The Rundown

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A large brown building stands beneath a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. A Brazilian flag flies from the façade, which is emblazoned with white signage reading “United Nations Climate Change, COP30 Brasil Amazonia, Belém 2025.”
U.N. Climate Negotiations Advance Efforts to Protect Nature

World leaders, scientists, nongovernmental organizations, and others have concluded negotiations at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 30), held Nov. 10-21, with renewed momentum toward meeting global commitments. The decisions made over the past two weeks in Belém, Brazil, will shape not only the planet’s future but also the well-being, security, and livelihoods of billions of people around the world.

Revenue Wave Fueled Fiscal 2023 Surpluses in All 50 States

Fiscal 2023 marked the first time in at least 23 years that no state had an annual deficit. But even with the record-setting number of annual surpluses, five states incurred long-term revenue shortfalls relative to expenses for fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2023. If left unmanaged, these ongoing gaps can threaten states’ financial well-being.

A person holds a smartphone and scrolls through apps.
How Americans Use Social Media in 2025

Pew Research Center

How States Are Assessing the Impact of Federal Policy Changes

Congressional passage of the massive budget reconciliation measure, H.R. 1, in July set in motion a new federal-state fiscal dynamic—and states are moving fast to adapt. The law reshapes three policy areas key to state budgets: tax revenue, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food stipends for tens of millions of low-income individuals and children.

How a Police Department Uses Naloxone to Save Lives and Support Recovery

In Anne Arundel County, Maryland, police officers are equipped to help people experiencing overdose because the officers carry naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug.

Our Work

Pew's work spans 7 key topics...

Professional psychologist doctor listening and giving the consult to female patients

Good health is important to everyone. Pew conducts research and provides information and fact-based recommendations to state agencies, hospitals, researchers, and other health partners to help them provide better care. We find and share evidence-based practices to improve Americans’ health and well-being, including services that can prevent suicide, improve mental health care, and treat substance use disorder.

Bustleton Free Library in Philadelphia, PA, on Thursday September 12 2024.

Communities throughout the country share common needs: affordable connections to broadband Internet, modern and reliable energy infrastructure, effective responses to mental health challenges, and ways to resolve legal disputes more quickly and fairly. To address these issues, Pew collaborates with states and local governments to find and promote evidence-based solutions that help provide stability and opportunity.

Sunshine

Economic opportunity is the foundation of American society. Pew supports national, state, and local efforts to expand opportunity and promote financial well-being. Our work helps people pay off student loans, navigate court proceedings such as debt collection, buy or rent a home, access affordable internet, and save for their retirement.

High angle helicopter shot of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. at twilight on a clear evening in Fall, with Pennsylvania Avenue beyond.

Nonpartisan, fact-based improvements in federal policy can create jobs, lower costs, and help the nation prepare for the future. When our research shows that small changes can have a big impact, we work across party lines to improve national challenges like housing affordability, internet access, energy reliability, and health care.

Turkish world record-holder free-diver and divers of the Underwater Federation Sahika Encumen dives amid plastic waste in Ortakoy coastline to observe the life and pollution of Bosphorus in Istanbul,

The global ocean teems with life, and it contributes to the vital cycles that keep people and our planet healthy. But the seas are vulnerable to overfishing, loss of habitat such as seagrasses and mangroves, ineffective fisheries management, plastic pollution, and declining biodiversity. These mounting losses affect the coastal communities that depend on the ocean for food and jobs.

The House Chamber at the Kentucky State Capitol is shown as the legislature tries to wrap up its session

States and cities are the “laboratories of democracy” in America—the places where lawmakers and governors look for new ways to help their communities succeed. Whether in Pew’s hometown of Philadelphia or any of the 50 state capitals, we help elected leaders respond to the needs of their citizens, use public dollars wisely, fix outdated policies, and build a better future for all.

A view of steep cliff, grand canyon and Colorado river from Toroweap overlook.

Conserving natural spaces conveys benefits far beyond the gains to wildlife and their habitats. As scores of studies show, protecting and restoring lands and waters, particularly when done in close partnership with local communities, also improves people’s lives—and local economies—by increasing tourism and outdoor recreation.

How We Work

Pew is committed to generating research, providing technical assistance, and building relationships to advance powerful, positive change. Learn More

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Stay informed through our newsletters, join the conversation on social media, or learn about partnership opportunities—just a few ways you can help us make a difference. Learn More

Fact of the Matter

49,449
AMERICANS
die by suicide in 2022.
18%
OF AMERICANS
with opioid use disorders received any medication to treat them in 2023.
30%
INCREASE IN SUICIDE RATE
in the U.S. from 2000 to 2020.
178,000
DEATHS EACH YEAR
from frequent or excessive drinking.

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