9/27/99
Here is the September edition of the Ohio State University Newsfeatures service. The stories below report on only a few of the research projects under way here. If you have any questions about this work or other Ohio State research, please call.
Americans on average estimate they will live about one year longer than statistics of life expectancy suggest they will, a new study finds. Men and Blacks are most optimistic about their lifespans -- men believe they will live about 3 years longer than official predictions and Blacks expect to live about 6 years longer. The group that statistics say should live the longest -- white females -- actually predicted they will live slightly less than official estimates. “Americans seem to understand roughly how much time they probably have left,” said a researcher here. (From the October 1999 issue of the journal Social Science & Medicine.) Contact: John Mirowsky, (614) 292-2419.
Washington, D.C. is the most Internet-accessible city in the United States, according to a new study by Ohio State researchers. The other top five cities, in order, are Chicago, Dallas, New York and Atlanta. Researchers measured accessibility by the number of Internet connections to and from each city through 31 major commercial-Internet backbones. Cities that had more connections were rated as more accessible. High-ranking cities in this survey may have some advantages over other cities in the global marketplace, said one researcher. (From the current issue of Professional Geographer.) Contact: Morton O’Kelly, (614) 292-8744.
A new nationwide study suggests that American adults generally experience less economic difficulties as they get older, even after they retire. The findings call into question official government statistics which say poverty increases among the elderly. Results showed that 16 percent of adults under age 40 reported frequent difficulty paying bills during the past 12 months, compared to only 6 percent of those age 60 and over. Overall, the study found economic hardships are highest when people are in their 30s, drop progressively through the 40s and 50s and into the 60s, and then level off. (From a recent issue of the American Sociological Review.) Contact: John Mirowsky, (614) 292-2419.
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s popularity among the American
public is nearly completely independent of her husband’s
approval rating, a new study suggests. The results show that different
forces shape the public image of President Bill Clinton and that
of his wife, said a researcher here. The study found that changes
in Hillary’s Clinton’s favorability ratings were driven
mostly by the amount of media coverage she received, and less
by partisanship and national issues such as the economy. (From
a recent issue of the journal Public Opinion Quarterly.)
Contact: Anthony Mughan, (614) 292-9657.