Announcements

Data Dogs

Reuters reports on a growing movement among governmental and private groups across the globe, that is gaining special traction within the US government, to rethink and improve on traditional economic indicators. The article reports on two central critiques of current data management. One is that governments spend too little on data collection and as a result are unprepared to meet the challenges they face. The report notes that the Federal Reserve had little data on the complex financial instruments whose failures contributed to the recent financial crisis. Similarly, unemployment estimates turned out to be under-counting those actually unemployed by 1.2 million people early in President Obama's term because of a modeling difficulty. The Congressional Budget Office once misforcasted a budget by 100 billion dollars. More substantively, the forty-five-year-old poverty measurements are acknowledged by both left and right to be obsolete, yet they are still used to determine eligibility for some federal programs.

A second, perhaps more serious problem haunts economic data, argues Reuters, one which cannot be fixed by a few million more dollars spent on data collection. A growing chorus, lead by the Sarkozy Commission, set up by the French President, suggests that Gross Domestic Product, traditionally seen as the top-line measure of economic success, is quite flawed. Criticisms range from the fact that the statistic, first coined in 1934 is out of date, to the fact that it does not including unpaid work (such as homemaking in developed countries), to the contention that well-being has little to do with the size of a paycheck. Most acknowledge these criticisms, yet many harbor doubts about improved measures of development. "Money cannot buy happiness, and GDP cannot measure it" admits one conservative, but it remains superior to "someone's subjective decision about how you should measure your happiness."

2010-07-07

Equal Rights? Well, Sort Of

The Pew Global Attitudes Project surveyed opinions on women's rights and equality in twenty-two nations across five continents and found that overwhelming majorities in twenty-one of them supported equal rights for men and women when asked directly. Yet as Catherine Rampell and Victoria Shannon of the New York Times pointed out, that ideal is often not translated to more tangible beliefs, especially outside the West. Outside of the Americas and Europe most people in most countries agree that when jobs are scarce preference should go to men. In Pakistan, Egypt and India most believe boys more deserving of a university education and in several other countries, substantial minorities agreed.

Even in countries where support for equal rights is almost universal, most still believe that men lead better lives than women. In fact it is only in South Korea and Japan, countries less supportive of equal rights than similarly wealthy countries in the West, where most thing women lead better lives.

2010-07-06

Muslim Views on America

A couple weeks ago, the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project released a survey of global opinions in 22 countries, focusing on global views of the United States and President Obama. Today, the AP published an analysis of the study focusing on Muslim attitudes toward the US. Notably, the US gets high ratings in countries in countries that are largely, but not overwhelmingly Muslim, with approval of 52% in Lebanon, 59% in Indonesia and 81% in Nigeria. Yet in majority Muslim countries, even those with close ties to the West, positive views of America remain rare. Just 17% of those surveyed in Egypt, Pakistan and NATO-ally Turkey see the US favorably, while majorities in Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Lebanon, Pakistan and even Turkey fear that the United States military could some day threaten their countries. More encouragingly, across all countries, overwhelming majorities oppose suicide attacks and the al-Qaeda movement.

The poll was taken before an Israeli attack on a blockade-running Turkish aid flotilla further strained relations between the United States and the Muslim world.

2010-07-05

Recession Affecting Most of Us

Unemployment resulting from the Recession of 2007 maxed out at 10.6%, most Americans felt the pinch of the recession in one way or another according to a new study published in Business Week. The Pew Research Center reports that 55% have either lost a job, or seen their salary or work hours reduced. A full 32% have been unemployed at some point during the recession, while 28% have been forced to work fewer hours and 11% to work just part-time. Naturally, though perhaps compounding the recession, 62% have cut back on their spending while only 6% are spending more than they were prior to the recession.

Though 54% think the country is still in the depths of the recession, there are signs of hope. 62% expect their personal finances to improve over the next year and 15% believe the economy is now back on the right track.

2010-07-01

Americans Predict Life in 2050

A week ago, the Pew Research Center for People and the Press released a poll asking Americans to predict life in 2050. The results reveled a mix of optimism, pessimism and an overwhelming belief that things will change -- both for the better and for the worse -- over the course of the next forty years. Overall, an impressive 61% describe themselves as optimistic about the future of the United States, though that is down substantially from 70% eleven years ago. Similarly 64% are optimistic about the future of themselves and their families, down from 81% in 1999.

Different media outlets have focused on different aspects of the poll, with a bemused international media noting that 41% of Americans expect the Second Coming in the near future. The Associated Press sees general optimism, but also notes that it is much reduced from the heady days of the late 1990s. On many issues, the young are the most pessimistic, predicting a warmer future, and one threatened by World War.

2010-06-29

Leading the Census-Participation Pack. Livonia, Michighan, had the highest census participation rate...

"Livonia, Michigan, had the highest census participation rate not because of what it did – but because of what it is."

How, you ask? The answer is nothing unusual. Livonia did the same things that other cities did. Livonia coordinated its census efforts with schools, the media and business groups; it reached out to snowbirds, who might miss the arrival of census forms; it had census posters, signs and public service announcements. "We're pretty proud of the work that was done," says Dave Varga, Livonia's director of administrative services, "and more proud of the response of the community."

"The bedroom community near Detroit scored an 87 percent mail participation rate in the census this spring--the highest of any city of at least 50,000 people."

2010-06-28

Census Shows Growing Diversity in New York City

Sam Roberts from New York Times reports on various striking trends (young population growth, poverty rates and median household income are a few), which are revealed in new census figures that produce a detailed snapshot of New York City neighborhoods and of the metropolitan area’s smaller cities and towns since the 2000 census.

"Many of the findings regarding income, poverty and migration are likely to be affected by the recession, which began about the same time that the latest survey was completed, in December 2007. Demographers said that some of the survey’s brighter spots might well be remembered as the high-water marks of the Wall Street boom."

2010-06-28

Population Shows a Racial Shift

In another sign of the increasing diversity of suburbs, the New York Times now reports that "Two large suburban counties flipped from having white majorities to having white minorities last year." Two two counties have been identified as Gwinnett County (outside Atlanta) and Contra Costa County (near San Francisco). The shifts indicated that the minorities edged closer to becoming a majority of the nation's youngest children. More than 500 of the nation's more than 3,000 now fall in that category. Furthermore, they also report that the census estimates released Thursday also quantified the impact of the recession on former population magnets.

2010-06-28

Census 2000 Foreign-Born Population Map Series by Selected Countries of Birth

Maps and mapping resources found on the Census Bureau's web site. State level maps indicating percent distributions and some detailed socio-economic characteristics (from Census 2000) for the foreign-born population in the US and Puerto Rico can be found on the site.

In addition, map series including selected countries of birth that met a national threshold of 500,000 persons or more are available! In total, fourteen countries of birth were selected: Mexico, China, Philippines, India, Vietnam, Cuba, Korea, Canada, El Salvador, Germany, Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, Jamaica, and Colombia.

2010-06-28

Africa Faces Mixed Progress, Daunting Challenges, in Improving Population Well-Being

Population Reference Bureau (PRB) reports that even as African women use family planning more and bear fewer children, the continent's youthful population will fuel the continent's growth for many decades to come. According to the 2008 Africa Population Data Sheet, Africa's population of 967 million is projected to grow to 1.9 billion by 2050, produced by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC).

*The Data Sheet also includes a series of indicators on population growth, urbanization, family planning use, teenage motherhood, HIV/AIDS, and gross national income per capita for African countries.

2010-06-27

Population Reference Bureau Report Examines U.S. Economic and Social Trends Since 2000

PRB's Population Bulletin, "U.S. Economic and Social Trends Since 2000," by Linda A. Jacobsen and Mark Mather, is a wide-ranging analysis of how the U.S. population has changed since 2000 an appropriate time to compare the United States today with its demographic makeup at the last census in 2000. The report investigates various issues: income, educational attainment, homeownership, commuting, fertility, marriage, migration trends and race. Also, accompanying the report, please find audio commentaries on backgrounds and other factors influencing these trends from both authors!

2010-06-27

The Enduring Impact of the U.S. Baby Boom on Race and Ethnicity

Mark Mather explores the enduring impact of the U.S. Baby Boom on Race and Ethnicity. According to new population estimates from the Census Bureau, racial and ethnic minorities make up a growing share of the U.S. population—35 percent in 2009, up from 31 percent in 2000. However, one group —young adults ages 20 to 24—stand out because the proportion of minorities has stayed about the same, only increasing a single percentage point from 38 percent to 39 percent since 2000. Mather suggests that this anomaly may be partially explained by the recession, which has reduced the net inflow of young Latino immigrants to the United States.

2010-06-27

Professors and Social Media

Steve Kolowich fron Inside Higher Ed finds that data from a new survey suggests that 80 percent of professors, with little variance by age, have at least one account with either Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Skype, LinkedIn, MySpace, Flickr, Slideshare, or Google Wave. Nearly 60 percent kept accounts with more than one, and a quarter used at least four.

Designed by the Babson Survey Research Group, with support from New Marketing Labs and the publishing giant Pearson, the survey netted responses from 939 professors from colleges in Pearson’s network of two- and four-year colleges. Most said they teach in undergraduate programs, and more than a third reported teaching online or blended courses. Demographically, the respondents did not skew strongly to a particular sex, discipline, professional rank, or age, says Jeff Seaman, co-director of the Babson group, a research organization that also does work with the Sloan Consortium.

2010-06-21

U.S.-born Hispanics drive growth

2010-06-20

Mortgage Data Leaves Bankers Uncertain of Trend

A New York Times article written by David Streitfeld on May 19, 2010, addresses the confounding effect of seasonal differences on Mortgage Data. Such seasonal adjustments are used to smooth out data in ordinary times, but in extraordinary times -- for example, an economic crisis -- the Mortgage Bankers Association said they were not sure how much they could be trusted. In the first quarter the seasonal adjustments showed the delinquency rate worsened considerably. The raw data, on the other hand, indicated a market improvement.

"Questions about the reliability of seasonal data in measuring the housing crisis extend beyond the mortgage industry. A widely watched indicator on housing prices, the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price Index, last month announced that its unadjusted numbers were a more reliable indicator than its seasonally adjusted numbers. Other than delinquencies, the housing data released Wednesday clearly showed a market changing for the worse."

Click here to read more.

2010-06-15

Pew Research Center's News (Political) IQ Quiz

2010-06-13

How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right?

Pew Research Center for the People & Press offers an interactive graphic feature that displays public trust in government based on several issues. The interactive feature uses data from Pew Research Center, National Election Studies, Gallup, ABC/Washington Post, CBS/New York Times, and CNN Polls.Click here to read more.

2010-06-13

Encouraging Trends in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan

In an unusually formatted New York Times op-ed entitled The States of War, Ian Livingston, Heather Messera, and Michael O'Hanlon, all of the Brookings Institution, chart progress, or lack there of in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq through data on troop levels, coalition and civilian death totals, GDP growth rates, school enrollment and other measures of standard of living as well as local support for the United States, number of local forces trained and Afghan resistance leaders captured or killed. The bulk of the op-ed is made of a chart which, rather crudely, tracks progress over the past two years by noting numbers from April 2008, April 2009 and April 2010. The data, which are color coded to show progress, demonstrate, according to the authors, "gradual progress in Iraq, some headway in Pakistan and uncertainty in Afghanistan." While both civilian and coalition deaths are up in Afghanistan, the economy is growing rapidly and the Kabul government enjoys wide support.

2010-06-01

New Media, Old Media

The Pew Center for Excellence in Journalism has studied the differences between the stories reported on by traditional media sources and by the new social media -- like Twitter and blogs. The study has been widely publicized (both in the old and the new media) including by The Guardian and MSNBC. The study notes that the new media is totally dependent on the traditional media, linking to traditional media sources in 99% of posts -- and to either the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, or The Washington Post in a full 80% of cases. The study also notes that users of social media outlets have short attention spans, with a majority of lead stories on blogs gone within three days.

2010-05-27

Global Recovery Progressing, but Unevenly

The Washington Post reports on the American angle of a broader project from the Brookings Institution and the Financial Times to track the global economic recovery. The project, known as TIGER (Tracking Indices for Global Economic Recovery) tracks G-20 economies in three major areas: real economic activity (measured by GDP, industrial production, employment, imports and exports), financial markets (measured by stock indices, market capitalization and bond spreads for emerging markets), and confidence indicators. The data show that the global economy is recovering but that recovery is stronger in emerging countries than in developed ones and that it is stronger in financial markets than it is in core economic indicators like GDP and employment levels.

2010-05-26

Education, Income and Relationships

CNN reports on a Pew study showing that married women between 20 and 44 are increasingly out-earning their husbands. 22% of all married women now earn more than their husbands, up from 4% forty years ago. Pew notes that the education which leads to higher-paying more prestigious jobs is increasingly dominated by women who now make up not only a majority of undergraduates but also 60% of those holding advanced graduate degrees. The difference is especially pronounced in the black community where educational achievement for males is quite low. CNN notes that quantifiable shifts in educational attainment and work habits have changed relationships, but that these changes have had to be accompanied by a rethinking of traditional gender roles.

2010-05-25

CNN.com posted misleading graph showing poll results on Schiavo case

Media Matters reports that, presenting the results of a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, CNN.com used a visually distorted graph that falsely conveyed the impression that Democrats far outnumber Republicans and Independents in thinking the Florida state court was right to order Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed. In fact, a majority of all three groups agrees with the court's decision, and the gap between Democrats on one hand and Republicans and Independents on the other is within the poll's margin of error. Click here for more information on the web article.

2010-05-14

An analysis of the first three weeks of participation in the 2010 Census

The Center for Urban Research (CUR) at the CUNY Graduate Center has analyzed the latest participation rates from the 2010 decennial census in an ongoing effort to understand which areas are not responding well and why. This week we also focus on areas that are participating substantially better than in 2000 with a new map feature that highlights the extent of improvement down to the census tract level.

2010-05-14

Haitians Express High Resolve, Community-Mindedness

Steve Crabtree and Johanna Godoy at the Gallup Poll report that despite the oft-reported challenges facing Haiti's recovery process, Gallup polling in the country before the earthquake suggests its people have much to offer toward building a new future. More than 8 in 10 Haitians (81%) surveyed in December 2008 said they have a particular talent of some kind -- easily the highest proportion among 12 Central American and Caribbean populations of which the question was asked.

2010-05-14

Younger Voters Less Enthusiastic About Voting This Year

Frank Newport at the Gallup Poll reports that younger voters remain less enthusiastic about voting in this year's midterm elections than those who are older, underscoring the challenge facing the Democratic Party in its efforts to re-energize these voters, who helped President Obama win the presidency in 2008.

2010-05-14

Archived Announcements

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