American Storylines Newsletter

How Can We Celebrate Our Nation When We Hate Each Other?

Daniel A. Cox June 18, 2026

In less than a couple of weeks, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday. A president incapable of civic good will preside over inevitably gaudy, self-aggrandizing, and perhaps polarizing festivities. In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed that this year’s July 4th will be “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all.” But even without Trump’s polarizing Continue Reading →

Why Are So Many Gen Z Women Getting Tattoos?

Daniel A. Cox April 16, 2026

I recently came across a fascinating study by the Pew Research Center which showed that roughly one in three Americans reported having a tattoo in 2023. More than one in five had multiple. But the real story isn’t how many tattoos we’re getting, but who is getting them. In the write-up, Pew helpfully breaks down Continue Reading →

Lies, Damn Lies, and Dating Statistics

Daniel A. Cox February 19, 2026

In the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, I received a steady stream of email pitches featuring dating-related research. They included research on the states with the highest rates of infidelity (sorry Colorado!), the most desired body types on OnlyFans, and the share of Americans who require consent before receiving a hug (one in three, Continue Reading →

Have Young Americans Turned Against Gay Rights?

Daniel A. Cox, Jae Grace, Avery Shields January 22, 2026

There is a growing consensus that young adults have bucked recent trends towards greater acceptance of LGBTQ people and have become less tolerant than previous generations. Young men have become notably less supportive of gay rights, a fact regularly attributed either to their growing religiosity (wrong) or their growing conservatism (also wrong). A recent New York Continue Reading →

Are Young White Men Facing Discrimination?

Daniel A. Cox January 8, 2026

About a year ago, I was at the University of Virginia conducting interviews for my book. I had a lot of interesting conversations with students about dating, politics, and their goals for the future. But one interview in particular stuck out. When I talked to Max, a senior preparing to graduate, he casually expressed that Continue Reading →

Our Most Noteworthy Survey Findings of 2025

Daniel A. Cox December 25, 2025

Merry Christmas! It’s hard to believe that 2025 is coming to a close. It was a taxing but rewarding year. I’ve mostly finished work on my book, Generation Uncoupled, which is tentatively scheduled for release in fall 2026. Although book research and writing have taken up much of my energy this year, we managed to Continue Reading →

The Dating Struggles of Noncollege Men

Daniel A. Cox December 11, 2025

I write a lot about dating. So do lots of other people. Recently, a series of articles have been published that have hit on a not entirely novel thesis: dating men is a uniquely terrible experience for many women. These articles introduced new terms, “heterofatalism” or “heteropessimism,” to capture the unenviable experience of being a woman attracted Continue Reading →

Much Ado About Marriage

Daniel A. Cox November 27, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving! If you enjoy this work, please share it with family members who you believe would value it. Part of what I like about writing Storylines every other week is that I don’t feel pressure to have an immediate response to each new poll result or breaking news event. A bimonthly publishing schedule means I’ll almost never be the first off the mark. As a result, it encourages me towards a less reactive and potentially more thoughtful type of engagement. This schedule challenges Continue Reading →

The Illusion of America’s Religious Revival

Daniel A. Cox November 13, 2025

Americans may be warming back up to religion, but it’s not bringing them back to the pews. Continue Reading →

Why Married Couples Stay Together

Daniel A. Cox October 30, 2025

The state of marriage seems pretty good these days. The divorce rate is falling, and polls consistently find that married Americans are overwhelmingly satisfied with their relationships. A poll we conducted earlier this year found that roughly eight in ten said they were completely or very satisfied with their marriages. Only five percent report being Continue Reading →

Survey Reports

Daniel A. Cox, Jae Grace, Avery Shields
April 27, 2026

Strangers Next Door: The Decline of Neighborhood Socializing and the Class Divide in Belonging

Acknowledgment The American Enterprise Institute’s Survey Center on American Life is grateful to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for its generous support of this research. As Americans spend more of their time online, the neighborhood—once a primary physical location for real-world socialization—is playing less of a central role than ever before. Since

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
November 20, 2025

Individuality and Moral Behavior: A Generational Divide in Moral Judgments and Self-Expression

Younger and older Americans increasingly disagree on the morality of certain behaviors, reflecting deep shifts in views about individuality, self-expression, and the role of community and faith.

Daniel A. Cox
July 2, 2025

America’s Cultural Crossroads: Enduring Discontent, Rising Disconnection, and an Uncertain Future

A new survey from the Survey Center on American Life shows Americans are changing course on major cultural issues—from immigration and gay rights to gender roles and public trust.

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
January 29, 2025

Romantic Recession: How Politics, Pessimism, and Anxiety Shape American Courtship

A new report by the Survey Center on American life finds that safety concerns and declining trust are reshaping modern dating, leaving many singles feeling pessimistic about their prospects. Sharp gender divides in attitudes toward dating apps, trust, and relationships reveal how these challenges are redefining the search for connection.