New paper explores the impact of family ties on older adults
November 15, 2023
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])ANN ARBOR — Family connections draw special attention around the holidays, but there may be more to holiday gatherings than spending time with relatives. New research indicates that family ties in older adults have a positive impact on their mental...
Aging study in Kenya to help Sub-Saharan Africa navigate major shifts in its population
November 13, 2023
ANN ARBOR—The population of Africa is the youngest in the world—but that is expected to change, rapidly, in the coming decades.Over the next three decades, the proportion of older Africans will triple across the continent. This population will nearly quadruple in Kenya, one of the most...
Confidence drops amid inflation frustration
October 27, 2023
ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment fell back about 6% this October after inching down slightly for two consecutive months, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.One-year expected business conditions plunged 16% and expectations over consumers’ own personal finances in...
New $81M NIH grant will help U.S. answer urgent need for better dementia care
October 3, 2023
National Dementia Workforce Study will survey those who work in homes, hospitals, clinics, assisted living facilities and nursing homes, yielding data to improve care and inform policyWatching a loved one suffer the slow decline of dementia is hard enough.But trying to find care for them...
Consumers remain tentative as uncertainty looms
September 29, 2023
Contact: Morgan Sherburne, [email protected] U-M Surveys of Consumers, 734-763-5224ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment was little changed in September, inching down a mere 1.4 index points from August, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of...
New leadership at ISR’s Michigan Program in Survey and Data Science
September 28, 2023
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])ANN ARBOR — The Michigan Program in Survey and Data Science (MPSDS) at the Institute for Social Research is now under new leadership. Sunghee Lee, Ph.D., now serves as director of MPSDS after taking over for Frederick Conrad, Ph.D., who had occupied...
Additional incentives and follow-up improve participation in national web and mail surveys
September 12, 2023
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])ANN ARBOR — Finding ways to increase survey participation is a crucial concern for social scientists whose work depends on respondents’ willingness to answer survey questions. In a new paper from a team at the University of Michigan’s...
Consumer sentiment holds as personal finances remain stable
August 25, 2023
ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment was relatively unchanged in August and ended the month with its second-highest reading in 21 months, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. This follows two months of large jumps in sentiment resulting from the substantial slowdown in...
Marijuana and hallucinogen use, binge drinking, reach historic highs among adults 35-50
August 17, 2023
ANN ARBOR—Adults aged 35 to 50 continued a long-term upward trajectory in past-year use of marijuana and hallucinogens to reach all-time highs in 2022, according to the Monitoring the Future panel study, an annual survey of substance use behaviors and attitudes of adults 19-to-60 years...
Improving personal finances, business conditions lift consumer sentiment
July 28, 2023
ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment lifted 11% in June, reaching its highest level since October 2021, a sign of greater optimism as inflation continued to ease and stock market performance strengthened. Sentiment is now about halfway between the all-time historic low of 50 from June 2022 and...