A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers.
Politics Two-term presidents: Job approval over eight years, Cook Political Report Hillary Clinton maintains positive image among Americans, Gallup How Congress voted on the spending and debt limit bills, The Washington Post
Economy Leading indicators up 0.3% in January after no change in December, Conference Board Federal debt projected to grow to 79% of GDP by 2024 under current law, CBO How consumers’ spending patterns vary by educational level, Bureau of Labor Statistics 2.1 million farms tallied for 2012, down 4.3% from 2007, USDA 20 zip codes where it is cheaper to buy than rent, The Washington Post Natural gas booming in U.S. but coal power fades, Bloomberg Updated marriage bonus/penalty tax calculator, Tax Policy Center
Health & Society Felon voting policies and voter disenfranchisement by state, The Pew Charitable Trusts 51% of hate crimes motivated by ‘ethnicity bias’ in 2012, up from 30% in 2011, BJS Older Americans less likely to die or be injured in car crashes, The Wall Street Journal Researchers found an unusual link between cat bites and depression, Popular Science How effective was your flu shot? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Raising awareness of racial bias reduces it, Brookings Twitter conversations fall into six basic patterns, Pew Research Center
International Gay friendliness of armed forces worldwide, The Economist Global business barometer, according to world execs, The Economist WhatsApp by far the most popular messaging app in India and Brazil, Wall Street Journal Impetus for WhatsApp deal: A global appetite for texting, Fact Tank Comparing market rules among OECD countries, OECD Throughout the world, women concentrated in less-productive jobs, sectors, World Bank What is happening to the world’s forests right now? World Resources Institute
Random Sample People in Bangkok and Sao Paulo smile more in selfies than people in Moscow, Wired
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