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.

A new interview just dropped in Nautilus about frontier issues related to the Dunning Kruger effect: Does AI suffer? Is it complicit? On the statistical critique. What about experts? The Nobel disease. And although education is an overwhelming good, it does have an issue. nautil.us/why-we-think...

Why We Think We Know More Than We Do

Why We Think We Know More Than We Do: Breaking down the famous “Dunning-Kruger effect” with David Dunning himself

nautil.us

The New CSCAR@ISR is Open for Business! U-M faculty, staff, and students can schedule statistical consultations, explore workshops, ask research questions and learn about support for funded projects. Connect with CSCAR@ISR: cscar.isr.umich.edu

The New CSCAR@ISR is Open for Business! U-M faculty, staff, and students can schedule statistical consultations, explore workshops, ask research questions and learn about support for funded projects. Connect with CSCAR@ISR: cscar.isr.umich.edu

Consumer confidence is moving upward, but many households still do not feel financially secure. The latest findings from ISR’s Surveys of Consumers highlight the continued influence of high prices, purchasing power and concerns about AI. Explore the latest findings: myumi.ch/Mp6pn

Consumer confidence rises for second straight month; views remain downbeat amid high prices

ANN ARBOR—Consumer sentiment confirmed its early-July reading, landing almost 12% above June, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. Broad-based improvements were seen across al...

myumi.ch

Many thanks to Jon Meerdink @umisr.bsky.social for writing this piece highlighting food insecurity research in the United States. research.umich.edu/research-sto...

For 34 years, ISR’s Health and Retirement Study has followed about 20,000 Americans to better understand dementia, retirement and healthy aging. A new feature in the July OVPR collection explore how ISR built a public research resource that now informs aging research around the world.

Why do Americans experience the same economy so differently? Joanne Hsu, director of Surveys of Consumers, discusses AI, inflation, stock ownership and everyday costs in a new video interview. Watch the video to explore the findings.

Loneliness affects health, but healthcare cannot rebuild communities. New research from Sofia Hiltner, a predoctoral trainee at ISR’s @um-psc.bsky.social, examines why solutions must also address the social conditions that create isolation.

Congratulations to Vincent L. Hutchings of ISR’s @umisrcps.bsky.social on being named a U-M Distinguished University Professor. His research examines public opinion, elections, voting behavior, and African American politics.

New findings from U-M’s Monitoring the Future study show many teens underestimate fentanyl risk. More than half of eighth graders did not see great risk in trying fentanyl once or twice.

New research co-authored by ISR’s @spattersearch.bsky.social finds more Americans ages 65 to 74 are reporting activity limitations and unmet care needs than a decade ago, raising questions for families and unpaid caregivers who may need to plan for care sooner.

ISR researcher Carina Gronlund studies how extreme weather affects health, housing, and older adults. Her research, recently featured in an article on U-M climate solutions, explores how flooding, heat, weatherization, and cooling centers can shape community health and resilience.

It's National Fortune Cookie Day. No fortune-telling required here! ISR research uses rigorous social science to better understand people, communities, and society. Learn more about the Institute for Social Research: isr.umich.edu

Shinobu Kitayama has been named the next director of ISR’s Research Center for Group Dynamics. His influential work in cultural psychology explores how culture shapes psychological processes across societies. Read more about Shinobu Kitayama to serve as next director of RCGD: myumi.ch/G7k1y

New research from @mtfstudy.bsky.social finds most U.S. eighth graders underestimate the dangers of fentanyl use. “Raising awareness of the lethal dangers of fentanyl use among this age group is a key strategy to reduce these deaths,” says Richard Miech, PI of the study myumi.ch/Mp9qn

Awareness gap: Teens underestimate fentanyl threat

ANN ARBOR—Most U.S. eighth graders underestimate the dangers of fentanyl use, according to a new University of Michigan study. More than half, about 52%, did not believe that experimental use of fenta...

isr.umich.edu

America’s senior housing shortage is becoming harder for families to ignore. ISR researcher @spattersearch.bsky.social is featured in a Bisnow article on America’s senior housing shortage. As demand rises and construction slows, families face long waits, limited options, and rising costs.

Consumer sentiment rose 10% in June as gas prices eased, according to the U-M Surveys of Consumers. Joanne Hsu notes that high prices still weigh on household budgets, keeping sentiment below pre-Iran conflict levels. Read more about June Consumer Sentiment: myumi.ch/pgZx

University of Michigan

University of Michigan is one of the top universities of the world, a public institution of higher learning, fostering excellence in research. U-M provides outstanding undergraduate, graduate and prof...

myumi.ch

ICYMI: The call for papers for the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Annual User Conference is live! Apply by 7/15! Join us on October 1-2, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more about what to submit to share your work as a presentation or poster: myumi.ch/QMrDy #PSIDdata #PSID #conference

Final Summer Institute courses are coming up. Registration closes June 29 and July 6 for up-coming courses! Register to secure your spot: si.isr.umich.edu

ISR’s Next Generation Initiative helped Jeffrey Swindle pursue research on foreign aid, gender inequality, and community change in Malawi. Read more about how Next Gen funds made Jeffrey Swindle’s pursuit of big questions possible: myumi.ch/11n5m

ISR is honored to receive the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences, alongside NORC at the University of Chicago. We are grateful to the researchers, staff, collaborators, funders, & survey participants whose contributions make social science in service of society possible.

Happy Juneteenth from ISR. Today, we honor freedom, resilience, and Black history while recognizing the continued work toward equity and justice. Social science helps us better understand the past, examine the present, and build a more informed future.

Why do combat spectacles resonate so deeply with audiences? In a new article for The Conversation, ISR researcher Scott Atran explores identity, belonging, sacrifice, and the psychology behind public displays of courage and collective purpose.

Travel awards are now open for ISR’s 2026 symposium, Complexity in the Social World: The Challenging Case of Place—with support for airfare, hotel, and travel. Join conversations on place, inequality, history, and the future of social science. * Artwork by Yen Azzaro.

Today is a beautiful day to support social science 🌞🌷

The World Mental Health surveys, spanning 35+ countries with WHO, are moving to ISR. Led by William Axinn and Stephanie Chardoul, the effort will expand access to validated data to inform mental health policy and care worldwide. @um-src.bsky.social

Consumer sentiment just fell for the third straight month, and is now hovering below the historic trough seen in June 2022. According to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, rising gasoline prices tied to supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are weighing heavily on households.

ISR researchers are working with the Berlin Philharmonic to understand how high-performing teams work together, not just in music, but across organizations and disciplines. Building on a long-standing partnership, this work offers a fascinating look at how shared purpose shapes performance.