Consumer sentiment solidifies sharp gains
March 1, 2024
ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment was virtually unchanged in February, slipping just two index points and solidifying the large gains from December and January, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.Consumers continue to express more confidence about the economy than they...
Partisan attitudes toward economy creates ‘substantial economic uncertainty’
February 23, 2024
ANN ARBOR—Consumer attitudes and expectations are harshly divided along partisan lines, and the divide is wide enough to generate substantial economic uncertainty, according to a special report released by the University of Michigan.Joanne Hsu, director of U-M’s Surveys of Consumers,...
Consumer sentiment climbs amid split views on business outlook
February 2, 2024
ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment soared 13% in January to reach its highest level since July 2021—continuing the sharp increase seen in December—primarily on the basis of an improving outlook over inflation and personal incomes, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of...
More Americans support government assistance for care of older adults
January 29, 2024
ANN ARBOR—Prior to the pandemic, the majority of American adults thought that families should be responsible for the daily care of older adults—and that families should cover the cost of this care.But there is a small sea change in that way of thinking, says a University of Michigan...
Sentiment soars as consumers expect easing of inflation
December 22, 2023
ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment soared 14% in December, reversing four consecutive months of declines and reaching its highest reading since July, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.These trends are rooted in sharp improvements in how consumers view the trajectory of...
New paper explores why college graduates end up clustering in certain cities
December 19, 2023
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])ANN ARBOR — College graduates in the United States have become more and more concentrated in a few select cities, but that may not be because those cities are the best places for them to be. A new paper suggests that college graduates don’t...
Multiple periods of loneliness may add up to higher mortality risk
December 13, 2023
Contact: Kim North Shine, [email protected] periods of loneliness may add up to higher mortality riskANN ARBOR—Working from well-established research on the detrimental health effects of loneliness, University of Michigan researchers set out to study whether feeling lonely at multiple...
Teen drug use remains below pre-pandemic levels
December 13, 2023
New data show relatively low use of illicit substances, yet overdose death rates among adolescents have risen in recent yearsANN ARBOR—The percentage of teenagers reporting they used any illicit substances in 2023 held steady below the pre-pandemic levels reported in 2020, according to the...
ISR celebrates Sasha Killewald’s appointment as inaugural Schoeni professor
November 29, 2023
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])ANN ARBOR — The University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research (ISR) is celebrating the launch of its first named professorship, recognizing Sasha Killewald, Ph.D., as the Robert F. Schoeni Research Professor during a presentation on...
Personal finances improve while economic outlook darkens
November 22, 2023
ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment fell back a modest 2.5 index points, or 4%, in November, extending what is now a four-month stretch of consecutive declines, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. While consumers’ views of their personal finances improved, their economic...