Older Americans are increasingly experiencing loneliness and isolation. According to new research, one in three older Americans feel a lack of companionship “some of the time” or “often,” while 1 in 10 older Americans could not name one close friend. Feelings of social isolation and loneliness can surge after retirement because even if they are… Continue reading 1 in 4 older Michiganders lack enough friends. That’s a health concern
News Tag: People
Honoring Her Heritage: JPR Scholar Ritsa Giannakas Conducts Research for the Public Good
It’s Mother’s Day this week in the US and other parts of the globe, and Ritsa Giannakas is wearing a necklace that honors her matrilineage on both sides. In gold Arabic script, it bears the name she took from her Greek grandmother, Ritsa ريتسا, in the language of her maternal grandmother, Kowkab, in Lebanon. Ritsa’s… Continue reading Honoring Her Heritage: JPR Scholar Ritsa Giannakas Conducts Research for the Public Good
Passing of William Zimmerman, scholar of Russian politics
It is with deep sadness that we share the news that William Zimmerman, Research Professor Emeritus in ISR’s Center for Political Studies (CPS), passed away on April 28, 2025. Bill joined the CPS faculty in 1989 and served as the Center Director from 1996 to 2002. A distinguished scholar of Russian politics, his work offered… Continue reading Passing of William Zimmerman, scholar of Russian politics
From Portraits to Policy: A Profile of Artist-Researcher Angel Zhong
Across the work of Guiying (Angel) Zhong – a portrait artist, activist, and social science researcher– common themes emerge: Mending what is broken; filling the cracks in what is missing; expressing truth that can elude words. Zhong (she/they), one of the nine Junior Professional Researchers who joined the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research… Continue reading From Portraits to Policy: A Profile of Artist-Researcher Angel Zhong
Next Generation Initiative equips political science researcher Eugenia Quintanilla with tools to deepen and enhance research
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected]) ANN ARBOR — Predicting political behavior is a tough task in the best of circumstances, but doing so in a country as vast and varied as the United States is an extra-challenging proposition. But Eugenia Quintanilla, a doctoral student in the University of Michigan’s Political Science department, takes a unique approach… Continue reading Next Generation Initiative equips political science researcher Eugenia Quintanilla with tools to deepen and enhance research
Nick Camp, on Trust in the Criminal Justice System
Racism and bias are often thought to stem from an individual’s personal prejudice against a certain group, but social psychologist Nick Camp notes that isn’t the way many inequities are perpetuated in the criminal justice system. In a new Social Science Bites podcast, interviewer David Edmonds interviews Camp on his research that investigates the relationships… Continue reading Nick Camp, on Trust in the Criminal Justice System
Sarah Burgard Elected VP of PAA; President of APC
ANN ARBOR – Population Studies Center (PSC) Director Sarah Burgard has been elected Vice President of the Population Association of America (PAA) with a term that will begin Jan. 1, 2025. One of the world’s largest professional demographic associations, PAA is known for its flagship journal, Demography, and for its annual meeting, the premier conference… Continue reading Sarah Burgard Elected VP of PAA; President of APC
Remembering Shirley Hatchett, Shaper of the First National Survey of Black Americans
Shirley Jean Hatchett, a survey researcher whose work yielded new insights about Black American attitudes and the sociology of race, died August 9, at 77. An early faculty member at the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Dr. Hatchett made essential contributions to the program’s… Continue reading Remembering Shirley Hatchett, Shaper of the First National Survey of Black Americans
ISR support guides first-generation college student from community college to Ph.D.
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected]) ANN ARBOR — Ph.D. candidate Giovanni Román-Torres acknowledges that his path to academia is somewhat non-traditional. The first in his family to graduate from high school, Román-Torres took several years off before attending community college and then ultimately ending up at the University of Michigan. But his time between high school… Continue reading ISR support guides first-generation college student from community college to Ph.D.
Pam Davis-Kean named Director of ISR’s Survey Research Center
Pam Davis-Kean has been selected as the Director of the Survey Research Center (SRC) for a five-year term beginning September 1, 2024. Davis-Kean is a Professor of Psychology, a Research Professor in the Survey Research Center and Research Center for Group Dynamics, and a Faculty Associate of ICPSR. Davis-Kean brings a wealth of knowledge and… Continue reading Pam Davis-Kean named Director of ISR’s Survey Research Center