Happy Thursday! In today’s newsletter, we examine the divide between single and married women on Kamala Harris, the weakened state of America’s social networks, and the new era of nuclear energy.

Edited by Sutton Houser and James Desio

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Topline: With less than two weeks until Election Day, AEI’s Daniel Cox highlights that single women, who make up 25% of the electorate, form a strong voting bloc for Democrats. However, data show a divide between single and married women.

All the Single Ladies: The number of single women in America grew by 55% from 2000 to 2023, and so did their motivation to vote—61% reported voting in 2020, up from 48% in 2000.

But . . . Single women outpace married women in their support of Vice President Kamala Harris.

• In 2023, Pew found that more than 70% of single women identified or leaned Democratic, compared with 45% of married women.

• Additionally, 65% of single women plan to vote for Harris, compared with 46% of married women.

Topline: As Amazon, Google, and Microsoft invest billions in nuclear energy, AEI’s James Pethokoukis analyzes a recent JP Morgan report on the opportunities and challenges facing efforts to expand US nuclear capacity.

Innovative Tech: Pethokoukis highlights that large tech companies are investing in small nuclear reactors (SMRs) to power their AI data centers. Compared to traditional plants, SMRs are a faster and more cost-effective way to increase nuclear power.

Challenges: Despite growing enthusiasm for nuclear energy, he notes that high construction costs, shifting public support, and limited workforce availability could stymie the nuclear revival. For example, a recent plant in Georgia cost more than $30 billion and took about 15 years to complete.

Future of Energy: While it’s difficult to forecast technology’s impact on US energy production, Pethokoukis writes, “No one said progress would be predictable. . . . That said, it’s becoming clearer every day that energy abundance, broadly, is there waiting if humanity wants it.”

Topline: Americans have weaker connections with friends, family, and civic organizations than they did 50 years ago. Analyzing this trend, AEI’s Kevin Corinth and Scott Winship report that social capital—relationships that support individuals—is lowest in Southwestern and Southeastern states.

• Highest Social Capital States: Vermont, Utah, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Maine.

• Lowest Social Capital States:  New Mexico, Nevada, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

What Does This Mean? They measure social capital by considering factors like family strength, community engagement, social trust, and work.

The Economic Link: Corinth and Winship also find a link between income and social well-being, noting that “demographic groups that tend to face the most economic disadvantages also face the most social disadvantages.”