6 good news trends from 2020
For many Americans, pets were a highlight of 2020. Pictured: Some of the Research Lab’s extended family, including Leo, Gnocchi, Layla (top row), Oslo, Mama and Olive (bottom row).
by APM RESEARCH LAB STAFF | Dec. 14, 2020
Between a global pandemic, racial unrest, natural disasters and a contested election, 2020 has, in many ways, been a dismal year. However, some good things did come out of this year. During this season of thankfulness and gratitude, we at the APM Research Lab thought we would highlight some bright spots of 2020:
1. The pulse of change: Organ transplants climbed every year of the decade
Just under 40,000 Americans received an organ or tissue transplant in 2019, a high-water mark for the decade, according to the federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. The transplants came from both living and deceased donors who offered a life-giving gift to another person.
And despite the tremendous shocks to the health care system that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought in 2020, organ transplants this year are on pace to equal a similar number as 2019.
About 6 in 10 transplants involve a kidney, the most common organ or tissue donation. Liver transplants represent about 2 in 10 procedures, followed by heart transplants, at about 1 in 10.
Despite the growing number of organ transplants, the need still greatly outstrips the supply. More than 100,000 men, women and children are waiting on the national transplant list, and about 17 people die each day while waiting.
In a year that has underscored how individual actions can devastate other people’s health, it’s heartening to remember the inverse is also true: A single person’s decision can dramatically improve the well-being of another, such when this Minnesota third-grade teacher gifted one of her kidneys to the school custodian. And in death, an organ donor can save the lives of eight other people and benefit even more.
Learn more about who can become a donor here. You can join the National Donate Life Registry here or elect to be a donor when you update your driver’s license in most states.
-Andi Egbert, Senior Research Associate
2. More charitable giving
In other good news, those who have not been financially disabled by COVID-19 are stepping up in big ways in 2020. December 1 was GivingTuesday, a global movement promoting generosity by giving voice, time, money, goods and more to support communities and causes.
The GivingTuesday Data Commons estimates that 34.8 million people participated in GivingTuesday this year, a 29% increase over 2019. Further, total giving increased from $1.97 billion to $2.47 billion in the U.S. alone, representing a 25% increase from last year. These totals are in addition to the surge of generosity represented by #GivingTuesdayNow launched by GivingTuesday at the early stages of the pandemic, when more than $503 million in online donations were contributed in the U.S. alone.
Joining in with global movement, some states, like Minnesota where the APM Research Lab is headquartered, have their own giving day. This year, Minnesotans donated a record $30.4 million to nonprofits and schools during the annual Give to the Max campaign, surpassing the previous record of nearly $22 million set in 2019.
The increases in charitable giving over the past year truly demonstrates that we are all in this together.
-Alexandrea Kouame, Institutional Giving Officer
3. Renewable energy is on the rise
Despite this year’s economic slump, renewable energy is set to hit record growth in 2020. Nearly 90% of this year’s new electricity generation will come from renewable sources, with only 10% from gas and coal, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) recent report.
This news arrives as a pleasant surprise, especially since the IEA had forecasted in May that renewable capacity would decrease for the first time in two decades due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the quick ramp-up of construction and manufacturing, along with the easing of border restrictions, has allowed renewable energy projects to thrive in the latter half of 2020.
In comparison to last year, global renewable capacity will increase by nearly 4% in 2020, reaching a record level of almost 200 gigawatts. This growth has primarily been driven by China and the U.S.—countries where wind and solar additions are set to jump by an astonishing 30%.
Looking to the near future, we should expect to see even stronger growth next year, with India and the European Union leading the way toward a record expansion. The IEA forecasts a 10% increase in renewables in 2021, which would result in the fastest growth since 2015.
As people around the world call for a “green recovery” from the pandemic, this news brings hope that the post-COVID world will be greener, cleaner and more sustainable than before.
-Kristine Liao, Data and Research Assistant
4. Record voter turnout
Amid the tumult of the 2020 general election, a significant bright spot emerged: U.S. voter turnout reached its highest rate in more than a century.
Over 66% of the voting-eligible population exercised their right to vote this past fall, representing the highest turnout rate since 73% of voters cast a ballot in the 1900 contest between former President McKinley and his challenger William Jennings Bryan.
In terms of raw numbers, this record-high turnout led to President-elect Joe Biden receiving the most votes ever cast for a U.S. presidential candidate, at over 81 million, and President Donald Trump receiving the second-most votes, at over 74 million. (Former President Obama previously held that record when nearly 69.5 million votes were cast in his favor in 2008.)
Minnesota saw the highest turnout in the country, as it did in the 2016 general election and the 2018 midterm election, with nearly 80% of its voting-eligible population casting a ballot this year. Colorado, Wisconsin and Maine also saw over three-quarters of their voting-eligible population turn out to vote.
Another high point: youth voter turnout grew significantly this year—a demographic that traditionally votes at lower rates compared to older age brackets. According to estimates by CIRCLE, 53-56% of young voters aged 18-29 voted in this year’s presidential election, propelled by concerns over COVID-19, racism and climate change. This is an increase on the 2016 youth voter turnout by nearly 10 percentage points, and it exceeds the previous record youth turnout of nearly 50% in the 2008 election.
-Alyson Clary, Senior Research Analyst
5. Pet adoptions are surging
I've heard both anecdotally from friends and colleagues, as well as in news media from across the country, that pet adoptions are through the roof since the pandemic began this spring. So much so that shelters, pet stores and rescues can't keep up with demand. It's no wonder, it's been widely reported pet adoptions can bring some joy during the coronavirus pandemic—and, it's just common sense. An unscientific poll of colleagues here at APMG reveals that there is, indeed, a swath of new pet owners and fosterers since March.
So, what are the real numbers behind this? According to Shelter Animals Count’s latest COVID-19 Impact Report, pet rescues in 2020 did outpace 2019 for the first couple months of the year. Since then pet adoptions have actually been down a bit—but likely because the number of pets available to adopt has also gone down.
Year-to-date the more than 5,000 organizations nationally that contribute data to Shelter Animal Count saw a collective 23% decrease in intakes (strays, owner relinquishments, etc.). Through October, 88% of those intakes have had “live outcomes” (mainly adoptions), up from 83% at this time last year. Fewer people giving up their pets plus a higher adoption rate has equaled more love for (and from) our furry friends in 2020.
Read more about this furry, friendly, phenomenon in Wired, The Washington Post, Seattle Times and USA Today.
-Elle Lyons, Marketing Manager
6. COVID-19 vaccines are on the way
Perhaps the best news of the year is that COVID-19 vaccines are on the way. On Friday the Food and Drug Administration cleared the first COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the U.S. The approval of this first vaccine, produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, appears likely to be followed by the approval of another vaccine, produced by Moderna, before the end of the month. A third vaccine, from AstraZeneca is also producing promising results.
While not an immediate panacea, the development of COVID-19 vaccines do provide the hope that life may regain some semblance of normality and that we may once again gather together sometime in 2021.
-Craig Helmstetter, Managing Partner
As the new year dawns, all of us at the APM Research Lab wish you many more positive trends. Thanks for reading, sharing and supporting our work!