FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Heritage Foundation released an index to measure the indicators of America’s culture, and it delivers a sobering message ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary.
“Our index measures the state of American culture and the picture is grim: more secular, more government, and less family,” Roger Severino, vice president of economic and domestic policy at the foundation, told the Daily Signal in a statement Tuesday.
“The habits and opportunities that give the most meaning to life continue to slip away and policymakers and cultural leaders need to treat this like the five-alarm fire it is,” he added.
The Heritage Foundation has long published indices of economic freedom (ranking countries on free-market policies) and military strength (analyzing America’s ability to wage war), but this Index of Culture and Opportunity marks a new chapter for the institution.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote the foreword for the report, noting that while “culture isn’t so easy to measure,” cultural factors often lie beneath Americans’ economic struggles.
“For example, the strongest predictor of whether an American child is poor is not wage growth or the labor participation rate, but whether that child’s father is present in the home,” the senator writes. “This suggests that policies encouraging stable family structures—such as marriage and childbirth within marriage—can play a significant role in reducing childhood poverty.”
“A healthy culture—stable families, healthy children, vibrant religious and virtue-forming institutions and practices—has economic benefits as profound as limited government, market-driven prices, and the rule of law.”
Distressing Trends
Delano Squires, director of Heritage’s DeVos Center for Human Flourishing, analyzed America’s family life in one section. His report notes a decline in the marriage rate and the distressing trend of Americans marrying later in life—when fertility declines. He notes the good news that the divorce rate has decreased from its high in 1980, but it remains high at 12 divorces per 1,000 married women.
Finally, he laments that about 40% of all American children were born to unmarried parents in 2021, a significant increase from 5% in 1960. The rate of children born to unwed parents is higher among blacks (70%) and Hispanics (53%), but still significant among Asians (13%) and whites (28%). Meanwhile, highly educated women are more likely to have children once married, while less educated women are more likely to welcome a baby “carriage” before marriage.
Other reports note the increasing prevalence of abortion, the growth in the suicide rate, and the decline in America’s fertility rate, which has remained below the 2.1 children per woman replacement rate for more than a decade.
The report finds increasing social disorder across multiple fronts, from addiction to illicit drugs to a surging rate of homelessness. While violent crime has decreased in the aggregate, Senior Legal Fellow Cully Stimson explains how the “progressive” rogue prosecutor movement drove an uptick in crime in major cities. Finally, the report highlights the unprecedented influx of immigrats under President Joe Biden, estimated at 11.7 million people.
The index outlines declining mental health, increased loneliness, and a distressing increase in obesity, which correlates with other health problems.
The report examines high student loan debt, a rise in high school graduation rates that may have more to do with lowered standards than smarter students, and the increase in school choice, which allows students to escape failing public schools.
Fewer Americans regularly attend church or religious services, and fewer donate to charitable causes. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who describe themselves as “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American fell from 87% in 2001 to 58% in 2025.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Heritage index calls for decreased government spending, which has risen to a high percentage of GDP and leads to higher taxes and the hidden tax of inflation. It also notes the increasing regulatory burden. As Americans raise concerns about affordability, particularly the affordability of housing, the index calls for the construction of more and cheaper homes.
The index also warns about government dependence, which saps both the dignity of self-sufficiency and the culture of self-reliance. As of 2023, almost 13% of the American population was receiving food stamps, so the index calls for work requirements and other accountability measures. Fewer young Americans are working, and that also undermines their dignity and makes them less likely to form families.
The index faults the federal government’s official measure for poverty, which evaluates household income but excludes government assistance—a significant move when the government spends more than $1 trillion annually on means-tested welfare. The index calls for a measurement of self-sufficiency, rather than poverty. It is truly tragic if Americans are unable to thrive without government welfare, and the welfare system arguably encourages such dependency.
Reasons for Hope
Despite these distressing trends, Lee offers “glimmers of hope.” The increase in school choice “introduces market competition where it is most needed.” Volunteerism, Americans’ willingness to help one another, “remains robust.” While millions of illegal aliens entered the country under Biden, President Donald Trump has closed the border. He also notes that Americans are finally putting the chronic disease epidemic at the center of national concern.
The Index of Culture and Opportunity may deliver some sobering truths about America today, but as Mike Lee says, “in order to fix or improve our culture, we must first measure and take stock.” This research is an excellent place to start.
