Harper’s Magazine

[Forum] Is Liberalism Worth Saving?

The future of an ideal

by Patrick J. Deneen, Francis Fukuyama, Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, Cornel West,

Current Issue February 2023

[Letter from Philadelphia] No Vacancy

Can empty houses help solve homelessness?

by Wes Enzinna,

[Letter from Washington] Swamplandia

The money behind Ron DeSantis’s populist façade

by Andrew Cockburn,

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. teens who have advocated for political issues on social media in the past year : 10

[Harper’s Index]

Who have used a hashtag related to a political or social issue : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who believe that political demonstration is “very important” : 13

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which independents are less likely than other voters to know their representatives’ party affiliation : 24

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which fewer people watched the U.S. midterm election results on television last year than in 2018 : 30

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which threats against members of Congress increased between 2017 and 2021 : 144

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who say political advertisements have “a great deal” of influence on how they vote : 8

[Harper’s Index]

Average number of words a man says on cable news before he is interrupted : 81

[Harper’s Index]

Of words a woman says : 73

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who believe the media prioritizes profits over the public interest : 3/4

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they would be willing to pay for their news : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Chances that a U.S. college graduate with a journalism degree regrets this choice of major : 9 in 10

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which Republicans are more likely to feel unfavorably toward the media than the tobacco industry : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which women are more likely than men to rely on TikTok as a news source : 59

[Harper’s Index]

By which men are more likely than women to rely on Reddit as a news source : 231

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who watch shows or movies with subtitles on “most of the time” : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Of Gen Z-ers who do : 7/10

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which young adults are more likely to smoke cigarettes than adults aged 65 or older : 50

[Harper’s Index]

By which young adults are more likely to smoke only marijuana than to smoke only cigarettes : 270

[Harper’s Index]

Number of hours per week the average American spent with friends in 2021 : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which this number has decreased since 2013 : 58

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change in the past decade in the amount of time the average American spends alone : +23

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. households that had a single occupant in 1960 : 13

[Harper’s Index]

In 2022 : 29

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2000 in the number of Americans aged 50 or older who live alone : 66

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of those Americans who are female : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which black Americans aged 65 or older are more likely than white ones to live alone : 12

[Harper’s Index]

Median net wealth of U.S. homeowners aged 65 and older : $343,100

[Harper’s Index]

Of U.S. renters aged 65 and older : $5,800

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which married couples aged 25 to 34 have a greater median net worth than their single peers : 9

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of divorced U.S. full-time workers who say that ending their marriage improved their job performance : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2019 in the number of U.S. daters looking for a partner who wants to marry : 28

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. daters who say they have fallen in love with someone they weren’t initially attracted to : 49

[Harper’s Index]

Who say they are willing to date long-distance : 53

[Harper’s Index]

Median age to which Americans expect to live : 82

[Harper’s Index]

Number of years by which this exceeds the CDC’s estimate : 6

Weekly Review

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Monday Gallery

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Illustrations from English catalogs for the Japanese fireworks manufacturer Hirayama Fireworks, circa 1883, from the book Affinities: A Journey Through Images from The Public Domain Review, which was published last year by Thames & Hudson.

Courtesy The Public Domain Review

“Spree Park”

“Spree Park,” a photograph by Jason Langer from his monograph Berlin, which was published last year by Kerber Verlag. Langer’s work is on view through February 16 at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery, in Vancouver.

Belt of Venus

Belt of Venus, a painting by Olive Diamond, whose work is on view through March 4 as part of the exhibition Eternal Reverie, at 1969 Gallery, in New York City.

Courtesy the artist and 1969 Gallery

Percentage of U.S. teens who have advocated for political issues on social media in the past year : 10

Who have used a hashtag related to a political or social issue : 7

Percentage of Americans who believe that political demonstration is “very important” : 13

Percentage by which independents are less likely than other voters to know their representatives’ party affiliation : 24

To know which party controls Congress : 20

Percentage of eligible Americans who vote : 63

Of Hungarians : 71

Of Uruguayans : 95

Percentage by which fewer people watched the U.S. midterm election results on television last year than in 2018 : 30

Percentage by which threats against members of Congress increased between 2017 and 2021 : 144

Percentage of Americans who say political advertisements have “a great deal” of influence on how they vote : 8

Average number of words a man says on cable news before he is interrupted : 81

Of words a woman says : 73

Portion of Americans who believe the media prioritizes profits over the public interest : 3/4

Who say they would be willing to pay for their news : 1/5

Chances that a U.S. college graduate with a journalism degree regrets this choice of major : 9 in 10

Percentage by which Republicans are more likely to feel unfavorably toward the media than the tobacco industry : 20

Percentage by which women are more likely than men to rely on TikTok as a news source : 59

By which men are more likely than women to rely on Reddit as a news source : 231

Portion of Americans who watch shows or movies with subtitles on “most of the time” : 1/2

Of Gen Z-ers who do : 7/10

Percentage by which young adults are more likely to smoke cigarettes than adults aged 65 or older : 50

By which young adults are more likely to smoke only marijuana than to smoke only cigarettes : 270

Number of hours per week the average American spent with friends in 2021 : 3

Percentage by which this number has decreased since 2013 : 58

Percentage change in the past decade in the amount of time the average American spends alone : +23

Percentage of U.S. households that had a single occupant in 1960 : 13

In 2022 : 29

Percentage increase since 2000 in the number of Americans aged 50 or older who live alone : 66

Percentage of those Americans who are female : 60

Percentage by which black Americans aged 65 or older are more likely than white ones to live alone : 12

Median net wealth of U.S. homeowners aged 65 and older : $343,100

Of U.S. renters aged 65 and older : $5,800

Factor by which married couples aged 25 to 34 have a greater median net worth than their single peers : 9

Portion of divorced U.S. full-time workers who say that ending their marriage improved their job performance : 2/5

Percentage increase since 2019 in the number of U.S. daters looking for a partner who wants to marry : 28

Percentage of U.S. daters who say they have fallen in love with someone they weren’t initially attracted to : 49

Who say they are willing to date long-distance : 53

Median age to which Americans expect to live : 82

Number of years by which this exceeds the CDC’s estimate : 6

February 14, 2023

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Falling Like Leaves

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Lingua Franca

“Spree Park”

Belt of Venus

Past Issues

Harper’s Finest

From the Archive

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SARS was found in tears.

A psycholinguistic analysis of posts on Twitter and Weibo during COVID-19 lockdowns found that residents of Lombardy grew increasingly focused on leisure and residents of Wuhan grew increasingly focused on religion.

Convalescent plasma helps Syrian hamsters fight SARS-CoV-2.

Falling levels of tourist trash during pandemic lockdowns was found to have caused rat infighting, and macaques were reported to have attacked a lab assistant in Delhi and stolen vials of COVID-­19-­infected blood, which at least one monkey then tried to eat.

The World Health Organization warned that SARS will probably return this winter.

Falling levels of tourist trash during pandemic lockdowns was found to have caused rat infighting, and macaques were reported to have attacked a lab assistant in Delhi and stolen vials of COVID-19-infected blood, which at least one monkey then tried to eat.