Stat: 2.1 feet —Scientists have forecast an increase of as much as 2.1 feet in the Chesapeake Bay by 2050. Story: In this episode, we travel to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, where the refuge is losing ground to climate change and rising sea levels. Through interviews with experts—including Joseph Gordon, who directs Pew’s work on coastal marine life in the U.S.; Marcia Pradines Long, manager of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge; Kristin Thomasgard, prog...
May 06, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Stat: 51% of Americans say the U.S. is doing a very bad or somewhat bad job of addressing climate change. Story: Amid growing public concern about rising seas, extreme weather, and disappearing biodiversity, we speak with Michael Oppenheimer, the Albert G. Milbank professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University and a longtime participant in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. He exp...
Apr 22, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 114
Stat: 11 million metric tons —the amount of plastic that enters the ocean each year. Story: We continue our “Ocean, People, Planet” season with a discussion of one of the largest threats facing the ocean: plastic pollution. Winnie Lau, who is the project director of Pew’s preventing ocean plastics project, and Richard Bailey, professor of environmental systems at Oxford University, discuss ways to reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean and highlight a new analytical tool that nations ca...
Apr 08, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 113
Story: “Crisis and Change: Conversations With Leaders” is produced in partnership by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Stanford Social Innovation Review . In the series, leaders from across the social sector share insights about how they are innovating during challenging times. The COVID-19 pandemic shook the world, challenging public health systems and communities. In this final episode of this special series, Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Mark Suzman, CEO of t...
Mar 10, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 112
Story: “Crisis and Change: Conversations With Leaders” is produced in partnership by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Stanford Social Innovation Review . In the series, leaders from across the social sector share insights about how they are innovating during challenging times. The increasing wealth gap is a symptom of larger inequities facing Americans today. And 61% of Americans say there’s too much economic inequality in the U.S., according to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. In this episod...
Mar 03, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Story: “Crisis and Change: Conversations With Leaders” is produced in partnership by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Stanford Social Innovation Review . In the series, leaders from across the social sector share insights about how they are innovating during challenging times. In this episode, Tonya Allen, president of the McKnight Foundation, and John Palfrey, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, address the growing threat of a changing climate. They discuss how they...
Feb 11, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 110
Stat: 3 times : The Arctic is warming three times faster than the planet as a whole. Story: The ocean is important for the health of the planet, and coastal communities around the world rely on it for their way of life. In Part II of “The State of Our Ocean,” we speak with Sheila (Siila) Watt-Cloutier, an environmental, cultural, and human rights advocate, about the value of the ocean to the Inuit in the Arctic and how challenges such as climate change and rising tides affect her community and i...
Feb 08, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 109
Stat: 30% —More than 70 countries support the call to protect and conserve at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. Story: The ocean is central to all life, providing oxygen, nutrition, and recreation, and supporting economic livelihoods for coastal communities around the globe. But this essential resource is facing multiple threats, including climate change, overfishing and illegal fishing, and plastics pollution. In this new series, “Ocean, People, Planet,” we focus on the connection between ...
Feb 08, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Story: “Crisis and Change: Conversations With Leaders” is produced in partnership by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Stanford Social Innovation Review . In the series, leaders from across the social sector share insights about how they are innovating during challenging times. In this episode, Crystal Hayling, executive director of The Libra Foundation, and Sonal Shah, founding president of The Asian American Foundation, discuss their organizations’ work toward transforming the way race is disc...
Jan 18, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Story: “Crisis and Change: Conversations With Leaders” is produced in partnership by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. In the series, leaders from across the social sector share insights about how they contend with challenging times and societal division. In this episode, Susan Urahn, Pew’s president and CEO, and Sarah Rosen Wartell, president of the Urban Institute, discuss the deepening political polarization, increasing misinformation, and growing mistrust t...
Dec 14, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 106
Political polarization. Climate change. Racial reckoning. Income inequality. A global pandemic. Since 2020, all five of these immense challenges have emerged or deepened, commanding our attention and prompting major societal and cultural shifts. In this special series produced in partnership by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Stanford Social Innovation Review , we talk with leaders from across the social sector. They take us behind the scenes, sharing approaches and case studies of innovation ...
Dec 07, 2021•1 min
Stat: 4 in 10 : U.S. Census data from 2020 shows that 4 in 10 Americans identify with a race other than White. Story: The demographic landscape in the United States is changing rapidly. In this virtual event rebroadcast, guests from our “Race and Research” season discuss how the country’s growing diversity is driving a new national conversation about race and ethnicity. The event panelists also highlight the challenges and opportunities researchers face when applying a racial and equity lens to ...
Nov 12, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Stat: 93%—93% of new COVID-19 cases were caused by the delta variant in the United States by the end of July 2021. Story: The battle against the COVID-19 virus seemed almost won, but the delta variant is now responsible for a new surge of cases. In this episode, we turn again to infectious disease physician Dr. Rebecca Wurtz to learn more about this new variant and what it means for both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.
Aug 27, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Charita Castro, a social science researcher and ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN Ambassadors program, speaks about how to recruit more women and people of color to the STEM fields¾science, technology, engineering, and math¾to strengthen innovation
Jul 12, 2021•17 min
In this conversation with Fanta Traore, we hear about her work to support and empower Black women in economics, finance, and data science fields through The Sadie Collective. She shares the latest data on how increasing diversity in the economic workforce can help encourage innovative problem solving for society.
Jul 07, 2021•19 min
In this bonus episode of our “Race and Research” season, we share an extended talk with Dr. Marie Bernard, chief officer for scientific workforce diversity at the National Institutes of Health, on her experience as a Black female physician and efforts to improve diversity within health care, from at a patient’s bedside to medical research.
Jul 02, 2021•28 min
Stat: 68% : The percentage of technology experts who express doubt about ethical standards in artificial intelligence systems. Story: Technology driven by artificial intelligence and other data science will lead to life-changing innovation in the coming years. But much of the historical data those innovations will rely on could be biased. In this episode, Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at the Pew Research Center, reports on the growing ethical concerns of technology exp...
Jun 25, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Stat: 33%—The percentage of people of color who make up America’s STEM workforce. Story: In this episode, we consider the pipeline to the research workforce—higher education. In a conversation with Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), and its vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Katharine Cole, we explore how the university supports undergraduate and graduate students from a range of backgrounds and prepares them for STEM career...
Jun 17, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Stat: 99% : The percentage of census tracts in the United States where young black men end up having lower incomes than their white counterparts even though they grew up with comparable family incomes and resources. Story: In this episode of our season on race and research, our guests examine the impact of race on economic mobility. David Williams, of Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, describes research tools that can help communities improve economic outcomes for families and kids. And...
Jun 11, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 101
Stat: 5% — The percentage of Black physicians and surgeons in America. Story: Continuing our look at race and research, we turn to health care. We hear from Dr. Marie Bernard, who heads efforts to increase diversity in the research workforce at the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Stephanie Brown and Kristen Azar of Sutter Health, a nonprofit California health care provider. They discuss the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, how to build trust in the medical system among those co...
Jun 04, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Stat: 46.8 million : The number of people in the United States who identify as Black. Story: The census shows that the U.S. is growing more diverse racially and ethnically, and reflecting this evolution in research data has become even more essential. In this episode, Mike Dimock, president of the Pew Research Center, describes how the Center is addressing these changes in public opinion polling and why examining the nuances behind these demographic shifts helps us better understand society’s di...
May 28, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Stat: 40% : 4 in 10 Americans identify with a race other than White. Story: In our first episode on race and research, we explore the diverse story of America. William Frey, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an internationally regarded demographer, highlights the latest census findings and what they say about the nation today. And we examine what these changes mean for society—and the evolving national conversation about race—with the Pew Research Center’s director of race and ethni...
May 21, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 98
A new season of Pew’s “After the Fact” podcast explores diversity in America and how race intersects with research in a range of fields—from public opinion polling to medicine to economics. We talk with social scientists who are helping society better understand how the nuances of race can change the perspective of issues and other experts who are looking at how diverse viewpoints improve policy solutions. The episodes of this season are a contribution to the evolving national conversation about...
May 07, 2021•2 min
Stat: 30 percent—According to the Pew Research Center, 30% of Americans don’t intend to get a coronavirus vaccination. Story: There’s a light appearing at the end of a long tunnel in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic: the emergence of effective vaccines to prevent its spread. Yet, even with a solution in sight, public trust is still a hurdle—with an “infodemic” of misinformation occurring alongside the pandemic. In this episode, we discuss the facts about the science of the vaccines...
Mar 12, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Stat: 70% : The percentage of debt collection cases that result in default judgment, or automatic win, to plaintiffs. Story: Debt collection cases are the most common civil court cases today, but many Americans are navigating the civil legal system without legal representation and paying heavy consequences. In this episode we hear from Erika Rickard, who leads Pew’s work to modernize civil court systems, on the issues surrounding debt collection cases and how the pandemic is bringing some courtr...
Feb 19, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Stat: $1.24 trillion : The 50-state pension funding gap—the shortfall between what all the states have funded and what they actually owed public employee retirees—as of 2018. Story: Public employees count on pensions when they retire, but most states haven’t adequately funded their obligations. As of 2018, the funding gap for all the states totaled $1.24 trillion. Without sustainable funding, the cost of retiree benefits can mean less money is available for schools, roads, or public safety. In t...
Jan 29, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Stat: $8 billion: The cost of vehicle collisions with wildlife each year in the U.S. Story: In America’s West, animal herds follow ancient migration routes that are bisected by roads and highways. In this episode, we hear from Matt Skroch, who leads Pew’s efforts to conserve wildlife corridors, and Jodi Hilty, of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, about innovative solutions that make roads safer for both people and animals....
Jan 22, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Stat: 18%: The percentage of Americans with opioid use disorder who receive medication as part of their treatment. Story: As the coronavirus pandemic grips the world, the opioid epidemic continues to affect millions of Americans. Several states are developing innovative ways to tackle this public health issue. In this episode, we speak with Beth Connolly, who leads Pew’s research on substance use disorders, and Louisiana Representative Paula Davis, who helped ensure effective treatment in her st...
Jan 15, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Stat: $850 billion : The damage caused by flood-related disasters in the U.S. since 2000. Story: Floods are the costliest natural disasters in the United States, but there are ways to prepare for the storms ahead. In this episode of our “States of Innovation” season, we hear from Laura Lightbody, who directs Pew’s work to better prepare communities for floods, about how states such as Texas and South Carolina are reducing their risks through innovative solutions. We also speak with South Carolin...
Jan 08, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Stat: 12 million : The number of Americans who use payday loans each year. Story: Payday loans can help people facing an unexpected financial crunch—but can also bring unexpected problems. Ohio adopted an innovative new law to protect consumers who were being dragged into a cycle of debt by the very loans they thought would help them. We learn more from Nick Bourke, who directs Pew’s consumer finance work, and Pastor Carl Ruby, who saw the downside to the loans and helped lead the fight to chang...
Dec 23, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 91
