John Burn-Murdoch

Friday, 8 December, 2023

Friday, 1 December, 2023

US economy

Should we believe Americans when they say the economy is bad?

In an increasingly polarised and performative society, vibes are now often trumping objective reality

Friday, 17 November, 2023

Data PointsUS presidential election 2024

How worried should the Democrats be about the polls?

Surveys show Joe Biden is losing young and non-white voters

Friday, 10 November, 2023

Data PointsArtificial intelligence

Here’s what we know about generative AI’s impact on white-collar work

Some jobs are vulnerable to automation but if you’re a ‘cyborg’ or a ‘centaur’ you can work better with robot help

Friday, 3 November, 2023

Data PointsCanada

Canadian conservatives have found a way to win back young voters

Conservatives in Canada have made huge gains by focusing on housing. US Republicans are following suit

Saturday, 28 October, 2023

Data PointsUK economy

Britain’s graduates are being short-changed while America’s are rich

University-level skills are in much higher and more lucrative demand in the US than the UK

Friday, 13 October, 2023

Data PointsUS inequality

How disadvantage became deadly in America

The poorest in the US suffer early deaths in a way that their other developed world counterparts do not

Friday, 6 October, 2023

Data PointsUK politics

Boomers and millennials have each other’s backs

A new study finds older people are sensitive to the challenges faced by young adults

Friday, 29 September, 2023

Data PointsUK politics opinion polls

Poll-driven politics does nobody any favours

One-dimensional survey questions foster one-dimensional debate

Friday, 22 September, 2023

Data PointsGlobal Economy

Are we destined for a zero-sum future?

A backdrop of slower economic growth may be shaping attitudes of tomorrow that cut across political divides

Friday, 15 September, 2023

Data PointsResidential property

Repeat after me: building any new homes reduces housing costs for all

Building unsubsidised housing pushes down rents and prices while freeing up cheaper properties

Saturday, 9 September, 2023

Data PointsEconomic statistics

The danger of building strong narratives on weak data

Hazy statistics have painted too gloomy a picture of Britain, but similar issues affect many countries

Friday, 25 August, 2023

Data PointsUK infrastructure

The Nimby tax on Britain and America

Local objections and protracted reviews mean new infrastructure projects cost far more in the UK and US than elsewhere

Saturday, 19 August, 2023

FIFA Men's World Cup

‘It boils down to money’: England and Spain prepare for Women’s World Cup face-off

The finalists have boosted spending to become magnets for global talent

Friday, 18 August, 2023

Data PointsConservative party UK

The Tories risk driving a wedge between themselves and the electorate

Rishi Sunak’s campaign on immigration is falling foul of the rules of this tried-and-tested political game

Friday, 11 August, 2023

Data PointsUK economy

Is Britain really as poor as Mississippi?

The answer says much about the monopolarity of the UK’s economic geography

Friday, 28 July, 2023

Data PointsClimate change

Everyone loses if net zero becomes the new partisan divide

Cross-party support for green policies provided one of Britain’s few recent success stories, but this progress is now under threat

Friday, 21 July, 2023

Data PointsClimate change

What we get wrong when we talk about global warming

We emphasise the wrong numbers in what is a present reality, not a future threat

Friday, 14 July, 2023

Data PointsSocial affairs

Home ownership in Britain has become a hereditary privilege

Without realising it, we have chosen to tackle unaffordable housing by widening wealth inequality

Friday, 7 July, 2023

Data PointsFrench society

French riots show how entrenched inequalities have become

The gulf between immigrants and those born in the country is larger than in almost any other developed nation

Saturday, 3 June, 2023

The Weekend Essay

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: who was the greatest footballer?

As their ‘beautiful rivalry’ comes to an end, which of these sporting superstars emerges the winner?

Friday, 26 May, 2023

Data PointsUK society

Britain is not America — and the right shouldn’t forget it

The US brand of national conservatism fails to resonate in the UK because it is a fundamentally different society

Friday, 19 May, 2023

Data PointsResidential property

How England’s flats turned into second-class housing

Leaseholds and cladding crisis help explain the stagnation in apartment prices

Friday, 12 May, 2023

Data PointsUS gun violence

Collapsing social trust is driving American gun violence

Mass shootings and high-powered rifles draw most attention, but the reality of most US firearm deaths lies elsewhere

Friday, 5 May, 2023

Data PointsUK immigration

Progressives are winning the immigration debate — but it doesn’t feel like it

In the west, increased openness to diversity may be a direct reaction to populism