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Research

Who Practices What Religion Where in Virginia?

Both of us—one a demographer and one a religious studies grad student—have long been interested in the demographics of religion. Teaming up allowed us the opportunity to merge personal interest with professional curiosity and explore the religious makeup of Virginia and its localities—specifically, the importance of geography in determining a region’s religious characterization. Were individuals […]

Effects of Direct Air Capture Technology Availability on Power Sector

This study shows how the availability of direct air capture (DAC) affects the quantity of stranded assets – fossil fuels and infrastructure that remains unused – created under the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°-2°C.

How accurate are our 50-State population projections?

Whenever a prediction, forecast, or projection for the future is made, the natural question that arises is “how good is it?” After our office prepared population projections for the 50 states and D.C., we’ve been eagerly awaiting the 2020 Census results so we can answer this question for ourselves. The answer: the accuracy of our […]

Meeting China’s 2060 Carbon Neutrality Goal

This paper models the use of direct air capture and other negative transmission technologies (NETs) in China to understand the role of NETs in helping China and the international community achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Developing a Smart Grid for Virginia

This report explores how smart grid capabilities can enable integration of clean energy resources, energy storage, and demand management technologies as Virginia's policymakers and stakeholders make the transition to clean energy.

Decarbonizing Virginia's Economy

This report explores four strategies for decarbonization in Virginia: efficiency in energy use, eliminating fossil fuels from electricity generation, electrifying transportation services and building energy use, and capturing and sequestering remaining CO2 emissions.

Smoothing the Path to Solar

A report offering case study observations that could inform efforts to create a more predictable, efficient, and timely permitting process for utility-scale solar facility construction in Virginia.

Why are so many Asian Americans unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic?

An intriguing phenomenon In the past, Asians in the US consistently enjoyed low unemployment across all racial groups, even in 2009−the worst year of the Great Recession. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Asians experienced unemployment rates higher than Whites, peaking at 15% in May 2020. Even as the economy started to improve and the unemployment […]

The Misleading Narrative of a Disappearing White Majority

Categories that are inaccurateFor more than thirty years, media headlines have touted a population tipping point in which the white majority is overtaken numerically by minorities of all other races and ethnicities. These headlines are misleading. The “white” majority only seems to be disappearing because a growing number of white Americans are counted as minorities […]