Do surveillance cameras make you safer?

We dig into the data around surveillance cameras, like CCTV and Flock automatic license plate readers, and talk about whether they prevent crime and make you safer.  An earlier version of this episode incorrectly stated that Flock makes license plate readers for police cars. It has been amended to state that Flock makes stationary cameras, and to more clearly explain a law that has restricted mobile plate readers in police cars. Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Sources in this episode: Automated License Plate Readers, Vehicle Theft, and Clearance CCTV Surveillance for crime prevention: A 40-year systematic review with meta-analysis Can place-based crime prevention impacts be sustained over long durations? 11-Year follow-up of a quasi-experimental evaluation of a CCTV project Assessing causal effects under treatment heterogeneity: an evaluation of a CCTV program in Detroit The effects of merging proactive CCTV monitoring with directed police patrol: a randomized controlled trial Annual Surveillance Review: Technology Assisted Public Safety Pilot Program, City of Seattle Consolidated Risk Surveillance Usage Review 2025, City of Seattle  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On November 1, daylight saving time ends in the United States. That means most of us will “fall back” to standard time for the following four months. But many states want to stop this twice-yearly clock change and instead stay on daylight saving time all year. One question is at the center of this proposed change: What would permanent daylight saving time do to our health? Clare interviews Dr. Katie Sharkey, professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, to find out – digging into the data on time changes, the body clock, and how proposed changes to the time system could affect our well-being.  Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Further reading: Ending clock changes. But which direction should we reset the clock? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we unpack what makes a poll reliable or not and how us regular people should be reading poll data, especially with the midterms coming up. Our guest is Scott Greenstone, politics reporter and host of KUOW's Sound Politics. He gives us some tips and tricks to make sure we're interpreting poll results correctly.  Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Sources in this episode: Sound Politics Strength in Numbers Substack Real Clear Polling FiftyPlusOne See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all been there: Staring at a screen that prompts you to "leave a tip," and three options to press. How much should you tip for a meal these days? How about a coffee or a hot dog at a baseball game? In this episode, Clare and guest host Brandi Fullwood dig into the data on tipping, and how it impacts workers in restaurants of all shapes and sizes.  Listen to Brandi's podcast Seattle Eats wherever you're listening to this episode.  Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Sources in this episode: The Land of the Fee (2021), Throughline from NPR, 2021 Tipping Culture in America: Public Sees a Changed Landscape, Pew Research Center, 2022 Average Restaurant Tip Percentages & Tipping Trends in the U.S. (2026), Toast, 2026 Square Food & Beverage Data Reveals Higher Tipping Rates and Growing "High-Low" Spending Pattern, Square, 2026 A Critical Exploration of Tipping Practices in the American Hospitality Landscape from a Qualitative Approach, 2024 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When someone says “reading is dead,” is that really true? Reading for fun has taken a big hit, but what’s really going on here? Teo and guest co-host Katie Campbell look at the data on American reading habits to find the answer, and provide tips for aspiring book nerds to get more pages in. Katie Campbell is KUOW’s book club curator. She has read over 51 books this year so far, but who’s counting?Correction, 9/8/2026: In this episode, we incorrectly state that adult American gamers spend roughly 90 minutes gaming daily. The correct average time per day for gamers is two hours. Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Sources in this episode: American Time Use Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003-2026 American Time Use Survey Report, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 The decline in reading for pleasure over 20 years of the American Time Use Survey, iScience, 2025 A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity, Social Science & Medicine Journal, 2016 Who doesn’t read books in America?, Pew Research Center, 2021 Book reading habits in the U.S. vary by education, age and other factors, Pew Research Center, 2026 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting a college degree is a lot more expensive than it used to be–30% more, after inflation. Everyone has a theory about why that is (Fancy amenities! Lack of state funding! Student loans!) but what does the data say? In this episode, Clare schools Teo on the forces driving college tuition higher, and explains what could bring prices back down to earth.  Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected]. Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Sources in this episode: Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025, College Board The College Payoff, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2021 College Scorecard Decoding the Cost of College, New America, 2018 Can the Trump administration make college cheaper?, Planet Money, 2026 Key Changes to Federal Student Loans Made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Harvard University Interview with Beth Akers, American Enterprise Institute  Interview with Judith Scott-Clayton, Columbia University Interview with Chris Ruhl, Purdue University Tuition data from: University of Washington; Western Washington University; Dartmouth College; University of Southern California See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 2.5 million Americans were forced out of their homes by natural disasters in 2023. As wildfires, hurricanes, and windstorms become routine across the country, homeowners are seeing their insurance premiums skyrocket. This has left many wondering: Is homeowners insurance even worth it anymore? Teo explains to Clare what homeowners insurance actually covers and whether the data says it pays off.  We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Sources in this episode: Interview with Angela Giacchetti, Eaton Fire survivor, 2026  Interview with Jeffrey Callen, Washington state homeowner, 2026 Interview with Aaron VanTuyl, communications and media manager, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2026 Proprietary data, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2026 Community voices: LA fire recovery report, Department of Angels, 2026 Property insurance and disaster risk: New evidence from mortgage escrow data, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2024 Next to fall: The climate-driven insurance crisis is here — and getting worse, Senate Budget Committee staff report, 2024 Earthquake data call report, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 2017 Study of American homeowners, LendingTree, 2026 Flood insurance manual, National Flood Insurance Program of FEMA, 2025 Home insurance rates in America are wildly distorted. Here’s why, New York Times, 2024 See where home insurance policies were dropped in your state, New York Times, 2024 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every road in the United States has a speed limit, but where do these numbers come from? Do they actually make people slow down? And do lower speed limits make roads safer? In this episode, Clare tells Teo about the origins of speed limits, the science and engineering behind them, and how they fit into the bigger picture of staying safe on American roadways.  Have a question we should answer on the show? Click here to tell us using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.   Sources in this episode: The first speed limit passed in the United States, cultureNOW The first state-wide speed limit, ConnecticutHistory.org Statement on Signing the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, The American Presidency Project, 1974 I Can’t Drive 55, Sammy Hagar  Impact speed and a pedestrian's risk of severe injury or death, 2011 Literature review of pedestrian fatality risk as a function of car impact speed, 2011 Speed Limit Information, Seattle Department of Transportation Speed Limit Case Studies Report, Seattle Department of Transportation Crash Analysis Database, Seattle Department of Transportation Road Segment Counts Database, Seattle Department of Transportation Interview with Yinhai Wang, University of Washington Interview with Venu Nemani, Seattle Department of Transportation Interview with Clara Cantor, Seattle Streets Alliance Interview with Michael Smith, Seattle Streets Alliance See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over a million international visitors were expected to come to the U.S. during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But how did forecasters come up with that number almost a year ago? Teo tells Clare about the surprisingly straightforward math and how businesses use that information to (try to) prepare enough beer when the Scots come to town. We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Sources in this episode: Interview: Aran Ryan, Tourism Economics, 2026 Interview: John David, Sports Events and Tourism Association, 2026 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, millions of Americans choose to hop on e-bikes because of their affordability, convenience and speed. Motorcycles can take you farther, faster, and have been around longer; so has their dangerous reputation. When you look at the numbers, which is actually more dangerous? Teo explains to Clare what the data says about the unique and shared risks of the two rides. We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at [email protected] Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Sources in this episode: Safety and Injury Prevention Statement, American College of Surgeons, 2025  Bike helmet protects a young boy’s brain, UW Medicine, 2025 Electric Bicycle Injuries and Hospitalizations, JAMA Surgery, 2024 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, 2024 Bicycle Injury at UW Medicine, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, 2024  Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California, San Jose State University, 2025 E-Bikes are vehicles, not toys: What parents need to know, Utah Department of Public Safety, 2026 Select Risk Factors Associated with Causes of Motorcycle Crashs, National Transportation Safety Board, 2018 Micromobility: Data Challenges Associated with Assessing the Prevalence and Risk of Electric Scooter and Electric Bicycle Fatalities and Injuries, National Transportation Safety Board, 2022  Traffic Safety Facts: Motorcycles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025  Traffic Safety Facts: Pedalcycles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025  Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Injury patterns and safety implications for electric bikes compared to mopeds in the United States, Traffic Injury Prevention, 2025 Interview: Stephen J. Mooney, Ph.D., University of Washington Department of Epidemiology, 2026 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.