bank Open Data. Use matching indicator definitions and reference years. Missing observations must remain missing rather than being assigned an invented score.
Civic knowledge
Annenberg 2026 civics survey. A question about naming branches of government is not a full citizenship test. Check sampling uncertainty and changes in survey panels.
Media trust
Gallup media trust, 2025. A survey of public trust measures attitudes toward media, not the factual accuracy of every news organization.
What an article’s citation should tell you
Look for the exact release or table, the period covered, the population, the measure, and any limitations. An agency homepage alone does not verify a numerical claim. Follow the link and compare the claim with the original record.
When sources disagree
Check whether they measure different populations, ask different questions, or use provisional rather than final figures. Explain the disagreement instead of selecting whichever number best supports a preferred conclusion.
Our interpretation remains ours
A source can establish a count or survey result without endorsing the moral argument made here. Readers should be able to accept a reported fact and still disagree with our commentary.