Institute for Social Research (ISR) - University of Michigan
@umisr
Institute for Social Research (ISR) — a global leader in social science. Exploring politics, health, inequality, and more at the University of Michigan.
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.
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
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.
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.
New ISR research finds neighborhood conditions shape teen substance use differently in rural and urban communities. Read more about this rural-urban divide on teen smoking: myumi.ch/DWk74
Where leading social science research meets real world impact.
Deadline approaching for Summer Institute courses May 18 is the registration deadline for some courses. Courses are taught by experts in the field and offered via Zoom throughout the summer. View all Summer Institute courses and register below!