This paper studies the impact of payday loan borrowing on the financial well-being of Social Security (SS) income and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) receivers. Specifically, it focuses on the borrowing behaviors of low-wealth, Old-Age, Survivors, Disability Insurance program (OASDI) and SSI beneficiaries who rely on alternative financial services (AFS), such as payday lending. A significant share of low-income and low-wealth population experience financial hardship and pay excessive fees and interest when they borrow from alternative financial service providers. In 2009 17 percent of households in the U.S. were considered under-banked because they both maintained bank accounts and relied on AFS (FDIC 2009). Using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) unbanked and under-banked supplements and Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), this research investigates the following research questions: 1) Are Social Security Administration (SSA) beneficiaries more likely to use payday loans than non-SSA recipients? 2) How does payday loan use vary by income, age, and education among SSA beneficiaries? 3) How does receiving income from SSA affect payday loan use? Our findings suggest that there is little or no demographic variation between SSA beneficiaries and non-SSA beneficiaries who use payday loans. However, being an SSA beneficiary increases the likelihood of receiving payday loans. Lower-income SSA beneficiaries use payday loans more intensively. Borrowing behaviors of lower-income SSA beneficiaries, especially from AFS, are understudied in the literature. This paper attempts to fill this gap.

Objective This study examined the amount of time married couples share together in a new “encore adult” life course stage around the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Also investigated was the relationship between shared time and experienced well-being for this age group. Method Time diary and survey data were used from nationally representative 2003–2014 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data for 26,303 adults aged 50–79 years. Analyses examined amount of total and exclusive shared couple time and experiences of happiness and stress when together using multivariate models. Results Shared time was positively associated with couples living on their own, conjoint employment/nonemployment, and age. Encore women and men reported feeling happier and less stressed when with their spouses. Men seemed to find time with spouses more enjoyable if both partners or just their wives were working. Discussion Encore adults are living longer as couples; results suggest couple relationships may occupy most of their days, with potentially positive implications for emotional well-being. Men and women are happier during time with a spouse when the woman works, with men reporting even higher levels of happiness than women. This is important as contemporary couples navigate increasingly complex work/retirement transitions in gendered ways.

The federal earned income tax credit (EITC) is a refundable tax credit that provides substantial benefits to low-income working families with children at home but little to those without resident children. But families without resident children also struggle, including noncustodial parents, who are often considered "childless" for tax purposes. We model a plan that would increase the maximum childless EITC to almost half the size of the maximum EITC for one-child families and that would begin to phase the childless EITC out at the same income level used for families with children. This would improve parity between people with and without children at home, filling a gap in existing credit benefits. It could also improve noncustodial parents' economic well-being and increase their capacity to support their children. The federal EITC delivered about $66 billion in benefits to 27 million families in the 2016 tax year (the latest year for which data are available). Workers with children at home received 97 percent of the aggregate benefits. Childless workers receive few benefits from the credit because the maximum credit they can qualify for is relatively small and their credit phases out at much lower income levels than the credit for workers with children. On average, childless workers in 2016 received less than $300 from the EITC, compared with $2,400 for workers with one child at home, $3,800 for workers with two children at home, and $4,100 for workers with at least three children at home. 1 In some cases, "childless" workers have children, but their children live primarily with another parent or are too old to be considered qualifying children for tax purposes.

Past research consistently suggests that single people (i.e. singles) are stigmatized, but do they constitute a stigmatized 'group'? The current research will provide deeper insight into the stigmatization and well-being of singles by understanding the ‘group-y’ nature of singles, and how identification with groups and perceptions of groups map onto discrimination and prejudice. Study 1 will examine the extent to which singles identify as part of a group. Participants will be assigned a novel minimal group identity and then complete measures of group identification for four distinct group memberships (e.g., minimal group, relationship status, sexual orientation, nationality). We hypothesize that single participants' identification with their single group will be lower compared to other identities—including partnered people—although a smaller subset of singles may identify strongly with other singles. We also hypothesize that singles in general will perceive less discrimination towards singles relative to other aspects of their identity. In contrast, Study 2 will examine the extent to which singles are perceived as a group and the extent to which they are perceived as being responsible for their group membership. Participants will complete measures of entitativity and perceptions of responsibility for similar out-group identities as in Study 1 (e.g., single people or people in romantic relationships, sexual or asexual people, etc.). We hypothesize that singles will be rated lower in entitativity than people in romantic relationships and other groups, yet rated higher in responsibility than other groups. Moreover, we hypothesize that prejudice towards singles will be more acceptable than prejudice towards other groups. Throughout both studies, we will use Bayesian sequential analyses in order to efficiently acquire evidence in favor or against our experimental hypotheses. We discuss the importance of group-based theoretical perspectives for understanding the current and future stigmatization and well-being of singles.

Women’s increased labor force participation in the latter half of the 20th century resulted in a shift from male-sole-earner to dual-earner couples in the United States. There has been limited research since 2001 examining relative earning patterns within different-gender married and cohabiting couples. The first goal of this dissertation was to provide a contemporary portrait of couples’ relative earning patterns using the 2017 Current Population Survey (CPS). Prior research found that as of 2001, men were main contributors in more than half (55%) of dualearner couples. I found that by 2017 this number decreased to less than half (47%); and that higher levels of women’s education, women being more educated than their partners, having no or fewer children, cohabiting (versus married), and African American individuals were associated with a greater odds of couples being egalitarian (dual or equal providing) or nontraditional (women providing the majority or women sole) in their earning arrangements. Implications of the shift from the male-sole-earner to dual-earner partnerships for the well-being of partnerships have been studied; but little research has examined how individuals’ earnings relative to their partners relate to work-family conflict. The second goal of this dissertation was to examine the associations between relative earnings and both directions of work-family conflict—work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC)—and whether these associations varied by gender. Using data from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW), I found that main contributors worked longer work hours and had more perceived job strain, than secondary contributors. Main contributors experienced more WFC than secondary contributors, but when work hours and perceived job strain were controlled for, the higher WFC of main contributors than secondary contributors disappeared. Secondary contributors shoulder more FWC—housework and childcare—than main contributors; but relative earnings were not associated with FWC. I did not find gender differences in the association between relative earnings and WFC or FWC. These findings may suggest movement towards gender equality in terms of what makes work-family balance difficult. Overall, the findings from this dissertation provided a more nuanced understanding of gender equality within partnership in the United States.

The household living arrangements of older persons – whether living alone, with a spouse or partner, with their children or in multi-generational households – can be an important factor associated with their health, economic status and overall well-being. Understanding the patterns and trends in older persons’ living arrangements is thus relevant for global efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals, in particular those targeting poverty, hunger and health. The United Nations Database on the Households and Living Arrangements of Older Persons 2018 presents evidence drawn from 672 unique data sources, including census and survey microdata samples archived at IPUMS-International and household rosters from Demographic and Health Surveys, among other sources. The resulting dataset describes older persons’ households across 147 countries or areas, representing approximately 97 per cent of persons aged 60 or over globally.

Objectives Drawing on activity theory of aging, we examined whether solitary activities may be associated with negative wellbeing, as they may reflect social isolation. Using American Time Use Surveys, with information on ‘with whom’ individuals engaged in activities over a 24-hour period, we created measures capturing solitary days and solitary activities to understand their prevalence and associations with wellbeing. Method At the daily level, we examined associations between solitary days and proportion of the day in solitary activities with life satisfaction. At the activity level, we examined associations between engaging in an activity alone versus with others and emotional state during the activity. Results Solitary days and higher proportion of the day spent in solitary activities were associated with lower life satisfaction. These associations were attenuated controlling for individual covariates. Engagement in activities alone was associated with lower levels of happiness and higher levels of sadness and pain during the activity, and association with happiness remained even adjusting for covariates. Discussion A sizable proportion of older adults reported solitary days, and proportion of the day spent in solitary activities increases by age. Examining lived experiences of older adults and presence of others during activities could contribute to research on social isolation.

This article examines the ability of immigrants to integrate and to become full Americans. Naturalization has long been recognized as a fundamental step in that process and one that contributes to the nation’s strength, cohesion, and well-being. To illustrate the continued salience of citizenship, the article compares selected characteristics of native-born citizens, naturalized citizens, legal noncitizens (most of them lawful permanent residents [LPRs]), and undocumented residents. It finds that the integration, success, and contributions of immigrants increase as they advance toward naturalization, and that naturalized citizens match or exceed the native-born by metrics such as a college education, self-employment, average personal income, and homeownership. It finds that: Naturalized citizens enjoy the same or higher levels of education, employment, work in skilled occupations, personal income, and percentage above the poverty level compared to the native-born population. At least 5.2 million current US citizens — 4.5 million children and 730,000 adults — who are living with at least one undocumented parent1 obtained US citizenship by birth; eliminating birthright citizenship would create a permanent underclass of US-born denizens in the future. Requiring medical insurance would negatively affect immigrants seeking admission and undocumented residents who ultimately qualify for a visa. About 51 percent of US undocumented residents older than age 18 lack health insurance. In 2017, about 1.2 million undocumented residents lived with 1.1 million eligible-to-naturalize relatives. If all the members of the latter group naturalized, they could petition for or expedite the adjustment or immigration (as LPRs) of their undocumented family members, including 890,000 “immediate relatives.” Their naturalization could put 11 percent of the US undocumented population on a path to permanent residency. The article also explores a contradiction: that the administration’s “America first” ideology obscures a set of policies that impede the naturalization process, devalue US citizenship, and prioritize denaturalization. The article documents many of the ways that the Trump administration has sought to revoke legal status, block access to permanent residence and naturalization, and deny the rights, entitlements, and benefits of citizenship to certain groups, particularly US citizen children with undocumented parents. It also offers estimates and profiles of the persons affected by these measures, and it rebuts myths that have buttressed the administration’s policies.

Objective This study examined the amount of time married couples share together in a new "encore adult" life course stage around the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Also investigated was the relationship between shared time and experienced well-being for this age group. Method Time diary and survey data were used from nationally representative 2003-2014 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data for 26,303 adults aged 50-79 years. Analyses examined amount of total and exclusive shared couple time and experiences of happiness and stress when together using multivariate models. Results Shared time was positively associated with couples living on their own, conjoint employment/nonemployment, and age. Encore women and men reported feeling happier and less stressed when with their spouses. Men seemed to find time with spouses more enjoyable if both partners or just their wives were working. Discussion Encore adults are living longer as couples; results suggest couple relationships may occupy most of their days, with potentially positive implications for emotional well-being. Men and women are happier during time with a spouse when the woman works, with men reporting even higher levels of happiness than women. This is important as contemporary couples navigate increasingly complex work/retirement transitions in gendered ways.

Purpose Because segregation may shield blacks from discrimination as well as increase their exposure to concentrated poverty, its net impact on the mental well-being of black Americans is unclear. We investigated the intersection between segregation, neighborhood poverty, race, and psychological well-being. Methods Using data from the nationally representative 2008–2013 National Health Interview Survey merged with U.S. Census data, we examined the association between black–white metropolitan segregation (D-index and P-index) and psychological distress (a binary indicator based on the Kessler 6 score ≥ 13) for blacks and whites. Furthermore, we assessed whether neighborhood poverty explains and/or modifies the association. Logistic regression models were estimated separately for blacks and whites as well as for each segregation index. Results Higher D- and P-indices were associated with higher odds of psychological distress for blacks. Neighborhood poverty explained some, but not all, of the association. In models that allowed for the impact of metropolitan segregation to vary by neighborhood poverty, higher segregation was found to be detrimental for blacks who resided in high poverty neighborhoods but not for those living in low poverty neighborhoods. We found no evidence that segregation impacts the mental health of whites—either detrimentally or beneficially—regardless of neighborhood poverty level. Conclusions The impact of segregation differs by neighborhood poverty and race. The psychological harm of structural racism, resulting in segregation and concentrated poverty, is not additive but multiplicative, reflecting a “triple jeopardy” for blacks, whereby their mental health is detrimentally impacted by the compounded effects of both neighborhood distress and racial segregation.

This paper investigates returns to women’s education by applying an optimal IV selection approach, post-Lasso IV estimation, which improves the first-stage predictive relationship between an endogenous regressor and instruments. Using the 2010 American Community Survey, we find that an extra year of education increases married women’s own income by $4,480 and spouse income by $8,822. Our findings indicate that 53% of the increase in women’s consumption by education is attributed to the marriage market, and thus, we conclude that the marriage market is the primary channel through which education improves women’s well-being. The results demonstrate the advantages of the post-Lasso approach: The resulting two-stage least squares estimator maintains efficiency without increasing finite sample bias and is less subject to the inconsistency problem when some instruments are invalid; This differs from the results using the instrument of birth quarters only, which is mostly applied in studies on returns to education.

Our findings suggest that when it comes to reducing child poverty, a program without parental work requirements has the potential for the largest impact. However, policymakers may have other objectives in mind when considering expansions to public child care and preschool. For example, if reducing disparities in early learning is a primary goal, a universal program without income requirements might be more promising. As policymakers consider expanding access to early care and education, clarifying their goals is a necessary first step in weighing the trade-offs between different kinds of expansions and determining the best path forward to improve families’ economic well-being and promote the future success of California’s children.

Using American Time Use Survey (ATUS) and survey questions from ATUS’s Wellbeing Module (waves 2010, 2012, 2013), we examine if, and how, the sex of a child influence’s mother’s and father’s emotional states (feelings of happiness, stress, etc.) during childcare activities. We also examine whether parent’s emotional states during time spent with either boys or girls are associated with greater or lesser amount of time that mothers and fathers devote to a particular child’s sex. Given persistent gaps in childcare time between mothers and fathers particularly for daughters, we are especially interested in whether men who report more favorable emotions during time spent with daughters report a greater amount of time spent with them. Lastly, we assess whether the association between the sex of a child and parent’s emotional states during childcare activities varies across the age of the child, revealing unique well-being patterns for different child-stages.

The relationship between women and stability, if any, is a topic of much debate and research. Several large and influential organizations have all researched women’s effect on stability. Furthermore, several of these world organizations, the United Nations, in particular, have declared gender equality to be a driving force in promoting stability and conflict prevention. Due to the United States active involvement in conflict prevention in such regions as West Africa, research concerning the relationship between women and stability is of particular interest to the United States Africa Command. As such, this research applied Topological Data Analysis, combined with other machine learning algorithms, to Demographic and Health Survey Program data com- bined with Armed Conflict Location and Event Data so as to observe the relationship between women’s status and armed conflicts in the West African region. While this team did not observe any direct correlation between women’s well-being and stability - defined as a lack of armed conflict events - the chosen methodologies and data usage have potential implications for future research concerning stability and conflict.

Moving to Opportunity (MTO) was a housing mobility program designed to investigate neighborhood effects, the influences of the social and physical environment on human development and well-being. Some of the results from MTO have been interpreted as evidence that neighborhood effects are not as strong as earlier evidence had indicated. This Commentary discusses new research suggesting that neighborhood effects are, on the contrary, as strong and policy relevant as suspected before the experiment. This Commentary also discusses why the interpretation of the MTO data is important: If neighborhood effects drive outcomes, then addressing racial inequality requires concerted efforts beyond ending racial discrimination.

The social environment in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youths live influences health and well-being. We describe the development of the LGBTQ Supportive Environments Inventory (LGBTQ SEI), designed to quantify the LGBTQ-inclusiveness of social environments in the United States and Canada. We quantify aspects of the social environment including: (1) presence/quality of LGBTQ youth-serving organizations; (2) LGBTQ-inclusive community resources; and (3) socioeconomic and political environment. Using geographic information systems (GIS) tools, we aggregated data to buffers around 397 schools in three regions. The LGBTQ SEI can be used to assess the role of the social environment in reducing health disparities for LGBTQ youths.

Objective: This study examines whether and, if so, how the gender composition of their children influences mother’s and father’s well-being during parenting activities. Background: Despite that parents socialize and interact with girls and boys differently and spend different amounts of time with them, little attention has been paid to how gender composition of children may matter for parental well-being. Method: The analyses are based on a nationally representative sample of over 18,000 activities from nearly 9,300 parents from the 2010, 2012, and 2013 Well-being Module and American Time Use Survey. Random intercept models are used to account for the multilevel structure of the data. Results: Mothers and fathers report similar levels of happiness and meaning while parenting across different gender compositions of children, with one exception: mothers of adolescent daughters report lower meaning than mothers of adolescent sons. At the same time, both mothers and fathers report greater negative emotions (like stress or fatigue) while parenting girls than while parenting boys. These patterns can be partly explained by differences in activities that parents do with girls versus boys. Conclusion: Our study, which we contextualize in broader literature on gender stereotypes and gendered socialization and interactional processes, makes several contributions to research on gender, family, and health and identifies a key factor—gender composition of children—that moderates mothers’ and fathers’ emotional well-being while parenting.

Are people who spend more time with others always happier than those who spend less time in social activities? Across four studies with more than 250,000 participants, we show that social time has declining marginal utility for subjective well-being. In Study 1 (N = 243,075), we use the Gallup World Poll with people from 166 countries, and in Study 2 (N = 10,387) the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), to show that social time has declining returns for well-being. In Study 3a (N = 168) and Study 3b (N = 174), we employ the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to provide initial evidence for both intra-domain (principle of diminishing satisfaction) and inter-domain mechanisms (principle of satisfaction limits). We discuss implications for theory, research methodology, and practice.

The aim of this paper is twofold: (a) to define a new concept, the welfare loss that a society experiences due to the segregation of the demographic groups that comprise it and (b) to propose measures that quantify this phenomenon satisfying a set of normative properties. In aggregating the well-being losses (gains) of the groups derived for being concentrated in low-status (high-status) organizational units, this paper embraces the distributive approach adopted in the literature on economic deprivation and poverty. The advantages of these measures are shown by exploring the welfare losses that the United States has experienced from 1980 to 2012 due to occupational segregation by both gender and race/ethnicity. Our analysis shows that our measures reveal certain aspects of the phenomenon that do not emerge when using overall segregation measures. Thus, for example, while nothing seems to have changed in U.S. labor market in the last decade according to some well-known overall segregation measures, the social welfare loss due to segregation has actually increased.