This paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the returns to education in the United States. Using data from the Current Population Survey 2011-2022, the analysis reveals that, after a period of decline, returns to education increased significantly because of COVID, particularly for men and those with university education. The…

Objective: This study explored the relationship between weekly hours worked and food security among full-time college students in the United States, as well as the extent to which this relationship depends on racial identity and regional location. Participants/Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of data from 1,450 full-time college students…

This article looks at whether the Great Recession led to changes in two-year and four-year college enrollment patterns for students aged 18-24. In particular, I examine how the probability of enrollment changed for Black and Latinx students. It is not initially clear whether the Great Recession would increase or decrease college enrollment for…

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in music engagement across immigration generations among different racial/ethnic groups for adults living in the United States. I conducted secondary analysis of two 2018 nationally representative surveys, the February Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Self-Perceptions of Creativity and…

While it is commonly believed that teachers take more absences than other professionals, few empirical studies have systematically investigated the prevalence of teacher absences in the US. This study documents the level of teacher absences and compares it with other college-educated workers. Using the Monthly Current Population Survey between the…

Youth voter turnout remains stubbornly low and unresponsive to civic education. Rigorous evaluations of the effects of adopting civics tests for high school graduation by some states on youth voter turnout remain limited. We estimate the impact of a recent, state-mandated civics test policy--the Civics Education Initiative (CEI)--on youth voter…

In common sociological research, income inequality is measured only at the aggregate level. The main purpose of this article is to demonstrate that there is more than meets the eye when inequality is indicated by a single measure. In this article, I introduce an alternative method that evaluates individuals' contributions to inequality as well as…

This paper documents the emerging role of education in the well-known decline in US male working hours. An insignificant hours difference between high school and college graduates becomes a significant 2 hours/week advantage for college graduates within a generation. This growing "college hours premium" is confirmed in alternate data.…

In this article, we explore the use of Facebook targeted advertisements for the collection of survey data. We illustrate the potential of survey sampling and recruitment on Facebook through the example of building a large employee--employer linked data set as part of The Shift Project. We describe the workflow process of targeting, creating, and…

While it is commonly believed that teachers take more absences than other professionals, few empirical studies have systematically investigated the prevalence of teacher absences in the U.S. This study documents the level of teacher absences and compares it with other college-educated workers. Using the Monthly Current Population Survey between…

Policy debates about whether wages and benefits from work provide enough resources to achieve economic self- sufficiency rely on data for workers, not working families. Using data from the Current Population Survey, we find that almost two- thirds of families working full time earn enough to cover a basic family budget, but that less than a…

Enrollment in American graduate degree programs is increasing, even as undergraduate enrollment declines continue in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With rising numbers of graduate awards, there has been increased attention on understanding the value of these degrees, especially master's degrees. With more workers attaining higher credentials,…

This study developed a typology of eight heterogeneous types of baby boomer entrepreneurs and extended the occupational choice model regarding driving factors for entrepreneurialism in this population. The study relied on monthly USA Current Population Survey data across 11 years (2006-2016), and using 2-sample t-tests and multilevel mixed-effects…

The traditional mission of community colleges is rooted in the provision of sub-baccalaureate education at a low price, but a total of 19 states have changed their legislative policies and currently allow community colleges to offer community college baccalaureate (CCB) degree programs. This study examines the impact of CCB adoption on the tuition…

Food insecurity, defined as a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food, is a substantial threat to public health in the United States. In 2017, nearly 12% of households reported being food insecure, affecting over 40 million persons. Numerous studies have documented that food insecurity is…