Study Finds Future Lawyers May Snub Politics

"According to the survey, only 38% percent of students surveyed said they would consider running for political office, down from 54% in a 2009 survey."

Financial Anxiety Index Declines, Boosting Obama's Odds

"A gauge of consumers' financial insecurity that correlates with the outcome of presidential reelection races declined in March for the third straight month, signaling better odds for Barack Obama in November."

Report Calls Education a National Security Issue

"The U.S. educational system is facing 'a national security crisis,' an independent task force from the Council on Foreign Relations warned in a report Tuesday."

Gallup: The Most and Least Religious States

"Mississippi is the most religious U.S. state, and is one of eight states where Gallup classifies at least half of the residents as 'very religious.' At the other end of the spectrum, Vermont and New Hampshire are the least religious states . . ."

Tax Breaks Exceed $1 Trillion, Report Says

"A congressional report detailing the value of major tax breaks shows they amount to more than $1 trillion a year—roughly the size of the annual federal budget deficit—and benefit wide swaths of the population."

America’s Most Corrupt States

"Earlier this week, the Center for Public Integrity released a report detailing the risk of corruption and lack of accountability in all 50 states. The findings of the report should worry anyone who believes state governments are transparent and free of corruption."

Countries That Spend the Most on Health Care

"Of 34 OECD member countries, only three that spent the most per person have citizens that live the longest. The United States spends more than any other country but only has the eighth-lowest life expectancy in the OECD."

Study Discovers Car-Buying Habits by Party Affiliation

"A new study from Strategic Vision indicates that the kind of car someone drives can be a strong indicator of political party affiliation."

Pew: More Americans See 'Too Much' Religious Talk In Politics

"According to a new survey, 38 percent of Americans say there is too much 'expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders.'"

Medical Debt Burdens 20 Percent in U.S.

"One-in-5 U.S. adults say they are burdened by medical debt and half of them are unable to pay the debt at all, federal health officials said."

Survey Finds Uptick in Economic Optimism

"The U.S. economy is improving faster than economists had expected. They now foresee slightly stronger growth and hiring than they did two months earlier."

More Americans Believe in Climate Change: Poll

"Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that climate change is real -- the highest level in two years -- as the public trusted its own observations of rising temperatures, a poll said Tuesday."

Historic Low Employment for Young Americans

"Just 54% of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently employed, according to a new study released by the Pew Research Center. This figure represents the lowest level of employment since the government began collecting records in 1948."

More Americans Plan to Save, Not Spend, Their Tax Refund

"Of those expecting a refund, 44% said they plan to stash some of it in savings, up from 42% last year, according to a survey of more than 8,700 consumers by the National Retail Federation. That marks the highest percentage in the survey's nine-year history."

Study: Negative Campaign Ads Much More Frequent, Vicious Than in Primaries Past

"If you thought you were living through a particularly nasty presidential primary season, turns out you were right. Four years ago, just 6 percent of campaign advertising in the GOP primaries amounted to attacks on other Republicans; in this election, that figure has shot up to more than 50 percent, according to an analysis of advertising trends."

Poll: Romney Trailing Santorum by 8 Points

"The latest Gallup daily tracking poll indicates Rick Santorum has overtaken Mitt Romney nationwide and now leads the former governor by eight-points. According to the poll, 36% of registered Republicans said they are backing Santorum, while 28% prefer Romney."

Japan Tops List of Countries Deepest in Debt

"In addition to Greece, several European Union member countries now face overwhelming government debt."

Pew Study: 1 in 8 Voter Records Flawed

"More than 24 million voter-registration records in the United States— about one in eight — are inaccurate, out-of-date or duplicates. Nearly 2.8 million people are registered in two or more states, and perhaps 1.8 million registered voters are dead."

U.S. Jobless Rate Projected to Fall Sharply

"Economists in a survey see the unemployment rate falling much faster this year than previously expected, an improvement in the jobs market that could help President Obama's re-election chances."

Record Decline in Spending by States, Cities, and School Districts

"States, cities and school districts trimmed spending at the end of 2011 by more than any time in a decade, a USA TODAY analysis finds."