Pay phones remaining in the USPer capita sugar consumption in the US
American pay phones disappearing as American per-capita sugar consumption falls. Two completely unrelated declines on the same downward path: one a dying public infrastructure, one a slow dietary shift away from added sugars.
Pay phones remaining in the US fell from about 1 million in 2005 to fewer than 100,000 today as mobile coverage and the Bell-system breakup retired the format. US per-capita sugar consumption has trended down across the same window as the no-added-sugar movement, sugar-tax discussions, and substitution toward artificial sweeteners reduced average intake. Two completely unrelated declines sharing a window because the same eighteen years quietly retired one piece of public infrastructure and reduced one dietary average.
Two completely unrelated American defaults retreated. The phone booth and the sugar bowl, both quieter.
As an Amazon Associate, getspurious.com earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
Want to learn more about why correlations like “Pay phones remaining in the US” vs “Per capita sugar consumption in the US” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
