Millennials vs. Gen Xers: A Time Use Study

How is daily time use different for today's younger adults versus those a generation ago? That is the question posed by Bureau of Labor Statistics' economist Michelle Freeman in the Monthly Labor Review. Analyzing data from the American Time Use Survey, Freeman compares the time use of Gen Xers in 2003, when they were aged 23 to 38, with the time use of Millennials aged 23 to 38 in 2019. 

Some things have not changed. Work, for example, took up just as much time on an average day for Millennials in 2019 as it did for Gen Xers in 2003. On an average day, 56 percent of Millennials and 55 percent of Gen Xers worked. On days worked, both Millennials and Gen Xers logged an average of 7.7 hours of labor. 

Some things changed in ways you might expect. Millennials in 2019 spent less time than Gen Xers did in 2003 caring for and helping household members. "This difference between the generations is driven by a decline in the share of women who spent time providing childcare—47 percent of millennial women spent time caring for household children on an average day, compared with 55 percent of Generation X women," Freeman explains. The reason for this difference: Millennials are less likely to live in households with children because of delayed marriage and childbearing. 

Here's another "makes sense" kind of change: Millennial men spend more time than Gen X men did playing games. Millennial men spend an average of 28 minutes a day playing video games versus the 10 minutes Gen X men devoted to the activity. "This increase in the time men spent playing games across generations mirrors the growth observed in the video gaming industry over time," Freeman notes. 

Some of the differences in time use are unexpected, such as the fact that Millennials are significantly more likely to care for animals and pets on an average day. In 2003, only 10 percent of Gen Xers cared for pets on an average day. In 2019, a larger 17 percent of Millennials cared for pets. The Millennial penchant for pets is one reason why overall pet spending soared in the past two decades. Households headed by 25-to-34-year-olds in 2003 spent $239 annually on pets, reports Freeman ($332 in 2019 dollars). Households headed by 25-to-34-year-olds in 2019 spent a much larger $522 on pets—a 57 percent increase, after adjusting for inflation. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Time Use of Millennials and Generation X: Differences Across Time

Pessimism on the Rise among Small Businesses

The 51 percent majority of the nation's small businesses are pessimistic about when, if ever, their operations will recover from the coronavirus pandemic—the highest level in nearly a year, according to the Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey fielded January 10-16, 2022. The last time so many small businesses were this pessimistic about their future was nearly a year ago in late February/early March of 2021.

Among the 51 percent of small businesses with a gloomy outlook, 38 percent say it will be at least 6 months before their operations return to what they were before the pandemic. Another 12 percent say their operations will never return to normal, and 1 percent say they have closed down. Omicron seems to have convinced a record share of small businesses that the pre-pandemic normal is gone forever. The percentage of small businesses that say their operations will never return to pre-pandemic levels had been in the single digits during most of the pandemic. The share climbed to 12 percent in early December 2021 and has been at that level ever since. 

The Census Bureau has been asking small businesses about their expectations nearly every week since April 26-May 2, 2020. Small business pessimism peaked at 56.6 percent in August 2020. Pessimism began to recede as Covid vaccines became widely available in the spring of 2021, falling to a low of 40.0 percent in June 2021. But the delta and then the omicron variants have driven pessimism back up above the 50 percent mark. 

Small Business Pessimism

(percent of small businesses expecting a return to normal operations in more than 6 months, never, or the business has closed, for selected dates)

51.3% (latest data) January 10-16, 2022

40.0% (2021 low) June 14-20, 2021        

56.6% (all time high) August 9-15, 2020

51.8% (first time above 50 percent) May 17-23, 2020       

37.6% (first time asked) April 26-May 2, 2020 

Source: Census Bureau, Small Business Pulse Survey

The Covid Situation as 2022 Begins

It should be over by now, right? Unfortunately, we're still in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic. The first batch of 2022 results from the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, fielded December 29-January 10, reveal just how deeply we are mired in Covid troubles...

• The number of Americans aged 18 or older who have been diagnosed with Covid climbed to 57 million in January, up from 45 million in early December. As of January 10, nearly one in four adults (23 percent) say they have been diagnosed with Covid.
• Fully 85 percent of adults have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. Fewer than half (43 percent) have received three or more doses (booster), but this is up from 33 percent in early December. 
• 17 million say they "will definitely not" get a Covid vaccine, 2 million fewer than in early December. That's progress, right?
• Among the nation's parents with school-aged children, just 57 percent say their children have gotten a Covid vaccine. 
• More than one-third (38 percent) of parents with children under age 5 report that their child has been unable to attend day care or another childcare arrangement in the past four weeks because of Covid safety concerns.
• Among adults who had planned to take classes from a post-secondary institution this term, nearly one in five (18 percent) canceled those plans.  
• The number of Americans who ate indoors at a restaurant in the past seven days fell to the lowest level since the Census Bureau first asked this question last summer. 
• As of January 18, 2022, Covid has killed 853,230 people in the United States, according to the CDC's Covid Data Tracker.

Source: Census Bureau, Week 41 Household Pulse Survey: December 29, 2021—January 10, 2022

Prepare to be Shocked

How common is it for young people to be pulled into the criminal justice system by the time they are adults? This is the question posed by a study published in the journal, Demographic Research. The authors of the study analyzed data from the Transition to Adulthood Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to determine the cumulative risk of arrest from childhood to age 26 by race and Hispanic origin, gender, and parental education. The findings are shocking...

Cumulative risk of arrest by age 26 by highest level of parental education

	high school	some college	college or more
MALES
Black	60%	65%	39%
Non-Hispanic white	39%	38%	24%
FEMALES
Black	28%	31%	10%
Non-Hispanic white	24%	19%	12%

The numbers are astounding regardless of gender or race. But for young Black males with parents who do not have a college degree, the findings are devastating. The great majority have been arrested by age 26.

The researchers also examined the risk of incarceration by age 26. Among Black males with parents who have no more than a high school diploma, more than one-third (38 percent) had been incarcerated by age 26. The figures are 30 percent among Black males whose parents have some college and 14 percent among those whose parents are college graduates. The comparable figures for non-Hispanic white males are 20, 15, and 8 percent. 

"This study provides evidence of the prominent but highly unequal role of the criminal legal system in the lives of young people," conclude the researchers. The evidence provides "much needed context for understanding the role of the criminal legal system in shaping inequalities in young people's trajectories of health, development, and life chances."

Source: Demographic Research, Volume 46, Article 5, Early Life Patterns of Criminal Legal System Involvement: Inequalities by Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Parental Education

How Much Did Inflation Affect You?

The consumer price index climbed 7.0 percent in 2021, the largest annual increase since 1981, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. But for many items, the increase was much lower. Here is the percent change in consumer prices for selected categories of goods and services...

Percent change in the consumer price index, December 2020 to December 2021 

49.6%: gasoline

37.3%: used cars and trucks

24.1%: meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

11.8%: new vehicles

  9.0%: tobacco and smoking products

  7.4%: household furnishings

  7.0%: all items

  6.5%: food at home

  6.0%: food away from home

  5.0%: fruits and vegetables

  4.1%: shelter

  3.3%: recreation

  2.3%: alcoholic beverages

  2.2%: medical care

  2.0%: education

  1.4%: airline fares

  0.0%: prescription drugs

So, if you're a vegetarian who drives an electric car you've had for years, inflation is not so bad. If you're a meat-eater who drives a used Ram pickup truck purchased in 2021, ouch.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index: 2021 in Review

Tech Spending Surged during the Pandemic

The pandemic has been good to Apple. As the coronavirus swept through the country in the early months of 2020, Apple's market cap climbed to $2 trillion by August of that year—the first company to ever hit the $2 trillion mark. As the coronavirus made itself at home in 2021, Apple's market cap continued to soar, briefly hitting $3 trillion on January 3, 2022.

If you're wondering how Apple turned the pandemic into profits, wonder no more. Americans have been in a tech-buying frenzy during the past two years, according to an AARP survey. Among adults under age 50, fully 83 percent purchased at least one new tech item in 2021. Among those aged 50 or older, the figure was 70 percent—down slightly from the 72 percent who purchased new tech in 2020, but still far above the 51 percent who did so before the pandemic in 2019. 

Overall, Americans aged 50 or older spent an average of $821 on new tech items in 2021. Adults under age 50 spent an average of $1,234. What did they buy? Take a look...

Percent buying selected tech items in the past year, by age

	18 to 49	50-plus
Smartphone	37%	30%
Headset/ear buds	34	23
Smart TV	25	20
Laptop computer	21	16
Tablet computer	17	15
Wearable device	17	12
Gaming system	15	5
Home assistant	10	9
Smart home cleaning device	5	5

Source: AARP, 2022 Tech Trends and the 50-Plus

How Many Books Have You Read?

Two different surveys of book reading trends show conflicting results. Recently, both Pew Research Center and Gallup asked Americans aged 18 or older how many books they had read in the past 12 months.

Pew's results showed no change in the number of books read: "Americans read an average (mean) of roughly 14 books during the previous 12 months...identical to 2011." 

Gallup's results showed a decline in the number of books read: "Americans say they read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, a smaller number than Gallup has measured in any prior survey."

What explains the discrepancy? The difference may be due to the way each organization posed the question...

• Gallup respondents were asked the following: "During the past year, about how many books did you read, either all or part of the way through?" 
• Pew respondents were asked, "During the past 12 months, about how many books did you read either all or part of the way through? Please include any print, electronic, or audiobooks you may have read or listened to."

The difference in the survey results is likely due to Pew's inclusion of audiobooks in the wording of its question, reminding respondents to count books they had listened as well as those they had read. According to Pew's survey, 31 percent of adults listened to an audiobook in the past 12 months, up from 27 percent in 2019. Some of this reading may have been missed by Gallup's question, which perhaps explains the decline in Gallup's number. 

Source: Demo Memo analysis of Pew Research Center's Three-in-Ten Americans Now Read E-Books and Gallup's Americans Reading Fewer Books than in Past

January 6: Insurrection, Protest, or Unfortunate Event?

Was it an insurrection, a protest, or an unfortunate event? That's the question asked by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll in a recent survey. 

"When it comes to the events on January 6th, when a crowd entered the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, and disrupted the election certification process, which of the following best reflects your thoughts?" Overall, the 49 percent plurality of Americans call it an insurrection. A smaller 25 percent believe "it was a political protest protected under the first amendment." A wishy washy 19 percent say "it was an unfortunate event but in the past, so no need to worry about it anymore." Here are the percentages who believe it was an insurrection by demographic characteristic... 

"It was an insurrection and a threat to democracy" (percent agreeing)

95% of Biden supporters

89% of Democrats

66% of college graduates

61% of people who live in the Northeast

61% of big city residents

59% of Gen Z/Millennials

56% of suburban residents

53% of women

52% of nonwhites

51% of small city residents

50% of people who live in the West

49% of whites

49% of older Americans (75-plus)

48% of Boomers

47% of people who live in the South

45% of men

44% of people who live in the Midwest

43% of small town residents

42% of Latinos

39% of those without a college degree

39% of Gen Xers

31% of rural residents

10% of Republicans

  8% of Trump supporters

When asked about the Select Congressional Committee's hearings to investigate the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, the 62 percent majority of Americans believe the investigation is appropriate. Thirty-five percent call it a witch hunt. 

Source: NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll: One Year Since the Unrest at the U.S. Capitol, January 2022

A Forgettable Year

The final mortality statistics for 2020 were recently released by the National Center for Health Statistics. They document what we already know—2020 was a very bad year...

• Life expectancy fell 1.8 years between 2019 and 2020, to 77.0 years. 
• The overall age-adjusted death rate climbed 16.8 percent, to 835.4 deaths per 100,000 population (up from 715.2 in 2019).
• The age-adjusted death rate increased for both males and females. 
• The age-adjusted death rate increased for Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites. 
• The death rate increased in every age group 15 and older between 2019 and 2020. The biggest increase in the death rate occurred in the 25-to-44 age group (up 24 percent).
• The age-adjusted death rate increased for 6 of the 10 leading causes of death: heart disease, unintentional injuries, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and influenza/pneumonia. 
• Between 2019 and 2020, the death rate increased the most for unintentional injuries. 
• Many unintentional injury deaths are drug overdoses. 
• The age-adjusted death rate from drug overdoses increased 31 percent between 2019 and 2020. 
• The death rate from drug overdoses increased in every age group between 2019 and 2020. 
• The drug overdose death rate is highest for people aged 25 to 44, which is also the age group whose death rate increased the most in 2020. 

It wasn't just Covid creating all the misery in 2020, but Covid may be why so many other things got worse. When all the numbers are in for 2021, it is likely to have been just as bad a year as 2020. Let's hope 2022 is better.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Mortality in the United States, 2020 and Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999–2020

Suspicious and Misinformed

When it comes to Covid, suspicious and misinformed are words that describe millions of Americans—especially those who live in rural areas. Rural residents are much more likely than urban residents to say they "definitely won't" get a Covid vaccine, according to a KFF survey fielded in November. More than one in five (21 percent) adults in rural areas say they definitely won't get a vaccine versus 16 percent of suburban residents and 8 percent of adults in urban areas. 

Among parents with children under age 18, the rural-urban gap is even larger...

Parents with children aged 12 to 17 who say they definitely won't get their child vaccinated

Rural: 53%

Suburban: 29%

Urban: 20%

Parents with children aged 5 to 11 who say they definitely won't get their child vaccinated

Rural: 49%

Suburban: 27%

Urban: 22%

One reason for the heightened resistance among rural parents is their belief that the vaccine is not safe. Among parents in rural areas, 65 percent of those with children aged 12 to 17 and an even larger 71 percent of those with children aged 5 to 11 are "not too/not at all confident" in the safety of Covid vaccines. Most rural parents, in fact, think the bigger risk to their child's health is the vaccine itself rather than Covid.

Parents with children aged 12 to 17 who say the bigger risk to their child's health is the vaccine 

Rural: 60% 

Suburban: 40% 

Urban: 25% 

Parents with children aged 5 to 11 who say the bigger risk to their child's health is the vaccine

Rural: 53% 

Suburban: 44% 

Urban: 28% 

Source: KFF, KFF Covid-19 Vaccine Monitor: Differences in Vaccine Attitudes between Rural, Suburban, and Urban Areas