Institute for Social Research (ISR) - University of Michigan

Why cooling inflation isn't saving your bank account Podcast Episode · Michigan Minds · February 25 · 17m

Listen to the full episode to learn how ISR research informs national economic understanding: myumi.ch/61AZ3

Infographic on a gray textured background with headline text at top reading Why Cooling Inflation and a large bold title over a yellow paint stroke reading Isnt Easing Your Budget; below are three light gray rounded cards: left card title Inflation Rate with a simple chart icon showing a blue line trending downward with an arrow and caption Rate of price increases slowing; middle card title High Prices with an icon of a blue grocery basket containing produce and a bottle next to two receipts labeled BILL and RENT with coin symbols and caption Overall price levels have not fallen; right card title Job Uncertainty with an icon of a blue briefcase next to a yellow warning triangle with an exclamation mark and caption Rising concern about layoffs and income.

Cooling inflation does not mean lower prices.

On the newest Michigan Minds podcast, ISR economist Joanne Hsu explains why consumers remain frustrated with high prices, how labor market concerns are shaping spending decisions, and why consumer sentiment still matters for the broader economy.

Insights talk explores the effects of tax base fragmentation ANN ARBOR — Local government spending makes up about a quarter of all government spending in the United States. This spending funds key services to people across the country, ensuring, as much as poss...

Read more about Robert Manduca's talk on Property tax fragmentation inequality: myumi.ch/797wD

In the latest ISR Insights talk, Robert Manduca examines how property tax base fragmentation drives inequality across U.S. metro areas.

His research shows how jurisdictional boundaries shape tax burdens and public services in neighboring communities.

Sentiment stagnates, wealth gaps grow ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment stagnated this month with very little change, just 0.2 index points higher than January, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.  All index component...

Read more about the latest consumer sentiment data: myumi.ch/MkPV5

photo split scene: at left, a smiling man with short dark hair and glasses in a blue shirt sits at a desk and looks toward the camera beside a laptop and a large monitor displaying multiple stock market charts and price lines; at right, two people sit at a wooden table with an open laptop and papers, appearing stressed with heads in hands, in a bright room with large windows showing greenery outside.

Consumer sentiment was largely unchanged in February at 56.6, per the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

ISR economist Joanne Hsu highlights persistent frustration over high prices and sharp divides by wealth and income in how Americans see the economy.

Researchers use data from Health and Retirement Study to create new health-tracking index for older Americans ANN ARBOR — Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), researchers at the University of Michigan and Florida State University have developed a new, 10-item health survey to assess a variet...

Read more about the IAM+ index and its implications for healthy aging: myumi.ch/G2nG1

Tracking Healthy Aging in Midlife and Beyond. Left column header Areas Assessed lists: Overall Health; Vision & Hearing; Memory; Chronic Conditions; Daily Activities; Functional Ability, each with a checkmark icon. Right column header Score Range shows Better Health to Worse Health with a left to right color bar from green to red, a white arrow pointing right, and endpoints labeled 0.8 and 10. Key Findings box states: Physically demanding jobs linked to worse scores in retirement; Higher scores tied to greater healthcare needs, with a key icon. Bottom banner reads Policy, Practice, and Research Applications with three panels: Early Identification in Midlife, Detecting health decline before severe disability; Workplace and Retirement Policy, Addressing long term effects of physically demanding work; Targeted Public Health Strategies, Reducing inequities in aging outcomes.

A new health tracking index built from Health and Retirement Study data is helping researchers understand aging in the U.S.

ISR research scientist Amanda Sonnega helped develop the 10 item IAM+ index with partners at Florida State, Tufts, University of Washington, and the Urban Institute.

Michigan governor signs classroom cell phone ban: U-M experts available to comment Expert advisory: Brian Jacob is available to discuss a new policy that will ban cell phone use in Michigan's K-12 classrooms.

Read about what Brian says about Michigan’s classroom cell phone policy: myumi.ch/P3MPx

Infographic titled Classroom Phone Use and Student Outcomes on a navy and maize header; main panel shows a smartphone icon with a warning triangle and arrows pointing down to two outcomes; left text reads Frequent phone use during instruction leads to: with a downward arrow and an open book icon labeled Lower academic engagement; right shows a brain with a heart icon, a downward arrow, and the label Poorer mental health; ISR department logo centered at the bottom.

Michigan signed a new K–12 classroom cell phone policy into law.

U-M’s Brian Jacob says research links phone and social media use to lower academic engagement and poorer youth mental health. He calls the law a step forward, but stresses that strong implementation will determine its impact.

Graphic on a light gray, crumpled paper background with five pastel candy hearts around centered text; center text reads Sweet words every social researcher wants to hear.; top left blue heart reads Survey Says Yes; top right tan heart reads Evidence Based Love; bottom left green heart reads Powered by Data; bottom center lavender heart reads Statistically Yours; bottom right yellow heart reads Sampled with Love; ISR logo appears in the bottom right.

Candy (and research) you can trust 💙💚🧡💛💜

Not all gigs are equal: Informal self-employment linked to lower pay, poorer health and instability ANN ARBOR—Not all self-employment guarantees financial security, with informal arrangements posing the greatest risks to well-being for many workers.  Using machine learning to classify self-employmen...

Learn more about this study on informal self-employment and worker well-being: myumi.ch/P3gVe

Three-column infographic comparing Business owners, Formal self-employed, and Informal self-employed, each with an icon at the top (buildings, briefcase, and a bicycle courier) and a list of outcomes; Business owners column lists Higher earnings, More stable, Best health, and Highest life satisfaction with corresponding icons, Formal self-employed lists Moderate earnings, Some stability, Better health, and Higher life satisfaction, and Informal self-employed lists Lower earnings, Less stable, Poorer health, and Lower life satisfaction; footer text reads Based on PSID data from 2003 to 2019.

Not all self-employment offers the same security.

New U-M research using PSID data on about 10,000 U.S. families finds informal gig and odd-job work is tied to lower earnings, poorer health, and more instability. ISR researcher Joelle Abramowitz explains why these distinctions matter.

Denmark’s generous child care and parental leave policies erase 80% of the ‘motherhood penalty’ for working moms Two researchers found that Danish government benefits do not fully offset moms’ lost earnings. But they do help offset lost income for working women with kids.

Read more about how Denmark’s child care and parental leave policies reduce the motherhood wage penalty: myumi.ch/n1m99

Graphic on a dark blue background with the ISR logo at top left, a yellow silhouette map of Denmark on the left with a dark blue silhouette of an adult lifting a child, and large yellow text on the right that reads Denmark policies offset about 80% of the motherhood earnings penalty with the 80% circled in red; along the bottom are three labeled icons reading Child Allowances (stacked coins with a person symbol), Paid Leave (calendar with a check mark), and Subsidized Child Care (house with a baby stroller).

Denmark shows how policy can reduce the motherhood earnings penalty.

ISR researcher @sashakillewald.bsky.social finds paid leave, child allowances, and subsidized child care offset about 80% of mothers’ earnings losses.

Elizabeth F.S. Roberts: In Praise of Addiction, or How We can Learn to Love Dependency in a Damaged World. Book event is at Literati bookstore, 124 E Washington St. in Ann arbor on 2/11/26 at 6:30 pm

"What if addiction could bind us together instead of tearing us apart?" TOMORROW at @literatibookstore.bsky.social: RCGD medical anthropologist Liz Roberts joins @ulabeast.bsky.social for a talk on her book, In Praise of Addiction. literatibookstore.com/event/2026-0...

Red Valentine-style graphic with large white text Our love passes peer review Valentine; lower left has the labels to: and from: with blank space; right side shows an illustration of a hand holding a magnifying glass over a paper with black lines and a green approval stamp; bottom right includes ISR’s logo.

Purple Valentine-style graphic with large white text Our connection is well beyond the margin of error Valentine; lower left has the labels to: and from: with blank space; right side shows hands using a calculator with a screen displaying z x (s divided by square root of n) and two small red hearts floating above; bottom center includes ISR’s logo.

Brown Valentine-style graphic with large white text You are the qualitative insight to my quantitative heart; lower left has the labels to: and from: with blank space; lower right shows two overlapping hearts, one white with a light gray grid pattern and one solid pink; bottom right includes ISR’s logo.

Purple Valentine-style graphic with large white text I would share my dataset with you; lower left has the labels to: and from: with blank space; center shows two hands, one light-skinned and one dark-skinned, holding a note that reads f(x)= followed by a red heart symbol; bottom right includes ISR’s logo.

If you haven't been asked yet, here is your sign to be our ISR Valentine ❤️

Property Tax Base Fragmentation and Metropolitan Inequality in the United States | Happening @ Michigan

Learn more about this event featuring Robert Manduca: myumi.ch/g3d4D

ISR Insights preview: Robert Manduca on property tax fragmentation and inequality Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Property taxes fund local services, but fragmented tax bases can create stark inequality across neighboring jurisdictions. Join us Feb 12 for ISR Insights with Robert Manduca on 138M geocoded tax records and municipal tax havens.

Watch the preview video: myumi.ch/Xyede

Graphic reading Black History Month with each word stacked in red, gold, and green on a dark gray background; below, 2026 appears in four colored blocks (red, gold, green, red) with black numerals; the right half shows a quilt like geometric pattern of interlocking triangles and diamonds in red, gold, and green with dark gray negative space.

Black History Month at ISR means advancing research that documents inequities and supports Black lives and futures.

Happy Black History Month!

More photos from the Organizational Insights from the Berlin Philharmonic event:

Today’s panel on organizational insights from the Berlin Philharmonic explored leadership, collaboration, and performance across music, management, and social science.

Special thanks to our panelists Stefan Dohr, Gretchen Spreitzer, Matthew VanBesien, and Mark Clague for a great conversation!

How do sidewalks and neighborhood design affect aging? ISR researcher Philippa Clarke shows how curb cuts and uneven pavement shape mobility, safety, and aging in place.

Watch the video to hear Philippa Clarke explain how community design shapes everyday aging experiences!

Graphic with a quote and a photo of Sarah Patterson, Research Assistant Professor at the Institute for Social Research. Quote text reads: “Our findings show that the public continues to see the family as highly responsible for the care of older adults, but that levels of responsibility vary by relationship type.” Sarah Patterson is smiling, wearing glasses, a yellow cardigan, and black top, with the ISR building in the background.

Who should care for older adults, especially when dementia is involved?

New ISR research led by @spattersearch.bsky.social finds strong expectations for family caregiving, even as families shrink and needs grow.

Learn more about this study on caregiving expectations: myumi.ch/kPEqj

graphic for the Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics. A quote from Alexander Adames reads: “The community and opportunities provided by the Stone Center made Michigan the choice in deciding where to start my career as a wealth scholar.” To the right is a headshot of Alexander Adames, a smiling man with short curly hair wearing a white button-up shirt. The graphic includes the Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics logo at the bottom.

@umichstonecid.bsky.social at ISR has received a 5 million dollar gift from the Stone Foundation to advance research on wealth inequality and mobility.

Learn more about this gift to the Stone Center: myumi.ch/Nr4pD

Small uptick, consumer views hold negative ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment lifted about 3.5 index points this month, with minor gains seen across all index components, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.  While the overa...

Read more about these findings from the Surveys of Consumers: myumi.ch/dg4nn

New ISR consumer sentiment data show a small January uptick, but overall views remain well below last year as many households feel squeezed by high prices and worry about jobs.

Survey director Joanne Hsu explains how inflation, incomes, and tariffs are shaping these cautious outlooks.

Outdoor photo of the Convergence sculpture at ISR during a snowfall; a white text box reads “INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH, Snow Flurries on Convergence.”

Interior view of ISR's atrium with hanging plants and glowing pendant lights; white text box reads “INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH, Atrium Glow.”

Exterior photo of Perry Building with clear blue sky and red brick facade; white text box reads “INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH, Perry Brick Red.”

Scenic rooftop view from ISR’s 6th floor showing a blue flag with a yellow M flying above Ann Arbor rooftops; white text box reads “INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH, View From the 6th Floor.”

The Shades of ISR Pantone ™️ palette 💙 💛

Explore your future in research and apply: myumi.ch/79Gg3

The deadline for ISR’s Junior Professional Researcher Program is approaching. ISR Director Kate Cagney recently highlighted how JPR launches social science research careers in a Look to Leadership column. Apply by February 1, 2026!

Read the article: myumi.ch/kP5Qk