Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Fri, Jul 17 1992 Date: Fri, 17 Jul 92 05:16:17 EDT Message-ID: 07-17 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update July 17-19, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network FEWER ADULTS GETTING MARRIED: Fearing divorce and hoping to establish successful careers, fewer adults are getting married, and those who do are waiting until they are older, according to a Census Bureau report to be released Friday. The census annual analysis of marital status and living arrangements found that people who have never been married made up one of the fastest-growing segments of the population. (For more, see special Marriage package below.) CABLE TO GET MORE COMPETITION: Make way to receive TV programs over your phone line. Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to let local phone companies transmit cable TV directly to homes in direct competition with cable TV systems. If Congress approves, the phone companies also could own up to 5% of the TV programs they transmit. TRANSMISSION CAN COME BY 1995: FCC Chairman Al Sikes says the landmark decision to allow TV shows to come via phone - spurred by a 50% jump in cable TV rates since 1986 - will lead to what futurists have called a "glittering communications mosaic." Phone firms could offer: Programming on demand; TV bulletin boards; and high-definition TV. Phone companies say they could begin transmission by 1995. HOMEOWNERS IN MORTGAGE FRENZY: Consumers are taking advantage of the lowest mortgage interest rates in 20 years. The Mortgage Bankers Association reports applications for home loans soared 71% last week from the week ended July 3. Refinancings accounted for most of the gain. The average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages is now at 8.13%. PEN-BASED SYSTEMS ARE HOT: Pen-based personal computer systems are the hottest segment of the PC industry now. Mouse Systems says pen-based systems are attacting millions of dollars in venture-capital funding. But they're expensive - about $6,000. Mouse Systems is giving people a hand - or at least an inexpensive pen. The Fremont, Calif.-based-pen maker has come out with PenMate for $349. AT&T GIVES AWAY CASH: The latest strategy to pull long-distance customers has AT&T giving away money. The telephone giant is sending MCI Communications and Sprint customers checks for $10, $20 or $50 along with a notice: If the check is cashed, AT&T will take customers' service from its rivals. MCI's popular Friends and Family calling plan has sparked a fierce battle in the market. COMPANIES WANT NAME ON ART: An eccentric combination of art, sponsorship and numerology is attracting marketer interest in five European cities. In Rome, Paris, Vienna, London and Berlin, 1,123 companies are being asked to pay $139 to get their name on a piece of art. The typographical masterpiece was created by Neville Brody. S&P DOWNGRADES SHRINK: The pace of downgrades by Standard and Poor's is slowing. In the first half of last year, Standard and Poor's downgraded 424 companies. That compares to 238 this year. Upgrades are on the rise. There were 86 in the first half of last year compared to 132 this year. Standard and Poor's raises or lowers its credit rating on company bonds based on the company's financial health. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON MARRIAGE: STATISTICS ARE `REMARKABLE': In 1991, the number of people who never married jumped to 41 million - nearly double the 21 million counted in 1970. The proportion of married persons among all adults declined from 72% in 1970 to 61% in 1991. Barbara Foley Wilson, a demographer with the National Center for Health Statistics, says "This indicates a basic trend that is just totally remarkable." MEDIAN MARRIAGE AGE UP: Among women, the median age for first marriages in 1991 was 24.1 - up from 20.8 in 1970. Among men, the median marriage age was 26.3 in 1991 compared with 23.2 in 1970. Demographers attributed the trend, which has been building since 1970, to a career-driven society weary of divorce. Marriages are also delayed because people are spending more time in school. PEOPLE BRACED FOR DIVORCE: The fear of divorce has led to more people than before to live with their potential spouses before getting married, Wilson said. "We have a generation of people braced for divorce," she said. "There's been so much said about divorce and the instability of marriage that it worries people, and they just don't have the same confidence about living happily ever after. (End of package.) Trends & Marketing Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM