UCLA Luskin and Clemson University scholars authored an article in The Conversation about their recent research showing that Americans are spending more and more time at home — a trend seen not just since the COVID-19 era but for most of this century. On the whole, Americans are spending nearly 1.5 hours less outside their homes in 2023 than they did in 2003, write UCLA Luskin Urban Planning Professor Brian D. Taylor, PhD student Sam Speroni of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies and Clemson University Professor Eric A. Morris, who earned his master’s and doctorate of urban planning at UCLA Luskin. This has major implications for traffic, public transit, real estate, the workplace, socializing and mental health. “Because hunkering down appears to be the new norm, we think it’s all the more important for policymakers and everyday people to find ways to cultivate connections and community in the shrinking time they do spend outside of the home,” they write. The research has been highlighted in several media outlets, including Perspective Living magazine.