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