Stories that reveal us

It's that time of year again - when The New York Times and other media compile their "top 10" list of the year's most popular stories. At the top of NYTimes.com's list of most-visited is not a news article, but one of those reader quizzes, proof that linguistics is not passe: "How y'all, youse, and you guys talk: What does the way you speak say about where you're from?" Mrs. Language Person must be on Cloud Nine.

Better, how about a top 10 list of stories that show how we're changing, that reflects who we were in 2013, perhaps where we're headed - all directly from the source: us? Gallup tracks exactly that; in December its editors compiled American responses to the year's major news issues and events. That's more meaningful than quizzes or (NYTimes.com's No. 5 item) Angelina Jolie's opinions on women's health.

Gallup's top 10 news events/issues for 2013 (in no particular order):

* Affordable Care Act (Obamacare): Much watered-down from the reform's original plan, the big opening was a flop; 69 percent of us remained unaffected after Healthcare.gov debuted. The hoped-for coverage for young adults wasn't materializing; they remain the least familiar with the law. Of course, statistics show they don't read.

* Legalizing marijuana: Support for legalization rose 10 points to 58 percent in 2013, after successful ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington. Gallup has tracked this since 1969, when support was only 12 percent.

* Same-sex marriage: Gallup found 53 percent of Americans now support gay marriage, matching record highs in 2011 and 2012 (up from 37 percent in 2005).

* Inequality: 52 percent of black people are unhappy with societal treatment. Amid the intensities following Trayvon Martin's death, Gallup published a series on the state of race relations in the U.S. However, that percentage is still lower than those recorded before President Obama's first election.

* Obesity's best and worst: Coloradans least obese, West Virginians most (three years in a row).

* And well-being's best is: Lincoln, Neb. (of 189 U.S. cities). Charleston, W.Va., had the lowest well-being. Washington, D.C., and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont ranked highest among the 52 largest metropolitan areas.

* Online learning: Amid ongoing debates about its value vs. traditional classrooms, Gallup found that Americans believe online education offers more choices for lower cost, but that online ed provides less rigorous testing and grading, less-qualified instructors, and has less credence with employers.

* Republicans losing favor, but Dems not far behind: During the government shutdown in October, Americans gave the GOP a 28 percent favorability rating, the lowest for either major political party since Gallup began asking in 1992. Public frustration with both major parties last fall resulted in all-time high of 60 percent of Americans favoring development of a third major political party. The biggest drop in economic confidence since 2008 occurred during the shutdown.

* NSA monitoring: We don't like it. A majority of Americans in June said they disapproved of the large-scale government surveillance program.

* Workforce aging: Since the recession's end, more seniors and fewer young adults report employment, as compared with 2010.

For the top local stories of 2013, type "year in review 2013" in the search box at CdaPress.com.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at sholeh@cdapress.com.