How to keep your mind and body sharp in retirement: 5 lessons from the world’s best studies
March 31, 2025
Whether retirement is good or bad for your health depends on your circumstances. Amanda Sonnega (Health and Retirement Study) says retirement is an inflection point and taking time to prioritize your health and wellbeing can make the difference, “Retirement provides increased time...
February consumer confidence falls
March 31, 2025
CNN says Americans are increasingly worried about higher inflation and many more are afraid of rising unemployment. “Consumers continue to worry about the potential for pain amid ongoing economic policy developments. Notably, two-thirds of consumers expect unemployment to rise in the...
Study examines how older adults benefit from information and communication technology
March 28, 2025
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])ANN ARBOR — Information and communication technology (ICT) has become an inseparable part of the modern world, so much so that it can sometimes fade into the background of everyday life.But for older adults, it can be more than just a mundane piece of...
Uncertainty around economic policies sinks consumer sentiment again
March 28, 2025
ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment plummeted 12% in March, falling for the third straight month.While current economic conditions were little changed, the forward-looking expectations index plunged a precipitous 18% and has now lost more than 30% since November 2024, said economist Joanne Hsu,...
Cuts to US government raise worries over economic data quality
March 27, 2025
Economists are increasingly concerned that efforts by DOGE to cut the size of the government will lead to the loss of expert statisticians. Matthew Shapiro told the Financial Times, “The [push for federal staff to take] early retirements might lead to a lot of highly expert...
ICPSR Director Maggie Levenstein named 2024 AAAS Fellow
March 27, 2025
ANN ARBOR–ICPSR Director and SRC Research Professor Maggie Levenstein will be recognized as a 2024 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), “for distinguished contributions to industrial organization and historical economics, especially...
Noah Webster explores interactions between different environments in Insights presentation
March 19, 2025
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])ANN ARBOR — Our environments shape our lives in profound ways.The climate in which we live affects our well-being in visible and invisible ways. Our social environment affects every aspect of our relationships, both at home and at work. Our built...
U.S. Consumer Sentiment Drops as Inflation Anxiety Soars
March 17, 2025
New data from the Surveys of Consumers shows consumer sentiment falling by 11% in March among Americans of all ages, income groups and political affiliations. In the New York Times, Joanne Hsu said, “Many consumers cited the high level of uncertainty around policy and...
American travelers are booking fewer domestic flights in another warning sign for the economy
March 12, 2025
Fewer Americans are traveling by air, especially domestically, due to increasing worries about recession. Joanne Hsu, director of the Surveys of Consumers, says this isn’t a distress signal the way car loan defaults would be, but, “It’s a sign consumers may not be as...
Federal workers’ salaries represent less than 5% of federal spending and 1% of GDP
March 7, 2025
Government layoffs are at their highest level since 2020 and not only do these salaries consist of a tiny fraction of the government budget, many of the laid off workers make our economy and financial system run efficiently. Matthew Shapiro told Marketplace: When there’s...