The US is facing an aging population, falling birth rate and economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. These issues will have huge implications on the size of the workforce and the consumer base. Watch the video to find out why America could be confronting an underpopulation problem and what business leaders and policymakers can do about it.
Category Archives: Society
Aging: ’80-Year Olds On Happiness In 2021′ (Video)
Does your grandparent hold the secret to a happier New Year? Because Americans over 80 years old report feeling happier than any other age group, we asked them to share their wisdom as 2021 begins during a time of challenge and uncertainty. These elders include cannabis comedian Tommy Chong, a psychologist, a transgender burlesque performer, and a 90-year-old nudist who lets it all hang out. Self-Evident: A PBS American Portrait Miniseries seeks to answer the question: what does it really mean to be an American today? Join our hosts — Dr. Ali Mattu, a licensed therapist and clinical psychologist and YouTuber behind “The Psych Show,” as well as Danielle Bainbridge, Ph.D., historian and the writer/creator of PBS’s “The Origin of Everything” — as they explore the lives of real Americans, living during this unprecedented moment in time.
Documentary: ’31 Days In March 2020′ – The Month Coronavirus Unraveled American Business (Video)
March 2020 began on a high note for American business and ended with the economy in tatters This WSJ documentary goes behind-the-scenes to reveal how the coronavirus pandemic ripped through American business during the month of March 2020 — told through the firsthand accounts of 12 prominent executives. When the coronavirus tore through industry, commerce and society in March 2020, the U.S. economy came to a screeching halt. Top executives relive the tough decisions they made as they scrambled to weather the storm. Photo Illustration: Adele Morgan/The Wall Street Journal
Salaries: Why American Teachers Earn Much Less Than Other Professions
Teachers earn nearly 20% less than other professionals with similar education and experience, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In many states, their wages are below the living wage, forcing teachers to seek secondary jobs to supplement their income or leave the profession all together.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of remote learning, the challenges faced by educators has become increasingly demanding. Some organizations are trying to redesign teacher pay structures in some of the 13,500 public school districts nationwide. Watch the video above to learn more about why teachers are paid so little and how to fix that.
Transportation: ‘Covid-19 And The Bike Boom’ (Video)
Bikes have been a hot ticket item during the Covid pandemic as more people look for recreational activities and outdoor transportation. With more bikes and other forms of micromobility on the road, transportation experts say the moment is prime for a transit upheaval in the United States. Here’s how the Covid bike boom could change the way Americans get to work and around major cities.
Retail Shopping: ‘How 2020 Is Reshaping Black Friday’
For years, one of the biggest days of the holiday shopping season was Black Friday. But in 2020, that could change. The coronavirus pandemic is fast-tracking big changes in retail that were already underway, pushing consumers into a digital future.
Illustration: Jacob Reynolds/WSJ
New Science Podcasts: Covid-19 And The Decline Of Prison Populations
Staff Writer Kelly Servick joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss how jail and prison populations in the United States have dropped in the face of coronavirus and what kinds of scientific questions about public health and criminal justice are arising as a result.
Videos: “College-Town Economies Brace for Covid-19 Blow” (WSJ)
The coronavirus has pushed nearly half of U.S. colleges and universities into some degree of remote learning, a change that’s sending shock waves through small college town economies. WSJ’s Carlos Waters explains.
Health Infographics: How “Strong HVAC Airflows Spread Covid-19 Indoors”
From McKinsey & Company (July 9, 2020):
The World Health Organization recently acknowledged that some evidence about in-room transmission is worrisome. In addition, after analyzing a transmission event at a restaurant in China, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that an asymptomatic patient transmitted the virus to families at two nearby tables.
Based on the restaurant layout, seating arrangements, and smear samples from air-conditioning inlets and outlets, the CDC found that the coronavirus was likely transmitted when strong airflows from a nearby air conditioner spread large droplets from the infected person. These droplets traveled more than one meter—further than usual, but less than the distance aerosols can typically travel.
Health & Consumers: “How Coronavirus Is Changing Grocery Shopping” (WSJ)
Will the coronavirus pandemic lead to long-term changes in how we shop for food? To better understand the challenges facing grocery stores, WSJ’s Alexander Hotz spoke with an industry insider, a store owner and a Walmart executive.
Boomers Daily 