Politicians and the media typically focus on single issues, positing simplistic solutions for complex problems--solutions that cannot work because they fail to take into consideration how different social problems influence and affect each other. This book provides a guide to key social factors, highlighting the critical interrelationships among these factors. The articles are: (1) "Youth: Changing Beliefs and Behavior" (Tara L. White and Elaine Wethington); (2) "Crime and Punishment" (Elaine Wethington); (3) "Economic Developments" (Peter McClelland); (4) "American Families: Today and Tomorrow" (Pamela A. Morris and others); (5) "Poverty and the Next Generation" (Helene Hembrooke and others); (6) "American Education: Looking Inward and Outward" (Stephen J. Ceci); (7) "Changing Age Trends: The Pyramid Upside Down?" (Phyllis Moen). A concluding chapter notes two sets of problems at the core of contemporary American concerns: economic changes and the more vaguely defined decline in values. Contains references. (HTH)