Category Archives: trends

Demographic update: American births continue to decline

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Bryan Alexander

How are demographics changing, and what does that transformation suggest about the future? Recently the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published new data on American birthrates. While the results are not surprising to people who follow the topic, they … Continue reading →

Posted in demographics, trends | 6 Comments

Employers, hire more people without college degrees, says the New York Times

Posted on January 29, 2023 by Bryan Alexander

Do employers require too many college degrees from applicants? The New York Times now thinks so.  An editorial today – not from a single author, but from the paper’s entire editorial board – calls on employers to be more open … Continue reading →

Posted in future of education, politics, trends | 5 Comments

Another power station attack

Posted on December 26, 2022 by Bryan Alexander

Will the United States descend into civil unrest? This is a futures topic I’ve been tracking for years.  There’s a lot of data from multiple domains to follow, with various trends and stories emerging.  Today I want to update on … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, trends | 4 Comments

Modeling the decline of American Christianity

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Bryan Alexander

What does America look like if the decline in Christian belief continues? What might this mean for higher education? buy eriacta online buy eriacta no prescription generic I’ve been tracking this religious trend for a while (2021, 2019, 2017). Today … Continue reading →

Posted in demographics, politics, scenarios, trends | 3 Comments

American higher education enrollment declined again, continuing a decade-long trend

Posted on May 28, 2022 by Bryan Alexander

Enrollment in American higher education just declined.  Again. That means the total number of students taking classes in American colleges and universities during spring 2022 went down compared to the previous semester (fall 2021) and the prior spring term (2021).  … Continue reading →

Posted in enrollment, trends | 9 Comments

American life expectancy declined, mostly due to COVID-19

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

For years I’ve used a certain phrase in presentations.  It came up when I was describing modern demographics.  I would explain how lifespans have increased in developed nations, and that more people will live longer, and then want on to … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus, demographics, trends | 5 Comments

American higher education enrollment declined again this spring

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

For nearly a decade I’ve been tracking one higher education enrollment trend. Since 2012 the total number of students taking classes in American colleges and universities has declined.  It’s a steady trend, with the curve dipping down every single academic … Continue reading →

Posted in enrollment, trends | 11 Comments

American tuition discounting rose again: what that means and why it matters

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

Today I’m going to describe a key datapoint in higher education. To do so I need to explain a deep weirdness in how students pay for American college and university classes.  Many people have a hard time grasping this strange … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, higher education, trends | 7 Comments

American church membership and religious affiliation continue to decline

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

The number of Americans who belong to a church continued a steady trends of decline, according to a new Gallup poll.  This has many implications for American culture, including higher education, as I’ve noted previously. Let me summarize the poll’s highlights, … Continue reading →

Posted in demographics, trends | 6 Comments

College and university enrollment fell even more steeply this fall, continuing a long term trend

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

How is college and university enrollment currently changing as a result of fall conditions?  Have the pandemic and recession sent more people to campus? In late September the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center offered its first pass at presenting fall … Continue reading →

Posted in enrollment, trends | 2 Comments