Transportation Insecurity: America’s Overlooked Hardship

Millions of households in the United States lack safe and reliable transportation to get where they need to go. But while transportation insecurity is a very common form of material hardship experienced by US adults, only recently have researchers had a validated instrument to measure it. A new study out in Social Indicators Research uses… Continue reading Transportation Insecurity: America’s Overlooked Hardship

50 years of US economic change linked to poorer health, shorter lives for less-educated Americans

ANN ARBOR—Fifty years of economic change have taken a heavy toll on some Americans, especially those with less education who not only have been left behind but are sicker and living shorter lives, according to new research. The study published in Epidemiology and led by Arline Geronimus, professor at the University of Michigan School of… Continue reading 50 years of US economic change linked to poorer health, shorter lives for less-educated Americans

Declining Fertility Rates Key to Narrowing U.S. Gender Pay Gap, Study Finds

A new study revealed that a decline in the number of children among U.S. employees has played a significant role in reducing the gender pay gap.  Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics Director Alexandra Killewald and Harvard University PhD Candidate in Sociology Nino José Cricco published their findings in Social Forces in November. “Having children leads to wage losses for… Continue reading Declining Fertility Rates Key to Narrowing U.S. Gender Pay Gap, Study Finds

Declining Fertility Rates Key to Narrowing U.S. Gender Pay Gap, Study Finds

A new study revealed that a decline in the number of children among U.S. employees has played a significant role in reducing the gender pay gap. University of Michigan Professor of Sociology Alexandra Killewald and Harvard University PhD Candidate in Sociology Nino José Cricco published their findings in Social Forces in November. “Having children leads… Continue reading Declining Fertility Rates Key to Narrowing U.S. Gender Pay Gap, Study Finds

State program significantly reduces homelessness, utility insecurity, U-M report reveals

ANN ARBOR—The pilot of a Michigan program created to help improve health outcomes for pregnant parents and their children shows positive impacts on families, including food and financial security and housing stability, according to a new report from the University of Michigan’s Youth Policy Lab. The report revealed that families participating in the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies pilot project,… Continue reading State program significantly reduces homelessness, utility insecurity, U-M report reveals

Small cash incentives boost participation in Medicaid home visiting program

a pregnant woman chats to her care provider at home

ANN ARBOR—Offering small cash incentives can significantly increase participation in a Medicaid home visiting program for pregnant people, infants and their families, according to a study by the Youth Policy Lab at University of Michigan. U-M researchers discovered that providing a $20 cash incentive for keeping the initial appointment increased both enrollment and subsequent participation… Continue reading Small cash incentives boost participation in Medicaid home visiting program

Disparity dynamics: Geographic impact of social transfer programs on income inequality

Map of personal income per capita in US Core-Based Statistical Areas, 2019. Per capita incomes were highest in metropolitan areas on the East and West Coasts and in tourism and natural resource centers in the interior West.

ANN ARBOR—Social transfer programs have significant geographic differences in spending that help to reduce income gaps between rich and poor regions of the United States, according to new University of Michigan research. The study, published in Social Service Review, shows that federal social insurance programs such as Social Security and the Earned Income Tax Credit reduced… Continue reading Disparity dynamics: Geographic impact of social transfer programs on income inequality

2024 Rural Life Program initiative will study longterm impacts of flooding

Demography-Engineering collab will focus on Nepal’s Chitwan Valley ANN ARBOR — A new project to study the cumulative consequences of recurrent flooding is one of four initiatives to be supported by the 2024 Rural Life Program– a partnership of the Institute for Social Research and the College of Engineering to address the unique challenges and… Continue reading 2024 Rural Life Program initiative will study longterm impacts of flooding

US families experience more chronic food insecurity now than 20 years ago

Contact: Morgan Sherburne, 734-647-1844, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—More families are chronically food insecure than they were 20 years ago, according to a study led by a University of Michigan researcher. The finding comes at a time when SNAP and similar benefits may decrease because of the expected end of the federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19.… Continue reading US families experience more chronic food insecurity now than 20 years ago

Next-Generation Vaccine Cards: New Technology for Improved Equity in East Africa

The University of Michigan Center for Global Health Equity has awarded $1.1 million to the Next Generation Vaccine Project co-led by Kenyan health researcher Gershim Asiki and Emily Treleaven of the Population Studies Center and Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research. The project will develop a digital vaccine card and registry to… Continue reading Next-Generation Vaccine Cards: New Technology for Improved Equity in East Africa