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Build Communities Democracy Depends on All of Us

Speakers discuss libraries, engagement, and civil disagreement at Pew event celebrating America’s 250th

The Rundown

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The Invisible System Keeping Us Healthy

This past summer, at least 20,000 people throughout the United States became sick from cyclospora, a parasite linked to contaminated produce that can cause severe gastrointestinal illness. But how did public health officials go from hearing about a single case to sounding the alarm on a much larger outbreak? Lettuce explain.

Close-up of a person tapping a smartphone screen displaying an AI assistant chatbot with a greeting and suggested questions about stress and anxiety.
Who's Opting Out of AI Chatbots—and Why

Pew Research Center

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How States Are Working to Improve Broadband Affordability

With uses from smart appliances to precision farming, the internet is increasingly woven into daily life—yet millions of Americans still lack access to high-speed service.

Two workers stand in front of a building next to orange traffic cones and a piece of orange-and-black construction equipment. One of the workers uses a jackhammer to break up a section of the sidewalk.
The State of Local Government Hiring

Government employees provide many of the day-to-day services that cities offer residents, including stocking and caring for the books they check out of libraries, collecting their trash and recyclables, and inspecting the restaurants where they gather with family and friends.

The End of IIJA Water Funding Puts Pressure on States, Localities

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) marked a historic increase in federal spending for water infrastructure, providing $55 billion from fiscal year 2022 through fiscal 2026. Most of these investments—$43.4 billion—came in the form of supplemental funding to the State Revolving Funds (SRFs), effectively quadrupling annual SRF funding over the five years.

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.

Latest In Advance Health & Well-Being

10 Minutes That Can Save a Life
The Impacts of Suicide Run Deep
New Mexico Should Reconsider Exemptions in PFAS Law
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

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