NCJ Number
172155
Date Published
1997
Length
72 pages
Annotation
In an effort to inform public policy and heighten public awareness regarding social conditions in Connecticut, this study developed an Index of Social Health for the State, which provides a measure of the State's social performance.
Abstract
Each indicator of the Index represents an important area: health, employment, income, education, security, and psychological well-being. The indicators for children are infant mortality and child abuse; the indicators for youth are suicide, high school completion, and teenage births; the indicators for adults are unemployment, average weekly wages, and health care costs; for all ages, the indicators are violent crime, affordable housing, and income variation. Regarding child abuse, rates have worsened substantially over time. In 1995, 52 out of every 1,000 Connecticut children were referred in cases of child abuse, a dramatic increase from previous years. Child abuse occurs most often among the youngest of the State's children, those ages 5 and under. Regarding safety and crime, 64 percent of Connecticut residents perceive that the average Connecticut resident lives in safety. Twenty-five percent of residents did not go somewhere at night during the past year because of concerns for their safety. Overall, between 1970 and 1995 the Index of the Social Health of Connecticut declined from 65 to 44.5 out of a possible 100. After declining in 9 of the 10 previous years, the social health of Connecticut increased slightly in 1995. Extensive graphic data and 57 references