Consumer sentiment fell to 48.1 in September, its lowest reading in four months. ISR’s Joanne Hsu says high prices, interest rates, fuel costs and trade tensions are weighing on Americans’ outlook. Explore the latest Surveys of Consumers findings: myumi.ch/QMnVr

ISR artist in residence Rick Lowe worked with ISR Director Kate Cagney, @christiandavenport.bsky.social and U-M researchers to transform social science data into public art. “Black Wall Street Journey” opens Sept. 26, drawing on PSID and Anti-Black Index data.

ISR’s annual picnic brought colleagues from across the Institute together to reconnect, catch up, and enjoy some time as a community. We’re grateful for the people whose ideas and collaboration keep ISR moving forward.

Dementia caregiving can intensify long-standing family tensions and expectations. ISR researcher @spattersearch.bsky.social examines how changing family structures shape caregiving and why early planning, communication and broader support networks can help families navigate care.

Join a virtual workshop Oct. 7 at noon EDT to learn how to use ISR’s National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA) in aging research. Explore neighborhood data, geographic identifiers and strategies for linking NaNDA with survey and administrative datasets. Register to attend: myumi.ch/G7q9M

ISR’s NaNDA has received an $11M National Institute on Aging award to expand its neighborhood data collection by about 30%. Led by Philippa Clarke and Grace Noppert, the project will support new research on respiratory illness, environmental hazards and healthy aging.

ISR researcher Pamela Herd is featured in NPR/KFF Health News coverage on Medicaid disability reviews and new work requirements. Herd examines how complex eligibility systems can create barriers for people trying to access public benefits. Read more: myumi.ch/jVNdP *Image credit: Kyla Hailstone

U-M’s Piano Lab Pro uses VR to help piano students understand performance anxiety. ISR researchers Rich Gonzalez, Alicia Carmichael and Natalie Leonard are studying physiological responses to see when anxiety appears and how students experience it. *Photo credit: Robert Coelius

@newsweek.com discussed a @umpsid.bsky.social study which finds older adults struggling to afford food face a higher risk of developing #dementia. @ninsolera.bsky.social says the generosity of #SNAP benefits during the #pandemic was very beneficial to American families myumi.ch/RQQ6W

@umichnews.bsky.social published an article using # PSIData featuring our own @ninsolera.bsky.social! "Older adults who experienced food insecurity in both midlife and later life had nearly four times the risk of probable dementia as those who remained food secure." myumi.ch/WDDEA

Friends and neighbors can be an important part of older adults’ care networks. ISR researcher Crystal Ng led a national study finding that about 14% of older adults receiving help named a friend or neighbor as a caregiver. Read the NYT feature, "When a Friend Becomes a Caregiver": myumi.ch/Ax31j

C. Cybele Raver was confirmed as the University of Michigan’s 17th president today at a special meeting of the Board of Regents. Please join us in welcoming President-Elect Raver! myumi.ch/9JJEP

CSCAR@ISR is now supporting U-M faculty, staff and graduate students with statistical consulting, workshops and research support. Expertise from ISR, Statistics and Biostatistics. Explore CSCAR@ISR and learn how the team can support your research: cscar.isr.umich.edu @bradytwest.bsky.social

Consumer sentiment fell about 6% in August as concerns about inflation and purchasing power grew. Joanne Hsu director of the Surveys of Consumers says more consumers expect inflation to outpace income gains, while just 10% expect their buying power to increase in the year ahead.

Researchers are launching a 25-year follow-up to the National Survey of American Life, reconnecting with participants to study health, aging and dementia risk among Black Americans while building a rare longitudinal dataset. Learn about the NSAL 25-year follow-up: myumi.ch/NXXQz

U-M researchers Helen Levy and Natasha Pilkauskas are leading a project to track food insufficiency across U.S. households through monthly data collection and quarterly reports. The publicly available data will help researchers and policymakers better understand how vulnerable families are faring.

Join us Aug 27 for the premiere of Piano Lab Pro, a new Apple Vision Pro app developed by SMTD, Michigan Online and the Institute for Social Research. The project combines immersive technology and biofeedback research to help musicians understand and manage performance anxiety.

Fake election polls in Wisconsin and California are raising questions about how easily unreliable data can spread. ISR researcher @joshpasek.com explains how low barriers to producing polls can distort perceptions of a race and even influence prediction markets.

As prices outpace wage growth, many Americans are losing purchasing power. Joanne Hsu, director of U-M’s Surveys of Consumers, explains how households are spending more cautiously while wealthier consumers may be adjusting far less. Read more: myumi.ch/rwAeb

U.S. consumers' real earnings have been falling

The rise in oil prices and other commodities is helping to drive inflation up, with price increases outpacing wage gains.

myumi.ch

More than half of U.S. public parks are within two miles of an industrial facility handling toxic chemicals. ISR researchers helped map where parks, industrial facilities and Superfund sites intersect, adding new context to research on neighborhood environments. @kduchowny.bsky.social

The University of Michigan Board of Regents announced Dr. C. Cybele Raver as its choice to become the university’s 17th president. The Board will hold a special meeting on Sept. 1 to take a formal vote. myumi.ch/xjwJm

Adult substance use patterns continue to shift. ISR researcher @meganepatrick.bsky.social and the @mtfstudy.bsky.social Longitudinal Panel Study found cannabis use near record highs in 2025, while cigarette smoking and several drinking measures remained low.

Michigan’s U.S. Senate race is heading into the general election after Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow Democratic primary win. ISR researcher Mike Traugott examines the spending, voter coalitions and campaign strategies behind Abdul El-Sayed’s win and what they could mean as he faces Republican Mike Rogers

The national racial income gap has changed relatively little, but its geography has shifted considerably. ISR’s @robertmanduca.bsky.social finds disparities narrowed across much of the South while widening in parts of the Northeast and Midwest.

How do you understand American voters when fewer people want to answer surveys? ISR’s American National Election Studies is adapting how it collects and analyzes data to keep political voices across the spectrum represented while preserving a research record dating to 1948.

Nicotine pouch use is one of the substance-use behaviors tracked by ISR’s Monitoring the Future. In 2025, 4.4% of 12th graders reported past-month use, while lifetime use was 10.0%, compared with 6.8% in 2024.

Why do concerts stay with us? ISR researchers are working with UMS and the Berlin Philharmonic to develop new ways of measuring audience engagement, from silence in the concert hall to how a performance is remembered and shared afterward. Explore the research: myumi.ch/zNX44

Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. workers may stay in an unwanted job because they need health insurance. In a new podcast, ISR researcher Dr. Helen Levy explains “job lock,” rising coverage costs and why women may be especially affected. Listen to the conversation: myumi.ch/7JPQz

As the federal Food Insecurity Report ends, ISR’s @ninsolera.bsky.social and the @umpsid.bsky.social show why long-term data still matter. PSID tracks how policy changes affect families over time. Featured in U-M OVPR’s July research collection.

Good news from #JSM2026: CSCAR@ISR, a statistical and methodological consulting service designed to support faculty, staff, and graduate students, is now officially open for business at the University of Michigan. This is a rebirth of CSCAR, with new features! Visit cscar.isr.umich.edu for details.