Recent posts by Matthew Hilburn:
America’s Pampered Pets
Over 85 million families in the United States own a pet. That’s 68 percent of households, according to a 2017-2018 survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association. Just 30 years ago, when the survey was first conducted, 56 percent of households owned a pet. The survey found dogs are the most popular pets, with […]
Here Are The Most and Least Educated Cities in the US
What are the most and least educated cities in the United States? Financial website WalletHub thinks it knows. The company based its rankings of 150 metropolitan areas on eleven factors including percentage of people with or without a high school diploma or bachelor’s degree, the quality of local universities and colleges and the gaps in […]
U.S. View of Mexico Worsens
The view of U.S. citizens of Mexico is the poorest it has been in nearly 20 years, a new survey reveals. The poll by Gallup reveals that 72 percent of U.S. citizens view Mexico as an ally (27 percent) or a friend (45 percent). Slightly over a quarter of Americans view its southern neighbor as […]
American Couples Overstate Men’s Income, Understate Women’s
In American families where the wife makes more than the husband, there’s a tendency for the men to exaggerate their income when responding to income surveys, as opposed to what they report to the Internal Revenue Service, while women understate theirs, according to the United States Census Bureau. “When a wife earns more, both husbands […]
Nearly Quarter of Americans Carry Lucky Charms
Nearly one in four Americans carries a good luck charm at least occasionally, according to a new survey. According to a YouGov poll, seven percent of Americans carry a lucky charm every day, four percent said they carry one frequently, and 13 percent said they carry one occasionally. Seventy percent said they don’t carry a […]
This Cuisine Is Fastest Growing in US
Asian food is the fastest growing cuisine in the United States. Between 1999 and 2015, sales of Asian fast food soared 135 percent, far outpacing Latin and Middle Eastern cuisines, according to the market research firm Euromonitor. There are several factors driving the growth, according to author Andrew Coe who wrote the 2009 book Chop […]
Americans Think Raising Boys Easier Than Girls
Are boys easier to raise than girls? By 2-to-1 Americans think so, according to a recent Gallup poll, which found 54 percent of Americans say boys are easier to raise. That compares to 27 percent who think girls are easier. “When Gallup first asked this question in 1947, 42 percent of Americans named boys as […]
Most Patriotic States and Brands Revealed
Independence Day is the most patriotic national holiday in the United States, but do different states have different levels of patriotism? While patriotism means different things to different people, a survey by financial website WalletHub decided to find the most patriotic state using weighted metrics such as number of people in the military or who […]
Over 40 Percent of Americans Say Teen Sex ‘Morally Acceptable’
Americans increasingly think sex between teenagers is acceptable. A majority, 54 percent, think it’s morally wrong, and 42 percent think it’s morally acceptable, according to a survey conducted by Gallup. Since Gallup first asked the question in 2013, the number who think sex between teenagers is acceptable has climbed 10 percentage points, six percentage points […]