The Turner College's Butler Center for Research and Economic Development was recently contacted by Cameron Sanders of WRBL-News3 concerning the growing trend of choosing pet ownership over parenthood in the U.S. and the economic factors contributing to delayed parenthood among younger generations. Sanders noted that according to a Harris poll survey in 2014, 43% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer having pets over children. The Director of the Butler Center, and the Sarah T. Butler Professor of Economics, Fady Mansour , indicated that much of this trend is due to the cost of child rearing in the U.S. After reviewing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on how much Americans spend on pets, Mansour state, “We spend a lot, like $180 billion a year on pets, but still it’s cheaper than education and kids and all that.” Sanders adds that while some would say raising a child is a priceless experience, some Millennials are putting a halt to the process. “Honestly, for people who know ...
Each year, United Educators shares its report on the most pressing risks facing colleges and universities. The report reflects responses from 267 colleges and universities to a survey conducted between May and October. The organization has now released its 2026 Top Risks Report: Insights for Higher Education , which is based on results from surveys conducted between May and October of 2025. This is the second part of a series by Turner Business on the findings of this year's report. As indicated in the image at left, 52% of colleges and universities view Data Security/Cybersecurity as a major risk facing higher education, enough to rank it second among the top 10 risks. One of the mitigating efforts institutions can take is to increase compensation to hire and retain cybersecurity staff . While data security is important, and this mitigation effort should be considered, institutions must do so without causing themselves to be too "top heavy" and slipping into a "ta...