Data Vis Dispatch, May 27: Mental health, right-wing gain, and U.S. self-sabotage

Welcome back to the 194th edition of Data Vis Dispatch! Every week, we’ll be publishing a collection of the best small and large data visualizations we find, especially from news organizations — to celebrate data journalism, data visualization, simple charts, elaborate maps, and their creators.

Recurring topics this week include mental health, gains for far-right parties, and a grim outlook for U.S. science.

Last week, we found several nice charts on mental illness, many with not-so-nice implications:

Sonja Kuijpers: "I suffered from a severe depression in 2018/2019 and I documented this by journaling / visualising my meds […]," May 22 (Bluesky)

McKinsey & Company: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/sustainable-inclusive-growth/charts/young-minds-heavy-mental-burdens"><strong>Young minds, heavy mental burdens</strong></a>, May 21 — McKinsey & Company: **Young minds, heavy mental burdens**, May 21

Folha de S.Paulo: <a href="https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/equilibrioesaude/2025/05/atendimentos-relacionados-a-saude-mental-tem-pico-historico-no-rs-apos-enchente.shtml"><strong>Atendimentos relacionados a saúde mental têm pico histórico no RS após enchente</strong></a> [<em>Chart title: Mental health appointments and consultations in the Unified Health System, per month</em>], May 25 — Folha de S.Paulo: **Atendimentos relacionados a saúde mental têm pico histórico no RS após enchente** [*Chart title: Mental health appointments and consultations in the Unified Health System, per month*], May 25

Diario Sur: <a href="https://www.diariosur.es/economia/trabajo/mercado-laboral-encuentra-cura-record-bajas-salud-20250526065819-ntrc.html"><strong>El mercado laboral no encuentra cura al récord de bajas por salud mental</strong></a><strong> </strong>[<em>Chart title: Mental health leave by age group</em>], May 26 — Diario Sur: **El mercado laboral no encuentra cura al récord de bajas por salud mental** [*Chart title: Mental health leave by age group*], May 26

Our World in Data: "Suicide rates are higher in men than women […]," May 23 (Bluesky, Article)

One reason for everyone's troubles might be found in the direction our political landscape seems to be headed:

elDiario.es: <a href="https://www.eldiario.es/internacional/ola-ultra-gana-terreno-europa_1_12325987.html"><strong>La ola ultra gana terreno en Europa</strong></a> [<em>Chart title: The rise of the far-right in every European country</em>], May 24 — elDiario.es: **La ola ultra gana terreno en Europa** [*Chart title: The rise of the far-right in every European country*], May 24

The European Correspondent: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ3kmWUxY0s/"><strong>Conservatives without borders</strong></a>, May 20 — The European Correspondent: **Conservatives without borders**, May 20

The New York Times ran several articles this week with simple charts about the Trump administration:

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/21/us/trump-immigration-policy.html"><strong>How Trump Has Targeted New Groups for Deportation</strong></a>, May 21 — The New York Times: **How Trump Has Targeted New Groups for Deportation**, May 21

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/23/upshot/budget-table.html"><strong>A Complete List of Everything in the Republican Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save</strong></a>, May 23 — The New York Times: **A Complete List of Everything in the Republican Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save**, May 23

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/22/us/politics/trump-firings-supreme-court.html"><strong>In Firing Watchdogs, Trump Sidesteps Laws and Moves to Expand Power</strong></a>, May 22 — The New York Times: **In Firing Watchdogs, Trump Sidesteps Laws and Moves to Expand Power**, May 22

And as if that weren't enough, these visualizations illustrate the poor conditions facing U.S. science and healthcare:

The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2025/weather-balloon-launches-staff-cuts/"><strong>What we lose when weather balloons don't fly</strong></a>, May 26 — The Washington Post: **What we lose when weather balloons don't fly**, May 26

The Wall Street Journal: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/climate-environment/hurricane-season-national-weather-service-cuts-75f449fd?mod=e2twg"><strong>Weather Service Enters Hurricane Season With Cuts to Staff, Office Hours and Data</strong></a>, May 22 — The Wall Street Journal: **Weather Service Enters Hurricane Season With Cuts to Staff, Office Hours and Data**, May 22

The New York Times: Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades, May 22

The Upshot: "Matt Bruenig wrote a recent essay for the NYT: Medicaid Work Requirements Are Cruel and Pointless," May 22 (Bluesky, Article)

U.S. debt is also not looking too good, but at least inflation rates have improved again in many countries:

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/upshot/record-debt-republicans-bill.html"><strong>U.S. Debt Is on Pace to Set a Record High, Going All the Way Back to 1790</strong></a>, May 20 — The New York Times: **U.S. Debt Is on Pace to Set a Record High, Going All the Way Back to 1790**, May 20

Deena Zaidi: <a href="https://deenazaidi.com/g7-inflation-us-uk-japan-germany-italy-france-canada"><strong>G7 inflation mapped on one graph</strong></a>, May 23 — Deena Zaidi: **G7 inflation mapped on one graph**, May 23

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: <a href="https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/schneller-schlau/schneller-schlau-polen-der-uebersehene-nachbar-im-osten-110489083.html"><strong>Polen – der übersehene Nachbar im Osten</strong></a> [<em>Poland – the overlooked neighbor to the east</em>], May 26 — Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: **Polen – der übersehene Nachbar im Osten** [*Poland – the overlooked neighbor to the east*], May 26

We were happy to be reminded that renewable energy is as viable as ever:

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/05/22/california-has-got-really-good-at-building-giant-batteries"><strong>California has got really good at building giant batteries</strong></a>, May 22 — The Economist: **California has got really good at building giant batteries**, May 22

Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-ukraine-rebuilds-energy-grid-as-russia-war-continues/"><strong>Ukraine Rebuilds Its Energy Grid With Lessons From the Frontline</strong></a>, May 23 <span class="badge">Detailled report</span> — Bloomberg: **Ukraine Rebuilds Its Energy Grid With Lessons From the Frontline**, May 23 Detailled report

This week ends with Philippine politics, airline safety, pet travel, and drug smuggling:

Data Dictionary: <a href="https://www.data-dict.com/ph-partylist/"><strong>How the Makabayan bloc fell short</strong></a>, May 22 — Data Dictionary: **How the Makabayan bloc fell short**, May 22

CNN: <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2025/05/us/plane-crashes-incidents-data-visuals-dg/"><strong>Is flying still safe?</strong></a>, May 21 — CNN: **Is flying still safe?**, May 21

South China Morning Post: <a href="https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/news/hong-kong/article/3310994/pet_on_mtr/index.html"><strong>Paws on the move: pet-friendly transport in Hong Kong</strong></a>, May 26 — South China Morning Post: **Paws on the move: pet-friendly transport in Hong Kong**, May 26

InSight Crime: <a href="https://insightcrime.org/es/noticias/que-hay-detras-incautaciones-record-marihuana-republica-dominicana/"><strong>What's behind the record marijuana seizures in the Dominican Republic?</strong></a>, May 22 — InSight Crime: **What's behind the record marijuana seizures in the Dominican Republic?**, May 22

What else we found interesting

Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/63a99def-87ae-4c66-bf21-b80029677612?accessToken=zwAAAZcM6vYlkc9jqZ3vh65MZtO_IbgAKWd2Eg.MEUCIC4yVi__UQP6N2MbYgkXOV9JqCW-5rU1jq1g4pZjBYauAiEA9CPWQLyDByX565dbzcTOS7SGaEpy29PSOLlP_aKzHaI&segmentId=e95a9ae7-622c-6235-5f87-51e412b47e97&shareType=enterprise&shareId=9a41c636-822a-46b3-8374-9f19ab199baf"><strong>Patient data could power the NHS. Much of it is still stuck on paper</strong></a>, May 20 — Financial Times: **Patient data could power the NHS. Much of it is still stuck on paper**, May 20

Nicholas Rougeux: <a href="https://www.c82.net/blog/?id=99"><strong>Making of Clavis Cælestis: A Synopsis of the Universe</strong></a>, May 24 — Nicholas Rougeux: **Making of Clavis Cælestis: A Synopsis of the Universe**, May 24

Applications are open for…

A three-week journalism internship at Carbon Brief
A multimedia editor and database developer at The New York Times
A DC data reporter at The New York Times
A senior lecturer in computer science at giCentre, London

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Data Vis Dispatch, May 27: Mental health, right-wing gain, and U.S. self-sabotage

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