Introduction Tens of millions of Americans turn to the Internet when they need help with health problems. Health professionals are often apprehensive about the reliability of online health information and wonder how consumers can possibly find good advice in the untamed wilderness of the Internet. In an environment where any quack can create a credible-looking […]
The long-term effects of the recession will likely depress employment and incomes in Hispanic communities at least through the end of 2004, and judging from historical experience that time span will be longer than for any other major population group. Even if predictions of a turnaround later this summer prove valid, pocketbook issues will vex Latinos for several years after the national economy recovers. Second-generation Latinos–U.S.-born children of an immigrant parent– are now experiencing high job losses. In recent recessions Hispanic unemployment has fallen hardest on low-skilled immigrants. This time, young people who are the products of U.S. schools are experiencing the highest unemployment rates among Latinos. Many work in skilled occupations, including managers, technicians and professionals, and many are in the early years of household formation. Prolonged joblessness could prove a historic setback for them, their communities and the nation.
The questions that naturally follow are about the future: Do these changes in the news agenda represent some long-term transformation? When the war subsides and the threat against America from terrorism is perceived to be less imminent, will the nightly news and the morning news return to a pre-September 11th definition of normalcy? In short, […]
To understand the scope of the change in the morning news agenda, it is useful to understand what the network morning news programs had become. By June 2001, the morning news shows devoted a significant proportion of their time to selling products. To put it perhaps a little bluntly, they had become, at least for […]
Introduction and Summary Reports of new anthrax cases in New York and elsewhere are not raising public anxiety or further demoralizing Americans. Reports of depression, sleeplessness and concern over renewed terrorism have not increased following the news on Oct. 12 that an NBC employee had been infected with anthrax. In the wake of those reports, […]
Introduction and Summary The public’s worries over terrorism have declined since mid-October, despite government warnings of new attacks and recurring anthrax incidents. But this decrease in concern is not being felt uniformly across the country, and is not associated with greater confidence in the government’s ability to deal with the terrorist threat. If anything, Americans […]
Introduction and Summary The American public is beginning to recover from the shock of the terrorist attacks – but it still has a long way to go. As many as 42% report that they have felt depressed in recent days because of the events of September 11, 21% say they continue to have difficulty concentrating […]
Most See Need to Sacrifice Liberties Even more than was the case after the 1995 terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City, Americans think it will be necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to combat terrorism. A majority (55%) say the average person will have to give up some freedoms in order to prevent […]
Introduction Every day people go online to get information about a medical condition or symptom, fill a prescription, get an insurance quote, participate in a chat room, or fill out a health assessment. All of these activities involve the exchange of information with or without the consent of the individual, and with or without their […]