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Study reveals how social networks shape health in later life
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. ― A new study sheds light on the powerful connection between social networks and health in later life and reveals a surprising path for improving health equity among older adults. Published in the journal Innovation in Aging, the study tracked over 1,500 older adults for a decade using three rounds of data from […]
Illinois Youth Survey finds troubling substance use trends
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Alcohol use by Illinois teens was nearly double the national average, with 13.7% of Illinois students reporting they had imbibed during the previous 30 days compared with 6.9% of those across the U.S. The finding was among some troubling new trends in alcohol and drug use among Illinois teens reported in the […]
Review: Social drinking also a well-worn path to alcohol use disorder
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When picturing a “typical” alcoholic, people tend to imagine a person drinking at home alone. But that focus overlooks the social origins of many serious alcohol problems, say the authors of a new review paper in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. “Evidence for the centrality of social motives in problem […]
New study finds link between green spaces and police violence
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A novel research project has shown that areas with greater amounts of green space have a lower prevalence of police violence. The study is the first to find a significant relationship between greenness levels and fatal police shootings, and it showed that the most socially and economically disadvantaged areas seemed to benefit […]
Young adults juggle conflicting pressures to hurry up ― and wait
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. ― Some of the anxiety and frustration that many young adults are experiencing today may be caused by feelings of being caught between opposing forces, some of which pressure them to accelerate their maturation and assume adult responsibilities earlier, while others strive to hold them back, according to a new paper by scholars […]
Study finds global downturn in bias against stigmatized groups
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a study that tracked explicit and implicit bias against stigmatized groups in 33 countries between 2009 and 2019, researchers found substantial reductions in explicit, self-reported bias against all categories of stigma they examined: age, race, body weight, skin tone and sexual orientation. The picture for implicit bias, which is sometimes described […]
Why were Venezuelan immigrants sent to El Salvador?
On March 15, more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants were accused of engagement in gang activity and deported from the U.S. — not to Venezuela, but to El Salvador, some 1,600 miles away from their home country. Ellen Moodie, an anthropology professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is the author of “El Salvador in the […]
What are the historical precedents for consumer activism, economic blackouts?
Champaign, Ill. — The Feb. 28 “economic blackout” — in which consumers were encouraged not to spend any money for 24 hours — may have gone viral on social media, but what effect did it have in real life? Emily E. LB. Twarog is a professor of labor and employment relations and the co-director of […]
How can science literacy help people better understand the news?
In today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, the spread of misinformation and disinformation regarding scientific topics such as natural disasters, vaccines and climate change can pose a risk to public health. Nancy Averett, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign lecturer of journalism and expert in science and environmental journalism spoke with News Bureau physical science and media editor Lois Yoksoulian about how science literacy can help the American public make more informed choices.
Research explores Champaign Park District’s relationship with users who are homeless
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Members of the Champaign community who were surveyed for a recent research project viewed the Champaign Park District as a stopgap provider of “crisis response” services for people who are homeless. The park district ― which oversees more than 62 parks and 14 recreational facilities ― collaborated on the project, which was […]
Dating is not broken, but the trajectories of relationships have changed
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — According to some popular culture writers and online posts by discouraged singles lamenting their inability to find romantic partners, dating is “broken,” fractured by the social isolation created by technology, pandemic lockdowns and potential partners’ unrealistic expectations. Yet two studies of college students conducted a decade apart found that their ideas about […]
How did President Trump’s inaugural address stack up to previous speeches?
John M. Murphy, a professor of communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studies the history of American public address and political rhetoric. Murphy spoke with News Bureau research editor Sharita Forrest about President Donald Trump’s second inaugural address and how the rhetorical devices that presidents use in these speeches define the U.S. and their […]