Overview
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.
We also study the partnership that exists between national and state governments, finding best practices and analyzing how federal decisions affect state budgets.
Black and Hispanic or Latino student loan borrowers are more likely to have difficulty repaying their loans than their White peers, according to a significant body of research. Both populations of borrowers are also more likely than their White peers to face barriers to completing degrees and have a higher chance than their White peers of experiencing financial difficulty that can put them at risk of falling behind on payments and having their loans end up in default.
Manufactured housing—the modern version of a mobile home—is an important, but underused, form of low-cost housing. Today, about 18 million people live in these homes, and most own rather than rent. When borrowing to buy a manufactured home, buyers usually use financing from traditional lenders such as banks or credit unions in the form of mortgages, which finance the house and land together, or home-only loans—also known as chattel or personal property loans—which finance only the house and not the land beneath.
Alcohol is the leading driver of substance use-related fatalities in America: Each year, frequent or excessive drinking causes approximately 178,000 deaths. Excessive alcohol use is common in the United States among people who drink: In 2022, of the 137 million Americans who reported drinking in the last 30 days, 45% reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in a sitting for men; four for women).
Stimulant use is on the rise across the United States. In 2022, more than 10.2 million people aged 12 and older misused stimulants—a class of drugs that includes cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription stimulants such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications.
In the United States, getting a college degree is often seen as a pathway to a prosperous future. But since the 1980s, the price of college has skyrocketed, leaving millions of students to rely on federal loans to help cover the cost. Now, many borrowers face high monthly payments that are difficult to afford while balancing necessities like food, housing, and health care.
Our Work
Pew's work spans 7 key topics...
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
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.
Latest In Build Communities
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.
Latest In Improve Federal Policy
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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.
Latest In Improving Economic Advancement
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.
Latest In Protect Marine Life
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.
Latest In Strengthen State Government
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.