Research Takes Cents
Research!America's signature Research Takes Cents compare 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.
Examples:
General Topics


Coffee
The U.S. imported over $5.2 billion worth of coffee in 2019, one year of which could fund all NIH-sponsored research on sleep for 12 years.
Sources: WorldsTopExports/NIH

Cosmetic Surgery
In 2019, Americans spent over $18 billion on cosmetic procedures, which could fund research on aging at NIH for nearly 4 years.
Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons/NIH




Gambling
The U.S. casino gaming market generated $109 billion in revenue from 2019 to 2020, which could fund NIH-sponsored opioid misuse and addiction research for almost 178 years.
Sources: Research&Markets/NIH






Streaming Services
Americans spent roughly $16 billion on subscription streaming services in 2019-- enough to fund all NIH-sponsored mental health research for almost 5 years.
Sources: Cord Cutters News/NIH


Swimwear
The U.S. swimwear and beachwear market is estimated at $5.3 billion in 2020, which could fund all NIH-sponsored research on climate change and climate-related exposures and conditions research for almost 15 years.
Sources: Yahoo Finance/NIH

Tobacco
In 2019, the market value of US tobacco manufacturing companies increased to $48 billion – enough to fund NIH-sponsored research on lung cancer for more than 24 years.
Sources: IBIS World/NIH
Photo credit: Lindsay Fox at EcigaretteReviewed.com
Seasonal


Back to School
In 2020, Americans spent nearly $102 billion for back-to-school and college shopping, which could fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for almost 15 years.
Sources: National Retail Federation/CDC

Black Friday
Americans spent over $16 billion in Black Friday and Cyber Monday online sales in 2019 – enough to fund the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for more than 30 years.
Sources: PracticalEcommerce/AHRQ

Father's Day
In 2020, Americans spent $17 billion on gifts for Father’s Day, which could fund NIH-sponsored prostate cancer research for almost 60 years.
Sources: National Retail Federation/NIH

Halloween
Americans will spend an estimated $10.14 billion on Halloween this year, almost double the $5.25 billion NIH will invest in 2021 in research on dental/oral and craniofacial disease, diabetes, eating disorders, food allergies, nutrition, and obesity combined!
Sources: National Retail Federation/NIH


Mother's Day
In 2020, Americans spent nearly $27 billion on Mother’s Day, enough money to fund rare diseases research at NIH for over 4 years.

St. Patrick's Day
In 2020, Americans spent over $6 billion for St. Patrick’s Day, enough to fund the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s research on patient safety for over 80 years.
Sources: National Retail Federation/AHRQ

Summer Camp
In 2019, the U.S. spent nearly $4 billion on summer camp for children – which could fund the NIH’s pediatric research program for almost 8 years.
Sources: IBIS World/ NIH

Summer Vacation
Americans spent over $101 billion on summer vacation in 2019, enough money to fund the Fogarty International Center for global health research for more than 1,442 years.
Sources: PR Newswire/FIC

Thanksgiving
In 2019, the total value of turkeys raised in the US was just over $4 billion. This amount could fund food safety activities at the Food and Drug Administration for 3 years.
Sources: US Poultry/FDA

Valentine's Day
In 2020, Americans spent over $20 billion on Valentine’s Day – which could fund NIH-sponsored research on heart disease for over 13 years.
Sources: National Retail Foundation/NIH

Winter Weather
In 2019, Americans spent 20 billion on snow plow services, enough to fund all NIH-sponsored research on Pneumonia and Influenza for just over 35 years.
Sources: IBIS World/NIH