* Any statements in this issue of the Watch which are not sourced are mine and identified by “WW”.
30% of registered voters say the country is headed in the right direction. 58% of registered voters say the country is on the wrong track.
| Right track | Wrong track | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 34% | 54% |
| Female | 25% | 58% |
| Democrats | 49% | 31% |
| Republicans | 11% | 82% |
| Independents | 26% | 57% |
| Urban | 46% | 42% |
| Suburban | 24% | 62% |
| Rural | 19 | 62% |
[Econ/YouGov 1/3/23]
In the previous issue of the Washington Watch, on 12/10/22, 32% said it was on the right direction and 59% said it was on the wrong track.
374 worker strikes started in 2022 – a 39% increase over 2021. The low unemployment rate and worker shortages gave workers more leverage. [Axios Markets 12/19/22]
The U.S. leads the world in the number of firearm deaths per million people ages 1-19.
- U.S. – 56.2 deaths per million
- Canada – 6.2
- France – 3.1
- Australia – 1.6
- Germany – 1
- U.K – 0.5
- Japan – 0.3
The United States has more guns than people. The abundance of guns makes it much easier for anyone to carry out an act of violence with a firearm in America than in any other wealthy country. [U.S. data from 2020, data from other countries from 2019 – CDS; IMHE United Nations.]
In 19 of the 31 states that track voter registration by party, one of the two major parties is in third place in party registration.
The following are the latest registration statistics in these key states:
- Arizona: Republican 34.67%, Other 34.67%, Democrat 30.66%
- Nevada: Other 37.70%, Democrat 32.51%, Republican 29.79%
- New Hampshire: Other 38.17%, Democrat 31.49%, Republican 30.34%
- North Carolina: Other 36.6%, Democrat 33.73%, Republican 30.01%
[NBC Meet the Press 12/12/22]
A recent survey conducted by Ipsos, a global market research company, found that only 65% of respondents reported feeling optimistic that 2023 would be better than 2022 compared with 77% a year earlier. [NYT 1/1/23]
In 2021, the greater DC Diaper Bank, covering the states of Maryland and Virginia and the District of Columbia, provided assistance to 32,000 families.
| Babies served | Diapers distributed | |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 20,439 | 4,546,040 |
| Virginia | 5,328 | 1,974,645 |
| District of Columbia | 15,369 | 2,964,910 |
| Total | 41,136 | 9,485,595 |
[Greater DC Diaper Bank]
Employment
The official BLS seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2022 is 3.5%.
If one considers the total number of unemployed + those marginally attached to the labor force + those working part-time who want full-time work, the unemployment rate is 6.5 % in December and more than the 6.4% it was a year earlier. The Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in December 2022 is 62.3%, down from 61.5% in December 2021.
The Demographics of Unemployment for December 2022
Unemployment by Gender (20 years and older)
- Women –2.8% (down from last month)
- Men –2.8% (less than last month)
Unemployment by Race
- White – 3.0% (down from last month)
- Black –5.7% (same as last month)
- Hispanic – 4.1% (up from last month)
- Asian –2.4% (down from last month)
Unemployment by Education (25 years & over)
- Less than high school –5.0% (up from last month)
- High School –3.6% (down from last month)
- Some college –2.9% (down from last month)
- Bachelor’s Degree or higher –1.9% (down from last month)
In December 2022, 27 states had unemployment rates below the national average of 3.5%. 23 states, including the District of Columbia, had unemployment rates that were above the national average. 2 states had unemployment rates the same as the national average.
The state/territory with the highest unemployment rate was Nevada at 4.9%.