The Time-Pressure Illusion: Discretionary Time vs. Free Time

People’s welfare is a function of both time and money. People can – and, it is said, increasingly do – suffer time-poverty as well as money-poverty. It is undeniably true that people feel increasingly time pressured, particularly in dual-earner households. But much of the time devoted to paid and unpaid tasks is over and above that which is strictly necessary. In that sense, much of the time pressure that people feel is discretionary and of their own making. Using data from the 1992 Australian Time Use Survey, this paper demonstrates that the magnitude of this ‘time-pressure illusion’ varies across population groups, being least among lone parents and greatest among the childless and two-earner couples.     

Census adjustment and the distribution of federal spending

In 1989, programs that use population counts to determine the distribution of their funds transferred $236 per capita to state and local governments. If the 1990 census were adjusted to reflect undercounting, about 40% of state and local governments would receive increased grants averaging $56 per miscounted person; other jurisdictions would lose an almost equal amount of grant money. The surprisingly small reallocations arise because 1) total funds allocated by population are essentially fixed; 2) allocations depend on other factors in addition to population; and 3) programs vary as to whether they allocate funds in direct or inverse proportion to population.     

Dynamics ofSitotroga cerealella (olivier) (lepidoptera: gelechiidae) andSitophilus zeamais motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) populations in a small bulk of stored corn

Summary The dynamics of Angoumois grain moth,Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier), and maize weevil,Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, populations breeding in a small bulk (initially 5.36 t) of shelled corn were studied over an 8-year period by monthly sampling. The weevil population showed wide fluctuations in density superimposed on a general decline with time. The moth population showed no upward or downward trend for the first 60 months, although it fluctuated widely. Following a decline that occurred between 56 and 60 months, the moth population fluctuated within a much narrower range, and there was a general decrease in density with time. The decline of the weevil population paralleled deterioration of the corn as did that of the moth population after ca 60 months, and the decline of both species probably resulted from increasing scarcity of suitable breeding sites. Both populations exhibited seasonal variation in density with minima in late summer and early fall, following periods of adversely high temperatures in the storage shed. The populations increased during the fall, leveled off or declined slightly during the winter months, and then increased to maximum levels in late spring or early summer. It thus appears that high temperatures had a greater adverse effect on the populations than low temperatures. The grain moth and the maize weevil both tended to be randomly dispersed at low population levels and moderately aggregated at intermediate and high levels, although the degree of aggregation was not correlated with population density when low population levels were considered separately, and the maize weevil showed a greater tendency for aggregation than did the grain moth. Analysis of individual samples at fixed points in time showed a conspicuous bias for negative correlation between numbers of the two species within sampling quadrats, suggesting a tendency for the two species to segregate within the grain mass. This process could have resulted from behavioral differences or from the destruction of one species by the other. Competitive displacement of the grain moth by the maize weevil has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments but has rarely been observed under natural conditions, and in our study the two species coexisted for 8 years in a relatively small grain bulk.     

Editorial: Rich country,poor people

Editorial: Rich country, poor people     

Population undercount and social science research

The undercount problem in the decennial census has important implication for social science research based directly or indirectly on census data. Because undercount rates (or coverage rates) vary by age, race, residence, and other factors typically studied in social research, important conceptual difficulties arise in using census results to corroborate sampling frames or to validate survey results. Differential undercount, particularly for analyses based on small areas, could produce substantial variability in prevalence rates in cases where the denominators for those rates are derived from the census. Several examples where the undercount problem arises in social science research, including survey research, are considered. The adjustment problem—whether to adjust, how to adjust, and how much to adjust—is also considered from the point of view of social sicence research.     

The Contemporary Marriage and Fertility Revolutions in the West the Explanations Provided by Australian Participants

The last half century has witnessed both in Australia, and elsewhere in the West, first a “baby boom” (and marriage boom) and then a “baby bust” (and marriage bust). Economists, demographers, sociologists and social historians, especially in America, have developed theories to explain these phenomena. Presented to the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America, New Orleans, 21–23 April 1988.     

Advancing Research on LGBTQ Microaggressions: A Psychometric Scoping Review of Measures

ABSTRACT

Understanding the nature and consequences of LGBTQ microaggressions is critical to fostering equity and wellbeing among sexual and gender minorities. Yet little guidance is available for researchers seeking psychometrically robust measures of subtle LGBTQ slights, invalidations, and insults. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review of multi-item quantitative measures that included at least one question addressing LGBTQ microaggressions. This article reports the study characteristics and psychometric properties of 27 original measures we identified and their subsequent adaptations. The article concludes with an assessment of strengths and limitations of LGBTQ microaggression measurement, highlighting aspects of measurement innovation on which future researchers can build. As microaggressions remain a powerful and underexplored mechanism of sexual and gender minority oppression, this review will help to both advance methodological quality in this critical research area and enhance our understanding of how microaggressions manifest in the lives of LGBTQ individuals.     

Expression and ambivalence over expression of negative emotion:psychometric analysis in the Women's Health Initiative

Inhibition of emotional expression has been associated with the incidence and progression of breast cancer and other chronic illnesses. Others have theorized that it may not be repression itself, but rather ambivalence over the expression of emotions that is the important health-related factor. The Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a long-term, national study focusing on disease prevention among postmenopausal women, is unique in its assessment of expression and ambivalence of negative emotion in a large study sample of multiethnic, older women. Psychological factors such as expression of negative emotion and ambivalence about expression of emotion are also determined by social patterning. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the instruments used to measure each construct and variation across race/ethnicity and age. The analysis suggests that the scales can be used with confidence in diverse ethnic and age groups. Examining ambivalence about expression of negative emotion in future longitudinal research will further elucidate its role in predicting disease incidence and recovery, both important in reducing the public health burden of chronic disease.     

Motor Vehicles in China: The Impact of Demographic and Economic Changes

While China's transportation sector is relatively small compared to other nations—both in absolute terms and relative to the size of the population—the nation is currently experiencing one of the highest annual motorization growth rates in the world. This rapid growth has raised both excitement among business leaders over the potentially enormous market for automobiles and concern among environmentalists over their further impact on the global environment. This paper examines the influence of population growth, increased urbanization, and economic development on the rapid growth of motor vehicles in China, and considers their implications for future motor vehicle growth in the country.