A worker in protective gear welds a large metal vessel in an industrial workshop, with sparks flashing amid machinery and steel worktables.
Improve Economic Advancement Most Students Pay Out of Pocket for Nondegree Credentials

Findings are similar across demographic groups

The Rundown

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Democracy Depends on All of Us

Both hallowed and humble, libraries are central to community engagement and vitality. In fact, there are more libraries in the U.S. (an estimated 125,211, according to the American Library Association) than there are McDonald’s and Starbucks combined.

New Brattle Pew Report Finds Distributed Energy Resources Could Avoid Over $600 Billion in Costs

A new report prepared by The Brattle Group for The Pew Charitable Trusts finds that removing barriers and advancing policies that enable the use of more distributed energy resources (DERs)—including distributed solar, battery storage, and demand flexibility like managed EV charging—across residential, commercial, and industrial customers would avoid an estimated $614 billion in U.S. power system costs through 2050.

What Sea Lions Reveal About Ocean Health

In Sausalito, California, the “After the Fact” team visited The Marine Mammal Center to see how they care for animals like Gary that are affected by harmful algal blooms (or “red tides”).

A purple sign reads “United Nations Climate Change,” with the organization’s white logo and lettering in focus. A blurred conference hall is visible in the background.
COP31 Offers Opportunity to Put Climate Solutions to Work

This month, leaders from around the world will meet in Antalya, Turkey, for COP31, the U.N. climate change conference. One of the most pressing issues that attendees will address is the need to invest in practical climate solutions, especially ones that are already known to work.

Our Work

Pew's work spans 7 key topics...

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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.

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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.

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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

Although our projects vary in scale and scope, Pew maintains a consistent investment philosophy for all of our work—an approach driven by our history and values. Learn More

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

61.5M
U.S. ADULTS
reported having a mental health condition in 2024.
40%
OF THE U.S. POPULATION
lives in areas with too few mental health providers.
>97%
OF U.S. ADULTS
have at least one hormone-disrupting chemical in their bodies.
54%
U.S. SCHOOLS
reported that inadequate funding limited their ability to provide mental health services in 2024.
48.4M
PEOPLE IN THE U.S.
were estimated to have a substance use disorder in 2024.
4 in 5
U.S. COUNTIES
do not have an opioid treatment program (OTP).
1 in 5
OPIOID-RELATED HOSPITAL STAYS
ended with patients leaving against medical advice.

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