February 2022

by Rachel Monroe,

[Miscellany]

The Great Wall of Steel

Xi Jinping remakes Chinese nationalism

by Ian Buruma,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans with graduate degrees who believe in ghosts : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans and Democrats, respectively, who got a flu shot in the 2019–20 flu season : 53, 56

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they have gotten or are very likely to get a flu shot this season : 44, 68

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in U.S. sales of cigarettes in 2020 : 0.4

[Harper’s Index]

Year in which U.S. cigarette sales last increased : 2000

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans aged 18 to 25 who say their alcohol use has increased during the pandemic : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say that drug use has been a source of trouble for their family : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of times people switch between screens or tabs per day : 566

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of minutes it takes to get back on task after checking a cell phone notification : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in U.S. workers who have been involved in a workplace relationship since the start of the pandemic : 26

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of adults with shared finances who have lied to their partners about money : 39

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which fewer Americans planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day last year than the year before : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2017 in the number of married Americans who say their spouse makes life meaningful : –58

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of U.S. households that acquired a cat or dog during the pandemic : 23,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of dog training services offered via Zoom increased during the pandemic : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which more working women than men report experiencing burnout often or almost always : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Number of years by which the average retirement age is lower in China than in the United States : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of U.S. employee walkouts since the start of the pandemic : 1,670

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since August in Google searches for “how to send a resignation email” : 3,450

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which bonuses for U.S. investment bankers and traders were projected to increase last year : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of active-duty U.S. military families that face food insecurity : 1/6

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of federal prison workers who have been arrested or sentenced for crimes since 2019 : 100

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of mistreatment and neglect reports filed with New York City child-welfare caseworkers per week : 1,054

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of eviction cases filed in New York City since the start of the pandemic : 77,346

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in rat sightings in New York City last year : 52

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of birds killed each year in New York City by collisions with glass windows : 90,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of whales killed by collisions with ships each year : 750

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the weight of whales killed in the twentieth century exceeds that of all wild mammals today : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum amount, in tons, of pandemic-associated plastic waste that has been deposited in the ocean : 25,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of material received by U.S. recycling centers that is nonrecyclable : 22

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which U.S. online grocery sales have increased since the start of the pandemic : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of New York City food delivery workers who have had their bikes stolen : 54

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of college graduates projected to need at least twenty years to recoup their tuition costs : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those graduates who will likely never recoup the total : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which philosophy majors are more likely than psychology majors to describe themselves as “brilliant” : 9

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults who say they have questioned the meaning of life in the past year : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that suffering is mostly a consequence of one’s own actions : 7/10

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans with graduate degrees who believe in ghosts : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans and Democrats, respectively, who got a flu shot in the 2019–20 flu season : 53, 56

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they have gotten or are very likely to get a flu shot this season : 44, 68

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in U.S. sales of cigarettes in 2020 : 0.4

[Harper’s Index]

Year in which U.S. cigarette sales last increased : 2000

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans aged 18 to 25 who say their alcohol use has increased during the pandemic : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say that drug use has been a source of trouble for their family : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of times people switch between screens or tabs per day : 566

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of minutes it takes to get back on task after checking a cell phone notification : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in U.S. workers who have been involved in a workplace relationship since the start of the pandemic : 26

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of adults with shared finances who have lied to their partners about money : 39

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which fewer Americans planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day last year than the year before : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2017 in the number of married Americans who say their spouse makes life meaningful : –58

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of U.S. households that acquired a cat or dog during the pandemic : 23,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of dog training services offered via Zoom increased during the pandemic : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which more working women than men report experiencing burnout often or almost always : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Number of years by which the average retirement age is lower in China than in the United States : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of U.S. employee walkouts since the start of the pandemic : 1,670

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since August in Google searches for “how to send a resignation email” : 3,450

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which bonuses for U.S. investment bankers and traders were projected to increase last year : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of active-duty U.S. military families that face food insecurity : 1/6

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of federal prison workers who have been arrested or sentenced for crimes since 2019 : 100

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of mistreatment and neglect reports filed with New York City child-welfare caseworkers per week : 1,054

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of eviction cases filed in New York City since the start of the pandemic : 77,346

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in rat sightings in New York City last year : 52

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of birds killed each year in New York City by collisions with glass windows : 90,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of whales killed by collisions with ships each year : 750

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the weight of whales killed in the twentieth century exceeds that of all wild mammals today : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum amount, in tons, of pandemic-associated plastic waste that has been deposited in the ocean : 25,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of material received by U.S. recycling centers that is nonrecyclable : 22

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which U.S. online grocery sales have increased since the start of the pandemic : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of New York City food delivery workers who have had their bikes stolen : 54

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of college graduates projected to need at least twenty years to recoup their tuition costs : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those graduates who will likely never recoup the total : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which philosophy majors are more likely than psychology majors to describe themselves as “brilliant” : 9

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults who say they have questioned the meaning of life in the past year : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that suffering is mostly a consequence of one’s own actions : 7/10

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans with graduate degrees who believe in ghosts : 1/3

Readings

[Essay]

Bond Market

by Lee A. (Lee Allan) Craig, Julianne Treme, Thomas Joseph Weiss,

[Tactical Gear]

Feast of the First Morning of the First Day

by Hoa Nguyen,

[Correspondence]

The Bathers

by María Gainza,Translated by Thomas Bunstead,

Give a signal, a Nihonga painting by Toko Izumi, whose work was on view in November at Micheko Galerie, in Munich.

“Zion Looking Through a Pair of My Binoculars in Her Grandfather Mr. Smiley’s Living Room, Newton, Mississippi,” a photograph by LaToya Ruby Frazier. Her monograph Flint Is Family in Three Acts will be published next month by Steidl and the Gordon Parks Foundation.

“Quarantine Home Collection,” a photograph by Leonard Suryajaya from the series Quarantine Blues. Suryajaya’s work will be on view in June at Fotomuseum Winterthur, in Switzerland.

“Orangutans,” a photograph by Jim Naughten, whose work was on view in November at Grove Square Galleries, in London.

wherewelieawakedreamingyouarehere,amongtheruinsofadowncastheart, a painting by David Antonio Cruz, whose work was on view in December at Monique Meloche Gallery, in Chicago.

Give a signal, a Nihonga painting by Toko Izumi, whose work was on view in November at Micheko Galerie, in Munich.

“Quarantine Home Collection,” a photograph by Leonard Suryajaya from the series Quarantine Blues. Suryajaya’s work will be on view in June at Fotomuseum Winterthur, in Switzerland.

“Orangutans,” a photograph by Jim Naughten, whose work was on view in November at Grove Square Galleries, in London.

wherewelieawakedreamingyouarehere,amongtheruinsofadowncastheart, a painting by David Antonio Cruz, whose work was on view in December at Monique Meloche Gallery, in Chicago.