The Consumer Sentiment Index in the United States stood at 51 in November 2025. This reflected a drop of 2.6 point from the previous survey. Furthermore, this was its lowest level measured since June 2022. The index is normalized to a value of 100 in December 1964 and based on a monthly survey of consumers, conducted in the continental United States. It consists of about 50 core questions which cover consumers' assessments of their personal financial situation, their buying attitudes and overall economic conditions.

In 2025, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for medical professional services in the United States was at 432.46, compared to the period from 1982 to 1984 (=100). The CPI for hospital services was at 1,102.12.

Around 64 percent of U.S. consumers spend less on non-essentials amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis in 2023. This is according to a survey conducted by We are Social and Statista Q, which shows that rising inflation rates have caused around a similar percentage of customers to pay more attention to bargains, good deals, or offers (when going shopping). Furthermore, around 39 percent of U.S. consumers do not go out for dinner/lunch anymore to deal with the situation.

The cost of living is spiraling. Prices are going up, household expenses are rising, and the U.S. inflation rate reached a 40-year record high in 2023. Many consumers are looking for new ways to deal with this situation and refer to social media for support. So, which social media platforms have the most helpful content to deal with the current cost of living crisis in the U.S.? According to an exclusive survey by We Are Social and Statista Q, around 61 percent of TikTok users in the United States find helpful content there. Coming on number second is YouTube, as 56 percent of YouTube users find life hacks, tricks, money saving tips and other suitable advice to deal with inflation in 2023.

According to an April 2023 survey by We Are Social and Statista Q, 40 percent of U.S. consumers feel highly affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis, whereas only 6 percent don't feel affected at all.

YouTube and TikTok are the most popular social networks among Generation X for finding helpful content on the cost of living crisis in the United States in 2023. While 56 percent of YouTube users state they find helpful content there, it's 47 percent among TikTok users respectively.

This statistic illustrates the most popular social networks among Millennials for finding the most relevant content on the cost of living crisis in the United States in 2023. According to a survey by We Are Social and Statista Q, 61 percent of Millennials who use TikTok find the most relevant content over there, followed by another 59 percent of the consumers who use YouTube.

This statistic illustrates the most popular social networks among Gen Z for finding helpful content on the cost of living crisis in the United States in 2023. According to our survey, 75 percent of the Gen Z consumers who use TikTok find helpful content there.

Around 41 percent of U.S. Baby Boomers who use YouTube find helpful content on the cost of living crisis there. Facebook (35 %) claims the second spot on this list, followed by Foursquare and Tumblr.

Income Share Agreement Market Outlook

According to our latest research, the global Income Share Agreement (ISA) market size reached USD 3.1 billion in 2024, reflecting the rapid adoption of alternative educational financing models worldwide. The market is expected to expand at a robust CAGR of 17.8% from 2025 to 2033, with the forecasted market size projected to reach USD 13.2 billion by 2033. This impressive growth trajectory is underpinned by the increasing demand for flexible, performance-based funding mechanisms in education and professional training, particularly as traditional student loan models face scrutiny and reform across major economies.

A major growth factor driving the Income Share Agreement market is the rising cost of higher education and the growing student debt crisis, especially in developed markets such as the United States and parts of Europe. As tuition fees soar and the burden of student loans becomes unsustainable for many, ISAs offer a compelling alternative by aligning repayment with employment outcomes and actual income. This model not only reduces the immediate financial pressure on students but also incentivizes educational institutions to deliver programs that are closely aligned with labor market needs. As a result, ISAs are increasingly being embraced by universities, coding bootcamps, and vocational training providers seeking to differentiate themselves and attract a broader pool of learners.

Another significant growth driver is the expansion of the ISA market beyond traditional higher education into vocational training, coding bootcamps, and professional certification programs. The proliferation of short-term, skills-based learning pathways has created a fertile ground for ISAs, as learners seek to upskill or reskill in response to shifting workforce demands. Private companies and non-profit organizations are also entering the market, offering tailored ISA products for diverse professional and technical fields. This diversification is fueling innovation in ISA contract structures, repayment terms, and risk-sharing mechanisms, further accelerating market growth and adoption.

The digital transformation of the education sector is also playing a pivotal role in the expansion of the Income Share Agreement market. The rise of online learning platforms and the increasing use of data analytics in student outcomes tracking have enabled more precise and scalable ISA models. Advanced technologies are allowing providers to better assess risk, customize repayment terms, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. This, in turn, is boosting investor confidence and attracting new sources of capital to the market, thereby supporting the development of sustainable ISA ecosystems across regions.

From a regional perspective, North America currently dominates the ISA market, accounting for the largest market share in 2024, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The United States remains the epicenter of ISA innovation and adoption, driven by a large student population, a dynamic edtech ecosystem, and a pressing need for financing reform. However, significant growth opportunities are emerging in Europe, where regulatory frameworks are evolving to support alternative finance models, and in Asia Pacific, where rapid expansion in higher education and professional training is creating new demand for flexible funding solutions. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are also witnessing increased interest in ISAs, particularly among students and professionals seeking access to global job markets.

Type Analysis

The Income Share Agreement market can be segmented by type into Tuition Income Share Agreements, Living Expense Income Share Agreements, and Hybrid Income Share Agreements. Tuition ISAs remain the most prevalent, as they directly address the escalating costs of college and university tuition. By offering students the option to pay a percentage of their future income instead of upfront tuition fees, educational institutio

Abstract

By the middle of the 1990s, Indonesia had enjoyed over three decades of remarkable social, economic, and demographic change and was on the cusp of joining the middle-income countries. Per capita income had risen more than fifteenfold since the early 1960s, from around US$50 to more than US$800. Increases in educational attainment and decreases in fertility and infant mortality over the same period reflected impressive investments in infrastructure.

In the late 1990s the economic outlook began to change as Indonesia was gripped by the economic crisis that affected much of Asia. In 1998 the rupiah collapsed, the economy went into a tailspin, and gross domestic product contracted by an estimated 12-15%-a decline rivaling the magnitude of the Great Depression.

The general trend of several decades of economic progress followed by a few years of economic downturn masks considerable variation across the archipelago in the degree both of economic development and of economic setbacks related to the crisis. In part this heterogeneity reflects the great cultural and ethnic diversity of Indonesia, which in turn makes it a rich laboratory for research on a number of individual- and household-level behaviors and outcomes that interest social scientists.

The Indonesia Family Life Survey is designed to provide data for studying behaviors and outcomes. The survey contains a wealth of information collected at the individual and household levels, including multiple indicators of economic and non-economic well-being: consumption, income, assets, education, migration, labor market outcomes, marriage, fertility, contraceptive use, health status, use of health care and health insurance, relationships among co-resident and non- resident family members, processes underlying household decision-making, transfers among family members and participation in community activities. In addition to individual- and household-level information, the IFLS provides detailed information from the communities in which IFLS households are located and from the facilities that serve residents of those communities. These data cover aspects of the physical and social environment, infrastructure, employment opportunities, food prices, access to health and educational facilities, and the quality and prices of services available at those facilities. By linking data from IFLS households to data from their communities, users can address many important questions regarding the impact of policies on the lives of the respondents, as well as document the effects of social, economic, and environmental change on the population.

The Indonesia Family Life Survey complements and extends the existing survey data available for Indonesia, and for developing countries in general, in a number of ways.

First, relatively few large-scale longitudinal surveys are available for developing countries. IFLS is the only large-scale longitudinal survey available for Indonesia. Because data are available for the same individuals from multiple points in time, IFLS affords an opportunity to understand the dynamics of behavior, at the individual, household and family and community levels. In IFLS1 7,224 households were interviewed, and detailed individual-level data were collected from over 22,000 individuals. In IFLS2, 94.4% of IFLS1 households were re-contacted (interviewed or died). In IFLS3 the re-contact rate was 95.3% of IFLS1 households. Indeed nearly 91% of IFLS1 households are complete panel households in that they were interviewed in all three waves, IFLS1, 2 and 3. These re-contact rates are as high as or higher than most longitudinal surveys in the United States and Europe. High re-interview rates were obtained in part because we were committed to tracking and interviewing individuals who had moved or split off from the origin IFLS1 households. High re-interview rates contribute significantly to data quality in a longitudinal survey because they lessen the risk of bias due to nonrandom attrition in studies using the data.

Second, the multipurpose nature of IFLS instruments means that the data support analyses of interrelated issues not possible with single-purpose surveys. For example, the availability of data on household consumption together with detailed individual data on labor market outcomes, health outcomes and on health program availability and quality at the community level means that one can examine the impact of income on health outcomes, but also whether health in turn affects incomes.

Third, IFLS collected both current and retrospective information on most topics. With data from multiple points of time on current status and an extensive array of retrospective information about the lives of respondents, analysts can relate dynamics to events that occurred in the past. For example, changes in labor outcomes in recent years can be explored as a function of earlier decisions about schooling and work.

Fourth, IFLS collected extensive measures of health status, including self-reported measures of general health status, morbidity experience, and physical assessments conducted by a nurse (height, weight, head circumference, blood pressure, pulse, waist and hip circumference, hemoglobin level, lung capacity, and time required to repeatedly rise from a sitting position). These data provide a much richer picture of health status than is typically available in household surveys. For example, the data can be used to explore relationships between socioeconomic status and an array of health outcomes.

Fifth, in all waves of the survey, detailed data were collected about respondents¹ communities and public and private facilities available for their health care and schooling. The facility data can be combined with household and individual data to examine the relationship between, for example, access to health services (or changes in access) and various aspects of health care use and health status.

Sixth, because the waves of IFLS span the period from several years before the economic crisis hit Indonesia, to just prior to it hitting, to one year and then three years after, extensive research can be carried out regarding the living conditions of Indonesian households during this very tumultuous period. In sum, the breadth and depth of the longitudinal information on individuals, households, communities, and facilities make IFLS data a unique resource for scholars and policymakers interested in the processes of economic development.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Communities
• Facilities
• Households
• Individuals

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Because it is a longitudinal survey, the IFLS3 drew its sample from IFLS1, IFLS2, IFLS2+. The IFLS1 sampling scheme stratified on provinces and urban/rural location, then randomly sampled within these strata (see Frankenberg and Karoly, 1995, for a detailed description). Provinces were selected to maximize representation of the population, capture the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of Indonesia, and be cost-effective to survey given the size and terrain of the country. For mainly costeffectiveness reasons, 14 of the then existing 27 provinces were excluded. The resulting sample included 13 of Indonesia's 27 provinces containing 83% of the population: four provinces on Sumatra (North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, and Lampung), all five of the Javanese provinces (DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, DI Yogyakarta, and East Java), and four provinces covering the remaining major island groups (Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, and South Sulawesi).

Household Survey:

Within each of the 13 provinces, enumeration areas (EAs) were randomly chosen from a nationally representative sample frame used in the 1993 SUSENAS, a socioeconomic survey of about 60,000 households. The IFLS randomly selected 321 enumeration areas in the 13 provinces, over-sampling urban EAs and EAs in smaller provinces to facilitate urban-rural and Javanese-non-Javanese comparisons.

Within a selected EA, households were randomly selected based upon 1993 SUSENAS listings obtained from regional BPS office. A household was defined as a group of people whose members reside in the same dwelling and share food from the same cooking pot (the standard BPS definition). Twenty households were selected from each urban EA, and 30 households were selected from each rural EA.This strategy minimized expensive travel between rural EAs while balancing the costs of correlations among households. For IFLS1 a total of 7,730 households were sampled to obtain a final sample size goal of 7,000 completed households. This strategy was based on BPS experience of about 90% completion rates. In fact, IFLS1 exceeded that target and interviews were conducted with 7,224 households in late 1993 and early 1994.

IFLS3 Re-Contact Protocols The sampling approach in IFLS3 was to re-contact all original IFLS1 households having living members the last time they had been contacted, plus split-off households from both IFLS2 and IFLS2+, so-called target households (8,347 households-as shown in Table 2.1*) Main field work for IFLS3 went on from June through November, 2000. A total of 10,574 households were contacted in 2000; meaning that they were interviewed, had all members died since the last time they were contacted, or had joined another IFLS household which had been previously interviewed (Table 2.1*). Of these, 7,928 were IFLS3 target households and 2,646 were new split-off households. A 95.0% re-contact rate was thus achieved of all IFLS3 "target" households. The re-contacted households included 6,800 original 1993 households, or 95.3% of those. Of IFLS1 households, somewhat lower re-contact rates were achieved in Jakarta, 84.5%, and North Sumatra,

In August 2025, nine percent of survey respondents said that the most important problem facing the United States was the high cost of living and inflation. Another 24 percent said that the government and poor leadership was the most serious concern for the nation.

Natural gas costs for U.S. households are expected to see a 21 percent year-on-year increase in the winter of 2022/23. This would make natural gas the fuel most affected by the 2022 energy and cost of living crisis. Supply issues arising from the Russia-Ukraine war have seen global energy prices grow significantly throughout the year. Although the U.S. is the world's largest producer of natural gas, sanctions on Russian imports have nevertheless impacted prices at home. The inherent price volatility of natural gas and other fossil fuels is among the chief reasons for a worsening inflation, which has led to a cost of living crisis and concerns over rising energy poverty and insecurity.

In an August 2025 survey on domestic travel in the United Kingdom, 22 percent of respondents planned to spend less on eating out during domestic overnight trips in the next six months due to the cost of living crisis. Choosing cheaper accommodation and looking for more free activities were other popular strategies planned by domestic travelers for saving money.

As of May 2023, the hourly wage of anesthesiologists employed in the United States ranged from around 107 U.S. dollars per hour to around 219 U.S. dollars per hour, by state. Nebraska had the highest hourly wage for anesthesiologists in the United States, whereas South Carolina had the lowest.

According to a survey conducted in 2022, ** percent of adults said that vocational training or other professional certification programs were definitely worth the price, more than other higher education institutions. Undergraduate education at private universities, for-profit, was perceived by adults as the least likely to be worth the price out of the other types. The student debt crisis In the United States, the amount of outstanding student loan debt has skyrocketed in the last few years, ultimately outpacing all other forms of household debt. As of the first quarter of 2024, Americans owed over **** trillion U.S. dollars in student loans, likely influenced by increasing college tuition prices at a time of rising living costs and little wage growth. By the 2020/21 academic year, the average cost of attending a four-year postsecondary institution in the U.S. reached over ****** U.S. dollars, a price which may triple for Americans attending private and non-profit schools. In that same year, the average student debt for a bachelor's degree in totaled almost ****** U.S. dollars, depicting an increase in the amount of Americans taking on larger debts to attend higher education - an agreement which ultimately leads to an even greater outstanding balance from accrued interest. Despite a three-and-a-half-year pause on monthly student loan payments during the COVID-19 pandemic which aimed to alleviate the economic burden faced by over ** million borrowers, most Americans still struggle to afford these payments. Cutting out college costs As the cost of college - and the resulting student debt - remains on the rise in the U.S., more and more university graduates have been found to be struggling financially, often having difficulty affording bills and other living expenses. Such financial hardships have also caused significant disruption to the lives of younger Americans, with a 2022 survey showing that around a ******* of Gen Z were unable to save for retirement or emergencies and had to delay homeownership and having children due to their student debt. Consequently, debates have arisen over whether the benefits of higher education still exceed the costs in the U.S., with many beginning to doubt that getting a college degree is worth the financial risk. While tuition costs remain at an all-time high, it is probable that financing a college degree may be detrimental for those Americans who have fewer resources and are unable to fund higher education without going into a significant amount of debt.

The travel price index (TPI) published by the U.S. Travel Association includes data on the changes in the consumer price index (CPI) of travel and tourism services in the United States, such as airline fares, lodging, and recreation. In 2023, the TPI went up by 2.5 percent compared to the previous year, while the CPI experienced year-over-year growth of 4.1 percent. As forecast, the TPI and CPI are expected to increase by 1.3 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, in 2024 over the previous year.

Inflation is generally defined as the continued increase in the average prices of goods and services in a given region. Following the extremely high global inflation experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, global inflation has been relatively stable since the turn of the millennium, usually hovering between three and five percent per year. There was a sharp increase in 2008 due to the global financial crisis now known as the Great Recession, but inflation was fairly stable throughout the 2010s, before the current inflation crisis began in 2021. Recent years Despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the global inflation rate fell to 3.26 percent in the pandemic's first year, before rising to 4.66 percent in 2021. This increase came as the impact of supply chain delays began to take more of an effect on consumer prices, before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated this further. A series of compounding issues such as rising energy and food prices, fiscal instability in the wake of the pandemic, and consumer insecurity have created a new global recession, and global inflation in 2024 is estimated to have reached 5.76 percent. This is the highest annual increase in inflation since 1996. Venezuela Venezuela is the country with the highest individual inflation rate in the world, forecast at around 200 percent in 2022. While this is figure is over 100 times larger than the global average in most years, it actually marks a decrease in Venezuela's inflation rate, which had peaked at over 65,000 percent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, Venezuela experienced hyperinflation due to the government's excessive spending and printing of money in an attempt to curve its already-high inflation rate, and the wave of migrants that left the country resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in recent years. In addition to its economic problems, political instability and foreign sanctions pose further long-term problems for Venezuela. While hyperinflation may be coming to an end, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the economy, how living standards will change, and how many refugees may return in the coming years.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2024. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 116.2 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

In case prices for goods and services go up significantly in 2023, over ** percent of consumers around the world said they would shop less in general and cut down on spending as a response. A fifth of survey respondents said they would look for and purchase cheaper and better value products. Less than **** percent of those surveyed worldwide believed inflation would be unlikely to impact their habits. What does inflation look like? The world entered a new inflation crisis in 2021, driven by a confluence of factors including the COVID-19 pandemic which restricted global supply chains, and the Russian-Ukraine war which exacerbated food and energy shortages. In 2022, global inflation hit **** percent, the highest annual increase in decades. The rate of inflation is estimated to remain high in the near future, at around *** percent in 2023 and *** percent in 2024. Inflation dominated the list of most important problems facing the world according to a survey conducted in October 2023 – leading ahead of poverty and social inequality, crime and violence, and unemployment. In a global consumer trends survey, the majority of respondents said that inflation impacted them completely or a lot – for instance, ***** in ** respondents in the United States admitted they had been seriously impacted. Inflation’s impact on the holidays The end-of-year holiday season is typically regarded as a period of increased retail spending, driven by a series of major shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as the public holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, inflation has put a damper on the holiday cheer, with consumers expressing their intentions to cut back spending amid the cost-of-living crisis. In 2022, a significant share of consumers in Europe said they planned to cut at least some related expenses. In fact, ** percent of respondents in the United Kingdom planned to cut all expenses related to Black Friday and Christmas.