ANN ARBOR—Older couples may want to take a closer look at their drinking habits together. While most research focuses on how your drinking affects your health, a University of Michigan study shows that a partner’s drinking habits matter, too. It underscores that it’s not just how much alcohol is consumed, but how couples drink—similarly or… Continue reading Cheers or cheers-ious consequences? How older couples’ drinking habits affect health
Project: Survey Research Center
February consumer confidence falls
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 year ahead, the highest reading since 2009.” According to Fortune, while income and spending grew… Continue reading February consumer confidence falls
How to keep your mind and body sharp in retirement: 5 lessons from the world’s best studies
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 to prepare healthy meals and maintain a healthy diet, increased time to spend engaging in… Continue reading How to keep your mind and body sharp in retirement: 5 lessons from the world’s best studies
ICPSR Director Maggie Levenstein named 2024 AAAS Fellow
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 information systems, competition dynamics, cartels, and antitrust policies, as well as systematic improvements to national social science data policies.” Levenstein is… Continue reading ICPSR Director Maggie Levenstein named 2024 AAAS Fellow
Cuts to US government raise worries over economic data quality
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 human capital walking out the door.” Shapiro also believes a new executive… Continue reading Cuts to US government raise worries over economic data quality
U.S. Consumer Sentiment Drops as Inflation Anxiety Soars
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 other economic factors; frequent gyrations in economic policies make it very difficult for consumers to plan… Continue reading U.S. Consumer Sentiment Drops as Inflation Anxiety Soars
American travelers are booking fewer domestic flights in another warning sign for the economy
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 willing to spend as freely as they have in previous years. … It… Continue reading American travelers are booking fewer domestic flights in another warning sign for the economy
Federal workers’ salaries represent less than 5% of federal spending and 1% of GDP
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 a bank failure, we have federal employees who — as we saw a few… Continue reading Federal workers’ salaries represent less than 5% of federal spending and 1% of GDP
Self-employment income widely underreported, Health and Retirement Study shows
Among older workers, the majority of self-employment income missing from tax records is due to unreported earnings to the Internal Revenue Service rather than differences in how income is classified, a new University of Michigan study finds. The analysis shows that the amounts of self-employment income reported in the Health and Retirement Study, but absent from tax… Continue reading Self-employment income widely underreported, Health and Retirement Study shows
Stateside Podcast: Consumer confidence suffered in February, U-M says
Surveys of Consumers director, Joanne Hsu, joined Michigan Public’s Stateside to discuss February’s sharp drop in consumer sentiment. Consumers are aware about the news around tariffs, even amid all the other news that’s happening in the country and in the world right now, and specifically when we look at the major events over the last couple of months… Continue reading Stateside Podcast: Consumer confidence suffered in February, U-M says