Skip to section navigation
Skip to page content

RAND > Topics >

Life Skills

Featured

Commentary

Why More Young Workers Are Relying on Financial Help from Parents

Aug 31, 2017

As today's young adults grapple with a difficult job market, high tuition costs, and rapidly rising rents, parents are increasingly providing financial support and other forms of assistance.
Article

How to Increase Immunity to Truth Decay

May 16, 2018

Americans have always held differing views about policy issues. But more and more, they disagree about basic facts. This is a symptom of what RAND calls “Truth Decay,” and it's doing severe damage to democracy in the United States.

Explore Life Skills

Research Brief

Many Americans Follow Nontraditional Paths to Retirement

Most U.S. seniors don't follow the “standard” pattern of retirement. For example, many stay in full- or part-time posts past age 70. Health and economic factors, cognitive abilities, and personality traits can shape Americans' retirement paths.

Jul 30, 2018
Commentary

Truth Decay, America's Latest Pastime

Detailed data and complex analysis are the foundation of decisionmaking in baseball and many other professions and occupations. But facts are out of favor in current U.S. political and civil discourse, and the public policymaking that accompanies it.

Jul 12, 2018
Commentary

In Reckoning with Today's Truth Wars, Look to America's Past

The declining regard for factual evidence may be a defining characteristic of our current age. Previous eras suggest it is within society's power to restore respect for objective facts. Humankind just needs to put it on the agenda.

Jun 19, 2018
Multimedia

Truth Decay and Trust in Institutions

In this Events @ RAND podcast, the Pew Research Center's Carroll Doherty joins RAND's Jennifer Kavanagh for a discussion about the causes and consequences of Truth Decay and declining trust in institutions.

Jun 7, 2018
Multimedia

Truth Decay: A Narrated Video

"Truth Decay" is the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life. RAND is studying the causes and consequences of this phenomenon, and how they are interrelated. We invite other research organizations and individuals to join us in finding potential solutions and responses.

May 16, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Cognitive Ability, Personality, and Pathways to Retirement: An Exploratory Study

This paper explores the utility of two prominent psychological variables - cognitive ability and personality - as predictors, while also substantially expanding the detail with which retirement pathways can be characterized.

Apr 3, 2018
Commentary

Open Science and a Culture of Health: You Two Should Talk

By working together, the Culture of Health and Open Science movements could increase their potential to accelerate the use of scientific evidence to address impediments to population health and collective well-being.

Mar 7, 2018
Commentary

The Diminishing Role of Facts in American Public Life

Without agreement about objective facts and a common understanding of and respect for data and analytical interpretations of those data, it becomes nearly impossible to have the types of meaningful policy debates that form the foundation of democracy.

Jan 17, 2018
Project

Truth Decay: Fighting for Facts and Analysis

RAND is studying “Truth Decay”—the diminishing reliance on facts and analysis in American public life. Truth Decay presents a threat to both evidence-based policymaking and democracy. RAND invites fellow researchers and engaged stakeholders to join our efforts to find solutions.

Jan 16, 2018
Research Brief

Truth Decay: A Threat to Policymaking and Democracy

The line between fact and fiction in American public life is blurring. This “Truth Decay” phenomenon affects democracy and political and civil discourse, driving wedges between policymakers and neighbors alike. But research and analysis can serve as a launching point to rein Truth Decay in.

Jan 16, 2018
Report

Declining Trust in Facts and Institutions Imposes Costs on Society

“Truth Decay” is the diminishing reliance on facts and analysis in American public life. It has many damaging consequences: the erosion of civil discourse, political paralysis, alienation and disengagement from political and civic institutions, and uncertainty over U.S. policy.

Jan 16, 2018
Project

Behavioral Finance (BeFi) Forum Promotes Research on Consumer Behavior

The RAND Behavioral Finance (BeFi) Forum is a collective of academic, financial, and government leaders who meet regularly in person and via web seminars to foster cutting-edge behavioral research for practical application. BeFi's mission is to help consumers make better financial decisions.

Oct 24, 2017
Commentary

Why ACA Enrollees Need Support After They Sign Up

Providing support for Affordable Care Act enrollees to connect with care they are happy with can help minimize the risk that they will stop seeking routine health care.

Oct 11, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Visual Tools and Narratives: New Ways to Improve Financial Literacy

Our results suggest that educational programs that engage the user emotionally or physically and involve vicarious experience rather than text-based or passive educational programs are key for making gains in both financial literacy and confidence in financial knowledge.

Oct 6, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Five Steps to Planning Success: Experimental Evidence from US Households

In this paper, we designed and evaluated a financial education programme that demonstrably increased participantsâ€™ objective knowledge and self-efficacy.

Apr 13, 2017
Journal Article

Antibiotics Prescribed as Often During Telemedicine Appointments as In-Person Visits

Patients treated for acute respiratory infections by a doctor on a telephone or live video are as likely to be prescribed an antibiotic as those treated in person. However, patients treated virtually are more often prescribed a broad-spectrum antibiotic, which is concerning because overuse of the drugs increases costs and contributes to antibiotic resistance.

Mar 28, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Perceived Risk of Avian Influenza and Urbanization in Northern Vietnam

Backyard poultry raisers in urban, peri-urban, and rural settings in north Vietnam tend to perceive the highest risk of bird flu in settings where they do not live, which may decrease precautions they take to manage and prevent disease.

Mar 16, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Prevalence and Correlates of Use of Safer Conception Methods in a Prospective Cohort of Ugandan HIV-affected Couples with Fertility Intentions

Among a sample of Ugandan couples with an HIV-positive partner who hope to conceive, about one-third used a "safer" conception method such as timed unprotected intercourse to reduce HIV transmission, but only about half were aware of such methods.

Mar 16, 2017
Report

Report

Combining Entrepreneurship and Web Development for High School Students: A Pilot Evaluation of the Startup Tech Program and High School Students' College and Career Aspirations

This pilot evaluation of Startup Tech assesses whether 12th-grade students experienced either improved self-efficacy or changes in their college and career plans during the year in which they were in the program.

Jan 6, 2017

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Next