“Are today’s cultural critics still offering deep insight into the maladies of modernity? Or are they mainly just ginning up angst and anger? There is a fine line, after all, between critiquing civilizational threats and wallowing in despair. ‘Despair’ has unquestionably been a prominent theme of right-wing literature for several years now” - Acton
“A new IFS report, The Devout Difference, examines two institutions—faith and family—that have long been among America’s most reliable antidotes to isolation. The evidence suggests both remain signal sources of social solidarity even as they have lost ground.” - IFS
“The survey also found Americans’ knowledge of their First Amendment rights is sorely lacking….
“There was a whole apparatus behind that: Special sermons. VHS tapes. At least one book. All of it arguing that Pikachu was the gateway to the occult.” - Relevant
“Younger adults stand out for describing their smartphone use as excessive. Seven-in-ten adults under 30 say they spend too much time on it, as do about two-thirds of those ages 30 to 49. Roughly half of those ages 50 to 64 and a quarter of those 65 and older say the same.” - Pew
“Most polls do not ask follow-up questions about a person’s religious identity. When they do ask Nones about their specific beliefs, however, we see that they overwhelmingly believe in God (or a ‘higher power’), and they think people have souls.” - CPost
“Americans are significantly less likely than they were 10 years ago to say they participate in a variety of gambling activities. The sharpest drops are in the three most common activities: buying a state lottery ticket, gambling in person at a casino and participating in an office pool.” - Gallup
“…we may be living through a golden age of horror…. we are certainly also living through a curious age of occult demythologisation and which, whether we’re Christians or not, should make us unsettled and disturbed.” - Themelios
“The predicament that young men find themselves in has been building for a long time.
“A 2026 study found that one-third of Americans are currently experiencing an existential crisis of meaning, including 39% of Millennials and an alarming 52% of Gen Z.” - Breakpoint
