Visuals to Consider: Taxes, Breadwinners, and Elections, oh my!

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That's taxing news!

For the fiscal year 2023, the US government will generate $2.3 trillion in income taxes. The government will also collect $1 trillion in Social Security, $408 billion in Medicare, and $546 billion in corporate taxes. However, it is expected that the interest on the US debt will reach $500 billion.

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Ladies, let’s get this bread

Among married couples, women's financial contributions have grown over the last 50 years. Men remain the main contributor, but the share of women who earn as much as or significantly more than their husbands has more than tripled. In nearly 30% of marriages, both spouses earn about the same amount of money.

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Green beats greenbacks

Overall, a slight majority of Americans believe environmental protection should be a higher priority than economic growth - 52%. Meanwhile, 43% take the opposite view and prioritize economic growth. Notice, during the Great Recession between 2009 and 2013, support for the environment dropped, and most Americans prioritized economic growth.

The gap between the parties has never been larger on the tradeoff. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the parties expressed similar views but by 1995 a divide emerged. At least half of Democrats prefer the environment over economic growth across all years examined, while most Republicans typically sided with the environment until 2001. However, support dropped notably and now stands at only 20%.

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China in the disfavor

Negative views of China continue to be historically high among U.S. adults. Most have an unfavorable view of the country, including 44% who possess a very unfavorable view – the highest share since Pew Research Center began asking the question.

Similarly, Americans are critical of China’s role in the world. Around 75% say China does not take the interests of other countries like the U.S. into account. Additionally, they believe that China interferes in the affairs of other countries and does not contribute to peace and stability around the world. Moreover, 6 in 10 say the partnership between China and Russia is a very serious problem for the U.S

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Trumping the competition

Before the news about the indictment of Donald Trump, most Republicans thought the former president should run in 2024 – a bare majority. After the indictment, Republican support jumped nearly 15 points. Ironically, the indictment seems to be strengthening Trump's hold on the party and, in turn, weakening his party rivals.

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