Index of Child Well-Being The Foundation for Child Development Index of Child WellBeing (CWI) 1975 to 2002 with Projections for 2003 A Social Indicators Project Supported by the Foundation for Child Development Kenneth C. Land, Ph.D., Project Coordinator Duke University Index of Child Well-Being What is the CWI? • A composite measure of trends over time in the quality of life, or well-being, of America’s children and young people. • It consists of several interrelated summary indices of annual time series of 28 social indicators of well-being. Index of Child Well-Being The Objective of the CWI: • To give a sense of the overall direction of change in the well-being of children and youth in the United States as compared to 1975. Index of Child Well-Being The CWI is designed to address the following questions: • Overall, on average, how did child and youth well-being in the United States change in the last quarter of the 20th century? • Did it improve or deteriorate, and by how much? • In which domains or areas of social life? Index of Child Well-Being • • • • For specific age groups? For particular race/ethnic groups? For each of the sexes? And did race/ethnic group and sex disparities increase or decrease? Index of Child Well-Being Methods of Index Construction • Annual time series data (from vital statistics and sample surveys) have been assembled on some 28 national level indicators in seven quality-of-life domains. – – – – – Material Well-Being Health Safety/Behavioral Concerns Productive Activity (Educational Attainments) Place in Community (Participation in Schooling or Work Institutions) – Social Relationships (with Family and Peers) – Emotional/Spiritual Well-Being Index of Child Well-Being • These seven domains have been wellestablished in over two decades of empirical research on subjective well-being by numerous social psychologists and other social scientists. • In this sense, the CWI is an evidence-based measure of trends in averages of the social conditions encountered by children and youths in the United States. Index of Child Well-Being • Each of the 28 Key Indicators is indexed by percentage change from the base year, 1975. – That is, subsequent annual observations are computed as percentages of the base year. – Three indicators being in the mid-1980s and use corresponding base years. • The base year is assigned a value of 100. – The directions of the indicator values are oriented such that a value greater (lesser) than 100 in subsequent years means the social condition measured has improved (deteriorated). Index of Child Well-Being • The time series of the 28 indicators are grouped together into the seven domains described above and domain-specific summary well-being indices are constructed. – Within these summary indices, each indicator is equally weighted. • The seven component indices are then combined into an equally-weighted summary index of child and youth well-being. Index of Child Well-Being Significant Findings • The following charts show changes over time in the CWI and its various components. – Overall Index of Child Well-Being – Domain Specific Indexes • Obesity, Single Parent Families, Poverty, Criminal Offending and Victimization, Teenage Birth Rates, and Suicide – Race Specific Indexes Index of Child Well-Being Figure 1. The FCD Index of Child Well-Being, 1975 - 2002, with Projections for 2003 106 104 102 100 98 96 94 92 90 88 20 03 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 19 75 86 Index of Child Well-Being Figure 2. Domain-Specific Indices of Child and Youth Well-Being, 1975-2001, with Projections through 2003. 150 140 Material Well-Being 130 120 Safety/Behavioral Concerns Educational Attainments Place in Community 110 100 90 Social Relationships 80 Emotional/Spiritual Well-Being 70 Year 20 03 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 60 19 75 Percent of Base Year Health Index of Child Well-Being Figure 2.1. Health Domain with and without Obestiy Indicator, 1975 to 2002, with Projections for 2003. 125 120 110 105 Health Domain with Obesity Indicator 100 Health Domain without Obesity Indicator 95 90 85 Year 20 03 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 80 19 75 Percent of Base Year 115 Index of Child Well-Being Figure 2.2. Violent Crime Victimization and Offender Rates, 1975-2001, with Projections through 2003. 140 Violent Crime Victimization, Ages 12-17 Violent Crime Offenders, Ages 12-17 100 80 60 40 20 Year 20 03 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 0 19 75 Rate per Population Unit 120 Index of Child Well-Being Figure 2.3. Suicide Rates, Ages 10 to 19, 1975-2001,with Projections through 2003. 6.5 5.5 5 4.5 4 Year 20 03 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 3.5 19 75 Rate per Population Unit 6 Index of Child Well-Being Figure 3. Race/Ethnic Group-Specific Summary Indices of Child and Youth Well-Being,1985 2001. 114 112 110 106 104 White Black 102 Hispanic 100 98 96 Year 20 01 20 00 19 99 19 98 19 97 19 96 19 95 19 94 19 93 19 92 19 91 19 90 19 89 19 88 19 87 19 86 94 19 85 Percent of Base Year 108 Index of Child Well-Being Conclusions • The overall well-being of children and youth in the United States showed substantial improvement for the seven years from 1994 to 2000. – These improvements continued in 2001, and are likely to continue through 2003, but at a slower pace. • However, historically, the CWI showed a decline in well-being for a number of years in the 1980s and reached low points in 1993 and 1994. – These declines mirror economic restructuring, recessions, and demographic changes. • Only since 1999 has the CWI improved to above 1975 levels. Index of Child Well-Being Conclusions (cont.) • A number of Key Indicators have had a significant impact on the CWI: – – – – – – Obesity Single Parent Families Poverty Criminal Offending and Victimization Teenage Birth Rates Suicide Index of Child Well-Being Conclusions (cont.) • Although children and youth in the United States are currently faring better than they did in 1975, they could be doing much better. – If the CWI is calculated using the best value for all 28 Key Indicators its value would be some 15 to 20 percent higher than the value observed in 2001. Index of Child Well-Being The CWI on the Web: http://www.soc.duke.edu/~smeadows/ cwi/cwi_webpage/ Index of Child Well-Being Appendix Figure A-1. Percent of Children Ages 0 to 17 Living in Families Below the Poverty Line, 1975 - 2002, projected for 2003. 24 22 Percent 20 18 16 Year 20 03 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 19 75 14 Index of Child Well-Being Appendix Figure A-2. Percent of Female-Headed Families with Children Ages 0 to 17 Living Below the Poverty Line, 1975 2002. 50 48 46 42 40 38 36 34 Year 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 32 19 75 Percent 44 Index of Child Well-Being Appendix Figure A-3. Percent of Children Ages 0 to 17 Living in Female-Headed Single-Parent Families, 1975 2002. 25 24 23 22 20 19 18 17 16 Year 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 15 19 75 Percent 21 Index of Child Well-Being Appendix Figure A-4. Teenage Birth Rate, Ages 10 to 17, 1975 - 2002, Projected for 2003. 22 18 16 14 12 Year 20 03 20 01 19 99 19 97 19 95 19 93 19 91 19 89 19 87 19 85 19 83 19 81 19 79 19 77 10 19 75 Rate Per Population Unit 20