In September 2011 the Census Bureau issued a report on household income, health insurance coverage and poverty levels in the United States. It showed the extent to which the Great Recession, despite having officially ended in 2009, continued to adversely impact Americans’ standards of living.

Daily deal Internet sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial are popular with consumers, but the extent of benefits for participating merchants — who agree to significant price cuts and experience subsequent social media reviews — remains a subject of debate.

The cultivation and maintenance of healthy social relationships, a key developmental marker for a teenager, has been linked to positive maturation and well-being throughout adulthood. However, the lasting impact that negative interpersonal histories during this time can have on a young person’s well-being later in life has not been the subject of significant study.

Studies have consistently shown that younger adults perform better than older, more experienced adults on decision-making tasks, lending credence to the belief that senior citizens suffer from age-related cognitive declines. These studies, however, have typically measured one type of decision-making focused on individual choices, and have not addressed how interconnected decisions — in which one decision predicates future options — are made.

Longer prison sentences, the result of public policy shifts over the past 30 years, may effectively discourage crime and repeat offenders. However, increased lengths of incarceration may have significant implications for convicted persons as they attempt to reintegrate into society after release.

Education has long been considered “the great equalizer ” in the United States, a way for an ambitious and talented individual to secure a good job (as characterized by good wages, benefits, and job security) regardless of the socioeconomic status of his or her parents. But the extent to which belief this holds true has been tested — and contested — by social science research for decades.

How the federal government addresses issues of equality and diversity within its own ranks sends powerful signals across society. The federal government’s hiring practices in particular can serve as key indicators of progress.

In 2011, the Federal Communications Commission published a 500-page report, “The Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a Broadband Age,” that assessed civic and news industry trends and made recommendations to help address ongoing difficulties.