Willing Retirees
About half of all current retirees say they retired because they wanted to.
Delaying Retirement
Among workers ages 50 to 61, fully 63% say they might have to push back their expected retirement date because of current economic conditions.
The Internet as a Diversion
Three-quarters of online economic users go online to relax and take their minds off of the recession. Fully 88% of 18-29 year old online economic users look to the internet to relax.
Recession Turns a Graying Office Grayer
Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer. Both trends intensified with the recession and are expected to continue after the economy recovers. One reason: Older workers value not just a paycheck, but the psychological and social rewards.
Recession Turns a Graying Office Grayer
The American work force is graying -- and not just because the American population itself is graying. Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer.
Multitasking — Lee Rainie on Kojo Nnamdi’s talk show
My appearance on the Kojo Nnamdi talk show on WAMU (a Washington PBS station) about new research on the problems with mutitasking.
The Internet and Civic Engagement
Just as in offline politics, the well-off and well-educated are especially likely to participate in online activities that mirror offline forms of engagement. But there are hints that social media may alter this pattern.
More See White House and GOP Leaders at Odds
Overview Americans are in an increasingly sour mood about Washington. Barack Obama’s approval ratings continue to inch downward and a growing proportion of Americans (63%) think that the president and Republican leaders are not working together to deal with important issues facing the nation; in June, 50% said the two sides were not cooperating. While […]
News About Economy Seen as Less Dire, More Hopeful
Summary of Findings News about the economy and the debate over health care reform continue to dominate public attention. A growing proportion of Americans say they are hearing mostly good news about the economy, while the percentage saying the news is mostly bad has fallen since July. On health care, protests at contentious town hall […]
Budget Woes Take Toll on Views of State Governments
Overview With the economy wreaking havoc on state budgets, the favorability ratings of state governments have declined from a year ago. Overall, 50% of the public now holds a favorable opinion of their state government, down from 59% in April 2008. The falloff in positive views has been greater in states with large and moderate […]
