January 2025

by Liz Pelly,

[Letter from Kansas]

Voices from the Dead Letter Office

On the epistolary life

by Cynthia Ozick,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say that the election was one of the most stressful events of 2024 : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that they didn’t care who won and “just wanted it to be over” : 3/10

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the average wait for the Senate to confirm a political appointee has increased since 1981 : 4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of positions requiring Senate confirmation that were vacant as of March 2024 : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Of such positions at the Department of Homeland Security : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of corporate spending in the 2024 election that came from the cryptocurrency industry : 44

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 1982 in the portion of profits that U.S. corporations spend on philanthropy : −37

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2021 in the portion of Americans with a favorable opinion of Elon Musk : +25

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage change since 2022 in preorders of new iPhones : −27

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans aged 18–30 on social media who describe themselves as influencers : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of self-described influencers who have never been paid for this work : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Israelis who say that social-media posts criticizing their government should be censored : 50

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that expressions of sympathy for civilians in Gaza should be : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Jewish U.S. college students who say that accusing Israel of human-rights violations is anti-Semitic : 45

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which enrollment in the largest Jewish conversion program in the United States increased in the past year : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of scientists who stop publishing research within five years of their first paper : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of academic articles on mathematics published last year that were partially written by AI : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount of energy, in kilowatt-hours, that was used to discover a new prime number last year : 3,100,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of U.S. households this amount of energy could power for a year : 287

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of FEMA’s 2025 disaster-relief budget that was spent in the first eight days of the fiscal year : 48

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the rise in the average cost of day care in the United States outpaced the rate of inflation last year : 160

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of American men who are interested in taking birth control : 4/5

[Harper’s Index]

Who would be willing to try birth control this year if it went on the market today : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Who would be willing to try it if it involved an invasive procedure : 1/10

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated portion of global steel demand that the Saudi megacity Neom will account for by 2045 : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of workers who have died since 2016 constructing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 megaprojects : 21,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change over the past year in the portion of Americans who see Saudi Arabia as a U.S. ally : +73

[Harper’s Index]

Number of people executed in the United States between September 20 and 26 last year : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Most recent year in which this many Americans were executed in a single week : 2003

[Harper’s Index]

Rank of mental illness among the strongest demographic predictors of an American plotting an act of terrorism : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say they go to great lengths to avoid conflict : 7/10

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2013 in U.S. box-office revenue for comedy movies : −31

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say that the election was one of the most stressful events of 2024 : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that they didn’t care who won and “just wanted it to be over” : 3/10

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the average wait for the Senate to confirm a political appointee has increased since 1981 : 4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of positions requiring Senate confirmation that were vacant as of March 2024 : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Of such positions at the Department of Homeland Security : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of corporate spending in the 2024 election that came from the cryptocurrency industry : 44

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 1982 in the portion of profits that U.S. corporations spend on philanthropy : −37

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2021 in the portion of Americans with a favorable opinion of Elon Musk : +25

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage change since 2022 in preorders of new iPhones : −27

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans aged 18–30 on social media who describe themselves as influencers : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of self-described influencers who have never been paid for this work : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Israelis who say that social-media posts criticizing their government should be censored : 50

[Harper’s Index]

Who say that expressions of sympathy for civilians in Gaza should be : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Jewish U.S. college students who say that accusing Israel of human-rights violations is anti-Semitic : 45

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which enrollment in the largest Jewish conversion program in the United States increased in the past year : 3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of scientists who stop publishing research within five years of their first paper : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of academic articles on mathematics published last year that were partially written by AI : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount of energy, in kilowatt-hours, that was used to discover a new prime number last year : 3,100,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of U.S. households this amount of energy could power for a year : 287

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of FEMA’s 2025 disaster-relief budget that was spent in the first eight days of the fiscal year : 48

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the rise in the average cost of day care in the United States outpaced the rate of inflation last year : 160

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of American men who are interested in taking birth control : 4/5

[Harper’s Index]

Who would be willing to try birth control this year if it went on the market today : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Who would be willing to try it if it involved an invasive procedure : 1/10

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated portion of global steel demand that the Saudi megacity Neom will account for by 2045 : 1/5

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of workers who have died since 2016 constructing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 megaprojects : 21,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change over the past year in the portion of Americans who see Saudi Arabia as a U.S. ally : +73

[Harper’s Index]

Number of people executed in the United States between September 20 and 26 last year : 5

[Harper’s Index]

Most recent year in which this many Americans were executed in a single week : 2003

[Harper’s Index]

Rank of mental illness among the strongest demographic predictors of an American plotting an act of terrorism : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say they go to great lengths to avoid conflict : 7/10

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage change since 2013 in U.S. box-office revenue for comedy movies : −31

Readings

[Essay]

Clockwise from top left: #9, #14, #20, and #24, selections from Play from Memory, an audiovisual series by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, whose work is on view as part of the exhibition SOUND MACHINES, curated by MoMA, at Feral File. Courtesy the artists, MoMA, and Feral File

I wish this night will never end, a painting by Ileana Magoda, whose work is on view this month at Bernheim, in Zurich. Courtesy the artist and Bernheim, London and Zurich

Photographs by Maja Daniels from her book Gertrud, which was published in September by Void. © The artist. Courtesy Void

A photograph by Christian Patterson from his book Gong Co., which was co-published last month by TBW Books and Éditions Images Vevey. Courtesy the artist and TBW Books

Red Tail Lights, a painting by Jane Dickson, whose work was on view in November at Karma, in Los Angeles. Courtesy the artist and Karma

I wish this night will never end, a painting by Ileana Magoda, whose work is on view this month at Bernheim, in Zurich. Courtesy the artist and Bernheim, London and Zurich

Photographs by Maja Daniels from her book Gertrud, which was published in September by Void. © The artist. Courtesy Void

A photograph by Christian Patterson from his book Gong Co., which was co-published last month by TBW Books and Éditions Images Vevey. Courtesy the artist and TBW Books