Ho awarded grant to study effects of migration on life expectancy
Jan 19, 2023
Life expectancy in the U.S. has been stagnating for over a decade, with coastal and metropolitan areas experiencing life expectancy gains far above those in interior and nonmetropolitan parts of the country. A $2.6 million grant awarded to Jessica Y. Ho, associate professor of sociology and…
SSRI cofund aims to protect farmworkers from hazards in the field
Dec 1, 2022
An estimated 73% of farmworkers in the United States were born outside the country, and nearly half have no legal immigration status, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Amy Snipes, associate professor of biobehavioral health and SSRI cofunded faculty member, has spent years…
New SSRI Seminar Series kicks off Nov. 17
Nov 8, 2022
SSRI is excited to announce a new seminar series highlighting the value and impact of social science at Penn State. The first lecture will be presented by SSRI cofund and PRI Director Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography, on November 17, 12 p.m., at The Bennett…
The Russia-Ukraine war will hurt millions in Central Asia. Here's why.
Aug 8, 2022
by Guangqing Chi and Erin Hofmann, For The Inquirer The past three years haven’t been easy for Central Asian migrant workers in Russia like Murat and Aigul, a Kyrgyz couple who have worked in Moscow since 2018. In 2020, due to the pandemic lockdown in Moscow, the couple was confined for more than a…
Van Hook quoted in article on Chicago's undocumented seniors
Apr 6, 2022
SSRI cofund and PRI associate Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography in the College of the Liberal Arts, was quoted in an article about older adults in Chicago who don't have legal status and are disqualified from federally funded senior housing. Family ties are often…News Topics: Migration ResearchImmigration
New initiative on migration forming at Penn State
Apr 6, 2022
In one of the largest mass-migration flows in recent history, approximately 3.4 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine since late February. Most are women and children, and many families have been torn apart because the Ukraine State Border Guard Service has prohibited men ages 18 to 60…News Topics: Migration ResearchImmigration
Penn State social scientists anticipate Ukrainian refugees’ needs, challenges
Mar 24, 2022
In one of the largest mass migration flows in recent history, approximately 3.4 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine since late February. Most are women and children, and many families have been torn apart because the Ukraine State Border Guard Service has prohibited men ages 18 to 60…
Local law-enforcement policy may affect pediatric health care
Mar 22, 2021
Local law-enforcement of immigration policy may affect preventable hospitalization rates for children, according to new research led by a Penn State investigator. “This research shows that there is an association between these policies and the health of the entire community’s children,” said…
Hispanics live longer than most Americans, but will the US obesity epidemic change things?
Oct 16, 2020
In this article for "The Conversation", SSRI cofunds and PRI affiliates Michelle Frisco and Jenny Van Hook discuss their latest study suggesting that Hispanic immigrants will continue to enjoy longer lives than U.S.-born whites in the near future; but the life expectancy of U.S.-born Hispanics may…News Topics: Immigration
COVID-19's distinctive footprint on immigrants in the United States
May 14, 2020
Read the op-ed in The HIll, co-authored by Diana Fishbein, on the harsh reality for immigrants - while they assume valuable positions in our society, they accept lower wages and their work poses greater hazards and fewer protections against injury, including the contraction and circulation of…News Topics: COVID-19Immigration
Counting 11 million undocumented immigrants is easier than Trump thinks
Jul 19, 2019
By Jennifer Van Hook for The Conversation It is now clear that there will be no question about citizenship on the 2020 U.S. Census. After the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration, President Trump vowed to find a way to include the question. But with no legal path forward and time…
Penn State hosts second annual Summer Institute on Migration Research Methods
Jul 3, 2019
Successful research methods regarding immigration and migrant populations was the focus of the 2019 Summer Institute on Migration Research Methods, held recently at Penn State’s University Park campus. Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography and a Social Science…
Van Hook talks U.S. census on McCourtney Institute podcast
May 8, 2018
The next U.S. census won’t happen until 2020, but it’s already a hot topic of conversation as controversy builds over a proposed question on citizenship. Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography in the College of the Liberal Arts, recently discussed the implications of…
Van Hook interviewed about U.S. 2020 Census and citizenship
Apr 18, 2018
Trump officials claim they can avoid 2020 census problems caused by controversial citizenship question. Experts are very skeptical By Jeffrey Mervis, for Science Magazine The Trump administration’s plan to deal with a possible significant undercount on the 2020 U.S. census is seriously flawed,…News Topics: CensusImmigration
Sexsmith receives Roy C. Buck Award for paper on health care access
Mar 26, 2018
PRI affiliate Kathleen Sexsmith, assistant professor of rural sociology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, is the recipient of the college's 2017 Roy C. Buck Faculty Award, which recognizes the best article accepted or published by a refereed scholarly journal in the social sciences…
Why the 2020 census shouldn’t ask about your citizenship status
Feb 21, 2018
By Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography, for The Conversation “Is this person a citizen of the United States?” In Dec. 2017, the Department of Justice formally proposed adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. This question would ostensibly help to enforce…News Topics: CensusImmigration