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New Data Show One-In-Six Children Were Poor Before Covid-19 Pandemic, Jessica A. Carson, Sarah Boege

Carsey School of Public Policy

New American Community Survey (ACS) data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on September 17, 2020 show child poverty at 16.8 percent in 2019, down from 18 percent in 2018. Sub-national patterns in child poverty remain intact; for example, higher in rural and urban places than in the suburbs. Importantly, 2019 child poverty declines are likely now outdated due to the COVID-19-related recession, the effects of which may last years. For instance, child poverty had still not yet returned to pre-Great Recession rates from 2007 in all states by 2019, illustrating that recovery in child poverty can be a long …

Covid-19 Didn't Create A Child Care Crisis, But Hastened And Inflamed It, Jessica A. Carson, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this Carsey Perspective, authors Jess Carson and Marybeth Mattingly describe the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has strained the nation’s already-fragile early childhood care systems.

Child care providers are struggling to address revenue losses associated with closures, fewer enrollments, and new safety guidelines. Meanwhile, demand for formal child care is shifting in yet-unknown ways, with unemployment, telework, uncertain school reopenings for older children, and health-related concerns all playing a part.

The authors conclude that the child care system requires significant policy support to regain lost footage, but encourage policymakers to utilize the pandemic’s disruption as an opportunity to rebuild …

Affordability Challenges Drive Food Insufficiency In The Pandemic, Jessica A. Carson, Sarah Boege

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this data snapshot, authors Jess Carson and Sarah Boege find that getting food is a problem for people experiencing food insufficiency during the pandemic, but affording food is the biggest challenge.

What Do We Know About What To Do With Dams? How Knowledge Shapes Public Opinion About Their Removal In New Hampshire, Simone Chapman, Catherine M. Ashcraft, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Kevin H. Gardner

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this brief, authors Simone Chapman, Catherine Ashcraft, Lawrence Hamilton, and Kevin Gardner report the results of an October 2018 Granite State Poll that asked 607 New Hampshire residents how much they have heard, and their thoughts, concerning the question of whether older dams on New Hampshire rivers should be removed for ecological or safety reasons, or whether the dams should be kept.

Most people admitted they have not heard or read about this issue, but at the same time they agreed that dams could be removed in at least some cases. The more people heard or read about the …

The Benefits And Barriers To Living In Coös County, New Hampshire: Perceptions Of The Region From Emerging Adults, Kristine Bundschuh

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this report, author Kristine Bundschuh identifies the benefits and barriers that emerging adults, age 18–25, perceive as they make the decision to stay in, leave, or return to Coös County, New Hampshire. The main draws to living in Coös are its family and community support systems. Those with local professional and educational plans, or who have purchased a home locally, experience additional benefits. Some emerging adults say they would live in Coös if it provided the employment opportunities, diverse communities, and amenities they seek.

Innovation In Food Access Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jessica A. Carson

Carsey School of Public Policy

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered income losses and rising demand for food-related support, while social distancing requirements have complicated access to usual nutrition support sites. In response, government agencies, private retailers, nonprofit organizations, and volunteer networks are undertaking innovative efforts to ensure food access by vulnerable populations. By highlighting strategies that are unfolding in real time, this brief shares an array of potential approaches for private, public, and nonprofit stakeholders to use in deploying their resources.

Trusting Scientists More Than The Government: New Hampshire Perceptions Of The Pandemic, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Thomas G. Safford

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this brief, authors Lawrence Hamilton and Thomas Safford report that despite a dramatic increase in the incidence of COVID-19, and an evolving government response, there was no significant change between surveys taken in mid-March and mid-April in the shares of New Hampshire residents who reported they were making “major changes” in their daily routines, had low confidence in the federal government’s response, or expressed trust in information from science agencies.

Rural Areas With Seasonal Homes Hit Hard By Covid-19, Jessica A. Carson

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this data snapshot, author Jess Carson finds that rural counties where at least 25 percent of the housing units are for seasonal use are hit especially hard by COVID-19 compared with urban and other kinds of rural counties.

Views Of A Fast-Moving Pandemic: A Survey Of Granite Staters’ Responses To Covid-19, Thomas G. Safford, Lawrence C. Hamilton

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this brief, authors Thomas Safford and Lawrence Hamilton report the results of a Granite State Panel survey (March 17-26), asking New Hampshire residents about their views concerning government responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and whether they changed their daily routine because of the pandemic. They report that New Hampshire residents who approve of President Trump’s handling of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and those who regularly watch Fox News are less likely than others to have made major changes in their routines due to COVID-19. Granite Staters have polarized opinions about President Trump’s handling of the pandemic: 40 …

The Poverty-Reducing Effects Of The Eitc And Other Safety Nets For Young Adult Parents, Jessica A. Carson

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this brief, Jess Carson explores the poverty-reducing effects of key federal safety net programs among 18-24 year old (“young adult”) parents. An estimated 2.5 million very young children live with a young adult parent, with low-income children especially likely to do so. The brief finds that more than four in five young adult parents, regardless of income, participate in at least one major safety net program. Of these, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the most widely used and the most effective at reducing poverty under the Supplemental Poverty Measure, and poverty would increase by 6.7 percentage points …

Free And Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility By New Hampshire State Legislative District, Sarah Boege, Jessica A. Carson

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this brief, authors Sarah Boege and Jessica Carson translate New Hampshire free and reduced-price lunch eligibility data from the school level to the state House of Representatives legislative district level so that legislators have another resource for understanding the distribution of low-income families across the state and the extent to which child nutrition programs are especially relevant in their districts. They report that although the distribution of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) across the state follows established patterns of child and family poverty, there is significant variation by House legislative district. The House district with the …