I researched poetry written during COVID – five years on, here’s how people say it helped them

| Insights & Views

Historically, poets have had less to say about pandemics than you might imagine. Hardly any English-language poetry written during successive waves of bubonic plague focused directly on the effects of the disease, for...

Russia’s economy is stagnating – but that won’t force it to end the war

| Insights & Views

In recent months, many western media commentators have suggested the Russian economy is in such serious trouble that President Vladimir Putin will soon have little choice but to end the war in Ukraine. In December, the...

Many cities are banning ads for airlines, SUVs and fossil fuels – and yours could be next

| Insights & Views

Towns and cities are pushing ahead with ambitious climate policies, even as global collaboration on climate breakdown splinters. One flagship example is the proliferation of bans on advertising for highly polluting...

America is becoming a nation of homebodies

| Insights & Views

In his February 2025 cover story for The Atlantic, journalist Derek Thompson dubbed our current era the anti-social century. He isnt wrong. According to our recent research, the U.S. is becoming a nation of homebodies....

The FACE Act was enacted to protect reproductive health clinics − here’s why its history matters today

| Insights & Views

Soon after taking office for a second time, President Donald Trump pardoned anti-abortion activists who had blockaded and restricted access to the entrance of a reproductive health clinic in Washington, D.C., in October...

Ann Arbor’s sustainable energy utility aims to build the electric power grid of the future − alongside the old one

| Insights & Views

An experiment is underway in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that could change how communities generate and distribute power in the future. The city, with voters strong support, is launching its own sustainable energy utility. This...

5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since the COVID-19

| Insights & Views

The U.S. educational landscape has been drastically transformed since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered school campuses five years ago. Access to high-quality teachers and curriculum developed by teachers is shrinking, for...