Research Takes Cents
Research!America’s signature Research Takes Cents compares selected consumer spending to the costs associated with conducting research. Research Takes Cents examples are easy to drop into a conversation, and they are particularly effective when used in presentations with images.
General
Alcohol
In 2022, total alcoholic beverage sales in the United States reached over $261 billion – enough to fund NIH-sponsored research on alcoholism, alcohol use, and health for over 459 years.
Athletes
The combined salaries of the top ten highest-paid athletes in 2021 totaled more than $991 million – enough to fund all NIH-sponsored traumatic head and spine research for more than three years.
Coffee
In 2021, the United States imported $6.9 billion worth of coffee which could fund all NIH-sponsored research on sleep for almost 14 years.
Sources: WorldsTopExports/NIH
Cosmetic Surgery
Total revenue from surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in the U.S. in 2021 totaled $14.6 billion – enough to fund all NIH-sponsored research on aging for 2.5 years.
Electronics
Apple, the highest valued American company, is estimated at $2.78 trillion – enough to fund all NIH-sponsored cancer research for just shy of 389 years.
Sources: Macrotrends/NIH
Fast Food
Americans collectively spent approximately $304 billion on fast food services in 2021 – enough to fund all NIH cardiovascular and obesity-related research for 83 years.
Football
In 2021, the top five most valuable teams in the National Football League are worth over $25 billion, over twice the amount of funding for NIH-sponsored neuroscience research.
Gambling
The 2021 gross gaming revenue of U.S. casinos reached approximately $53.03 billion – enough to fund all NIH-sponsored opioid misuse and addiction research for over 71 years.
Home Entertainment
Consumer spending in the U.S. reached $32 billion in 2021 – enough to fund all NIH-sponsored research on behavioral and social sciences for 12 years.
Ice Cream
In 2021, Americans spent over $6.75 billion on ice cream – more than 3 times the total funding for NIH-sponsored nutrition research.
Music Industry
In 2021, recorded music venues in the U.S. reached $15 billion – enough to fund women’s health research for over three years.
Restaurants
In 2021, the U.S. generated over $45 billion in pizza restaurant sales – enough to fund the NIH-sponsored research on digestive diseases for over 21 years.
Streaming Services
The video streaming market in the U.S. reached $473.39 billion in 2022 – which is enough to fund NIH-sponsored mental health research for 129 years.
Sources: GlobeNewswire/NIH
Super Bowl
In 2022, consumer spending in the U.S. related to Super Bowl LVI amounted to a total of $14.6 billion – enough to fund the FDA for over two years.
Tobacco
In 2021, the market value of the tobacco manufacturing industry in the U.S. reached $52 billion – enough to fund NIH-sponsored research on lung cancer for more than 26 years.
Sources: IBIS World/NIH
Video Games
In 2022, the video game market in the United States is estimated to generate $90.13 billion – enough to fund all of the NIH-sponsored research on depression, suicide, and youth violence for more than 100 years.
Seasonal
4th of July
In 2023, Americans were expected to spend an estimated $9.5 billion on food for 4th of July celebrations. This is more than the annual budget of the Food and Drug Administration, and more than 60 times the amount NIH spends annually on research related to foodborne illnesses.
Sources: NRF/NIH
Back to School
2023 back to school shopping expenses are expected to amount to $135.5 billion which could fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for just over 14 years.
Black Friday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales brought in $9.8 billion in 2023 – enough to fund the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for over 26 years.
Father’s Day
Total expected spending for Father’s Day in 2023 was $22.9 billion in the U.S. – enough to fund NIH-sponsored prostate cancer research for over 71 years.
Sources: National Retail Federation/NIH
Halloween
Americans spent $12.2 billion on Halloween in 2023, which is more than the total 2023 NIH budget this year for mental health, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, opioid misuse and addiction, kidney disease, antimicrobial resistance, stroke, and pediatric cancer.
Sources: National Retail Federation/NIH
March Madness
During the 2024 NCAA tournament, an estimated$2.72 billion was wagered on this year’s slate of games – which is more than the entire FY23 grants budget of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Mother’s Day
The total spending for Mother’s Day 2023 in the U.S. was $35.7 billion – enough to fund cancer research at NIH for over four years..
Sources: National Retail Federation/NIH
St. Patrick’s Day
In 2023, the total spending on St. Patrick’s Day by Americans was $7.2 billion – enough to fund the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s research on patient safety for over 19 years.
Sources: National Retail Federation/AHRQ
Summer Camp
As of 2024, the market size for the summer camp industry in the U.S. reached $4 billion – more than enough to fund all NIH-sponsored Pediatric Cancer research for five years.
Sources: IBIS World/ NIH
Summer Vacation
U.S. summer vacation spending for 2023 was projected to reach over $214 billion – over four times the proposed FY2023 budget for all of NIH.
Sources: Allianz Travel Endurance/NIH
Thanksgiving
In 2022, the value of turkey production in the U.S. reached $7.10 billion – enough to fund all NIH-sponsored foodborne illness research for over 45 years.
Valentine’s Day
2022 Valentine’s Day spending reached $25.8 billion – enough to fund all NIH-sponsored research focused on heart disease for over 14 years.
Sources: National Retail Foundation/NIH
Winter Weather
The snowplowing services in the U.S. industry reached $25.6 billion in 2023 – enough to fund all NIH-sponsored research on Pneumonia and Influenza for just over 42 years.
Sources: IBIS World/NIH