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March 5, 2024

The Societal Cost of the Marriage Decline

Marriage rates are plummeting. More young people are delaying or avoiding dating altogether. Pew Research recently found that 1 in 4 40-year-old American adults have never been married. Parenthood is viewed with much greater…

August 10, 2023

The Real Reason People Leave Religion

More than a decade ago, the Pew Research Center released a path-breaking study on people without religion: “Nones” on the Rise. At the time, I was in graduate school studying political science…

July 17, 2023

What the Rise in Dog Attacks Signals About the State of America’s Social Capital

If you have ever had the unfortunate experience of being attacked or bitten by a dog, you’re not alone. The one time it happened to me was while walking at…

June 7, 2023

The Price We’ll Pay for Our AI Future: More Loneliness

Americans are trapped in a loneliness epidemic. Across the country, people are having fewer social interactions, spending more time alone, and reporting fewer close friends. These trends aren’t just a symptom…

June 7, 2023

The Price We’ll Pay For Our AI Future: More Loneliness

Americans are trapped in a loneliness epidemic. Across the country, people are having fewer social interactions, spending more time alone, and reporting fewer close friends. These trends aren’t just a symptom…

May 4, 2023

The Social Breakdown: The Poverty of Family, Community, and Religious Life in America

On May 4, AEI’s Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility (COSM) hosted the launch of “The Social Breakdown,” a new research series dedicated to the study of social capital. https://www.youtube.com/embed/SWmPhcul8NE…

January 5, 2023

Faith After the Pandemic: How COVID-19 Changed American Religion

Key Points The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated an overall decline in religious attendance, although religious identity remained mostly stable. The number of Americans who never attend religious services jumped over the…

January 3, 2023

Perspective: Women Are More Likely to Make Friends at Work Than Men. Here’s Why That Matters

Despite efforts to close the gender wage gap, the difference between men’s and women’s wages remains a stubborn fixture of modern society. Women still make 83 cents for every dollar men make….

October 20, 2021

Public Places and Commercial Spaces: How Neighborhood Amenities Foster Trust and Connection in American Communities

Key Points The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted many Americans’ living preferences toward less dense places. For instance, more Americans would prefer to live in small towns and rural areas than…