Trust Magazine

Service to Democracy for 75 Years and Counting

Notes from the president

In this Issue:

  • Winter 2023
  • A Global Deal to End Harmful Fisheries Subsidies
  • Reaching New Horizons
  • What's the Best Response in A Mental Health Crisis?
  • Service to Democracy for 75 Years and Counting
  • Center City Philadelphia
  • Noteworthy
  • What Is the Future of Religion in America?
  • Black Families Fall Further Behind on Homeownership
  • The Dreadful Toll of Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions
  • Initiative Seeks to Help Companies Solve Plastic Pollution
  • Return on Investment
  • More Women In The College-Educated Labor Force
  • View All Other Issues
Service to Democracy for 75 Years and Counting

In this issue of Trust, we reflect on a challenging year and look forward to our 75th anniversary in 2023. Although the world has changed dramatically since 1948, our efforts to use data to make a difference continue to create both common ground and tangible progress.

One touchstone for us is encouraging an effective and responsive U.S. democracy. In the aftermath of World War II, our founders only had to look to a scarred and rebuilding Europe for a sign of how fragile democracy can be. And while America was then entering an era of postwar optimism that inspired their early investments, they knew that maintaining a strong democracy requires vigilance and constant effort.

In a healthy republic, government exists to serve the people. Their voices are heard, their votes counted, and their desires honored. As you’ll see in the following pages, the Pew Research Center continues to give voice to the public, illuminating issues, identifying trends, and helping policymakers understand the needs and opinions of an increasingly diverse citizenry.

“I am optimistic that diverse perspectives, civil public debate, respectful dialogue, and thoughtful compromise can lead to positive change.

Susan K. Urahn, Ph.D.

Although national leaders can set the agenda by providing resources and forging consensus, the states are often the most effective laboratories of democracy, places for new ideas to meet newly developing—as well as the most stubborn—societal problems. Our efforts to help individuals and communities thrive include a range of partnerships at the state level that build new strategies to broaden access to credit, savings, and health services. Built on evidence, facts, and a lot of listening, new approaches are making government more responsive and effective.

As I look back on Pew’s activities last year, I’m struck by the fact that many of the challenges we’re addressing didn’t exist 75 years ago. As we grew from a local to an international organization, the health of the environment emerged as a critical concern.

The overfishing of our ocean, for example, was underway by the middle of the past century, but science didn’t recognize it—or the role of government subsidies that incentivized more aggressive fishing methods. But with Pew’s research helping lead the way, the World Trade Organization last year voted to end those subsidies—a win for local fishers around the globe.

With progress like this, I am optimistic that diverse perspectives, civil public debate, respectful dialogue, and thoughtful compromise can lead to positive change. I am grateful for your partnership as we celebrate the past, meet today’s challenges, and work toward a brighter future.

Center City Philadelphia Reaching New Horizons
Trust Magazine

Follow the Facts

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Trust Magazine

Facts are critical to our work because they’re the foundation that effective policies are built on and measured by and provide a common language that leaders can use to explain their policy choices to a deeply divided public. As such, facts don’t prejudge. They don’t pick sides in a debate.

Nine States Began the Pandemic With Long-Term Deficits
Article

Nine States Began the Pandemic With Long-Term Deficits

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Article

States are expected to balance their budgets every year. But that’s only part of the picture of how well revenue—composed predominantly of tax dollars and federal funds—matches spending across all state activities.

In Depth With Pew President Sue Urahn
In Depth With Pew President Sue Urahn
PODCAST

In Depth With Pew President Sue Urahn

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PODCAST

In the first episode of our season “States of Innovation,” Sue Urahn, Pew’s new president and CEO, discusses the role of state governments as “laboratories of our democracy,” where innovative thinking can be paired with policies informed by data to address long-standing problems.