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University Relations Tip Sheet - November 4, 2003

New-age marketing: Selling to seniors
The key to successfully selling products and services to senior citizens is marketing them in a non-stigmatizing way, says George Moschis, a Georgia State University professor of marketing. As the size of the senior-citizen market grows, so does its importance to marketers, says Moschis, a well-known pioneer in the research of marketing to elderly adults. "The senior market has a lot more buying power than people give it credit for," he says. America is now home to more than 35 million adults age 65 or older, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This number will shoot up to more than 70 million as the baby-boom generation reaches age 65 from 2010 to 2030. Contact Moschis at 404-651-4177 or gmoschis@gsu.edu.

White Americans have skewed view of U.S. demographics
White people in the United States have a distorted view of the country's racial composition - and we have televised news and sports to thank for it, according to Georgia State University sociologist Charles Gallagher. His research shows that the typical white American believes the United States is at least 30 percent black -- almost three times the actual percentage of the country's population. Most Americans get their news from television stations located in nearby cities, which may have more blacks than in rural areas. Also, Americans follow football, which is dominated by black athletes, more closely than any other sport. Consequently, whites see a disproportionately large number of blacks on television and develop an inflated view of the size of the black population, Gallagher says. Whites may falsely equate their notions of size with power, assuming that blacks are faring well and that racial disparities have been reduced. The study was published in the July 29 issue of Sociological Perspectives. For more information, contact Gallagher at 404-651-1853 or soccag@langate.gsu.edu.

Researcher: Internet could breed dangerous sex addictions
As more people use the Internet to meet others and begin relationships, it could also open the door to dangerous sexual behaviors, says a researcher in Georgia State University's College of Education. The availability of sex partners on the Internet and relative anonymity of the Web can lead to sexual compulsion in some individuals, says Brian Dew, an expert in addictions and human sexuality. "The Internet is like playing Russian roulette - it becomes an artificial boundary that prevents you from taking responsibility," says Dew, an assistant professor of counseling. In a study of more than 500 gay and bisexual men, Dew examined the role the Internet plays in sexual behavior, drug use, social networks and internalized homophobia, among other issues. Results showed that men identified as "sexually compulsive" - those who had met 15 or more sexual partners through the Internet in the last year - were more likely to engage in risky sex, even if they knew they were HIV positive, and had a higher rate of drug use than other participants. Contact Dew at 404-651-3409 or bdew@gsu.edu.

U.S. economy on the road to recovery?
The national economy appears to be surging, with faster growth during the past quarter than at any time since 1984. Gross domestic product, the chief measure of economic activity, recently jumped 7.2 percent, the federal government reports. But is the economy ready for a complete recovery? Rajeev Dhawan, director of Georgia State University's Economic Forecasting Center, isn't so sure. The healthy GDP report won't necessarily lead to new jobs, he says. A recent Federal Reserve study showed that among universities, Dhawan is the most accurate predictor of the nation's economy. Contact Dhawan at 404-867-2286 or rdhawan@gsu.edu.

Whose opinion counts?
Legitimate pollsters have become innocent casualties in the public's war against telemarketing, according to a Georgia State University expert. "Do not call" lists, along with answering machines, caller identification and call blocking, have left researchers wondering who really responds to opinion polls. How have cell phones and answering machines changed the face of American opinion by making some people easier for pollsters to reach than others? Charlotte Steeh, associate professor of public administration and urban studies at Georgia State, researches survey methodology and trends in the willingness of adults to participate in surveys. "So much of the information that we have about people's hopes and their well-being come from telephone surveys," says Steeh. "We base public policy on these things as well, and if they're not accurate, then we're doing ourselves a disservice." Contact Steeh at 404-651-3539 or cgsteeh@gsu.edu.

Happening at Georgia State University:

Photo exhibit celebrates International Education Week
The Office of International Affairs/Study Abroad Programs will sponsor the grand opening of its annual "Crossing Paths, Crossing Cultures" international photo exhibit as part of International Education Week at 3 p.m. Nov. 17 in Georgia State's Student Center Ballroom. The opening reception and awards ceremony features a performance by Soweto Street Beat, a South African dance group. The fourth annual exhibit captures the journeys of U.S. students who have studied abroad as well as the experiences of international students studying here. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lisanne Hardin, study-abroad advisor, at 404-654-5819 or lhardin@gsu.edu.

Book signing, poetry reading commemorate World War II
Ernest G. Welch, a 97-year-old Georgia State University student whose World War II-era photographs are featured in the latest issue of Five Points literary magazine, will sign complimentary copies of the publication at 3 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Georgia State University Gallery lobby (corner of Peachtree Center Ave. and Gilmer St.). David Bottoms, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and Georgia's poet laureate, also will present a reading from his poetry about World War II. Five Points is published by Georgia State's Department of English and Creative Writing Program. Contact Cathy Byrd, gallery director, at 404-651-0489 or Megan Sexton, managing editor of Five Points, at 404-651-0071.

Performances deal with death, grief
Georgia State University's University Theatre and Dance Ensemble will perform "The Soldier Dreams," by Canadian actor-playwright Daniel MacIvor, followed by a brief dance concert, "The Soldier Dreams Dream Ballet," at 8 p.m. Nov. 13-15 and 20-22, and at 5 p.m. Nov. 16 and 23, in the Alumni Hall Theater (30 Courtland St.). "The Soldier Dreams" is a darkly comic look at life, death and grief; the ballet is a response to the play. Performances are free and open to the public. Due to subject matter and language, the event is recommended for mature audiences. For more information, contact Frank Miller, instructor of communication, at 404-651-0463 or frnklin@mindspring.com.

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