Sociology Commons^™

Implementing Just Climate Adaptation Policy: An Analysis Of Recognition, Framing, And Advocacy Coalitions In Boston, U.S.A., Jeffrey T. Malloy, Catherine Ashcraft, Paul Kirshen, Thomas G. Safford, Semra Aytur, Shannon H. Rogers

Faculty Publications

Cities face intersectional challenges implementing climate adaptation policy. This research contributes to scholarship dedicated to understanding how policy implementation affects socially vulnerable groups, with the overarching goal of promoting justice and equity in climate policy implementation. We apply a novel framework that integrates social justice theory and the advocacy coalition framework to incrementally assess just climate adaptation in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. Boston made an ambitious commitment to address equity as part of its climate planning and implementation efforts. In this paper, we evaluate the first implementation stage over the period 2016–2019 during which Boston developed coastal resilience …

U.S. Fertility Up Slightly, But 8.6 Million Fewer Births Long Term, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this data snapshot, Carsey Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson reports that National Center for Health Statistics data for 2021 show a slight increase in births, rising 1.5 percent from the 2020 level which was a 40-year low. Even with the uptick, the 3,659,000 births in 2021 were the third fewest in 40 years. There is little to suggest a substantial increase in fertility rates in the short term, though preliminary data suggest that births in the first three months of 2022 were higher than in early 2021 when COVID first impacted births.

Contemporary trends continue a birth decline that began …

Growing Racial Diversity In Rural America: Results From The 2020 Census, Kenneth M. Johnson, Daniel Lichter

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, authors Kenneth Johnson and Daniel Lichter report that although population declines were widespread between 2010 and 2020, rural America became more racially and ethnically diverse. In part, the recent uptick in racial diversity in rural America is a consequence of White population decline.

Rural America remains predominately non-Hispanic White with 35 million White residents constituting 76 percent of the rural population according to the 2020 Census. This represents a decline from 79.8 percent in 2010. The number of rural residents who are members of a racial or ethnic minority increased to 11 million between 2010 and 2020, …

Conspiracy Vs. Science: A Survey Of U.S. Public Beliefs, Lawrence C. Hamilton

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, author Lawrence Hamilton reports the results of a nationwide U.S. survey that asked respondents whether they agreed, disagreed, or were unsure about a series of statements that mixed pseudo-science con­spiracy claims with well-established scientific facts.

Around 10 percent of respondents agreed with conspiracy claims that the Earth is flat, NASA faked the Moon landings, or COVID-19 vaccinations implant tracking microchips. For comparison, 58 to 83 percent agreed with statements of basic scientific facts—such as the Earth is billions of years old, or revolves around the Sun. Although agreement with conspiracy claims was low overall, it was significantly …

"Daylight Maximizing" Time For All, Rebecca Ray

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Twice a year debates erupt across the continen­tal United States: should we keep Daylight Savings Time or leave it behind for­ever? The only preference with widespread agree­ment is against changing clocks, one way or the other. Perhaps all of the participants in this perennial argu­ment have a common opponent: not each other, but the time zone lines as they are currently drawn.

Keeping Daylight Savings year-round would bring unreasonably late sunrises in Detroit and other cities in the Northwest corners of our current time zones, creating morning traffic hazards for pedestrians. But Standard Time brings winter sunsets before 5 p.m. …

More Coffins Than Cradles In 2,300 U.S. Counties: Covid's Grim Impact, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, Carsey Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson reports that COVID’s impact is reflected in the sharp rise in U.S. deaths, reaching 3,434,000 between July 2020 and July 2021. This is a record high and 20 percent more than two years ago before the COVID pandemic. Births diminished to just 3,582,000, the fewest since 1979. The primary driver of U.S. population growth has long been the substantial surplus of births over deaths. This surplus has now dwindled to just 148,000, compared to 923,000 two years ago—an 84 percent decline. With immigration also at a low ebb, the population grew by …

Rural America Lost Population Over The Past Decade For The First Time In History, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief Carsey Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson examines rural demographic trends between 2010 and 2020 using data from the 2020 Census. The economic turbulence beginning with the Great Recession and continuing through the next decade had a significant demographic impact on rural America. Between 2010 and 2020 rural population loss was widespread, with more than two-thirds of all nonmetropolitan counties losing population. With fewer births, more deaths, and more people leaving than moving in, rural America experienced an overall population loss for the first time in history. Population losses were greatest in remote rural counties, but even in rural …

Research-To-Practice, Prevention Innovations Winter Newsletter, Prevention Innovations Research Center

PIRC Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Childcare Remains Out Of Reach For Millions In 2021, Leading To Disproportionate Job Losses For Black, Hispanic, And Low-Income Families, Jonathan Koltai, Jessica A. Carson, Tyrus Parker, Rebecca Glauber

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, collected in late summer through the fall of 2021, this brief documents recent racial and income disparities in reports of inadequate access to childcare and identifies the employment-related consequences of these shortages.

The authors find that, in Fall 2021, about 5 million U.S. households had a child under age 12 who was unable to attend childcare as a result of it being closed, unavailable, unaffordable, or because parents were concerned about their child’s safety in the past month. Black and low-income households were more likely to experience inadequate childcare access. …

Smallest U.S. Population Growth In History: More Deaths, Fewer Births, And Less Immigration, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, author Kenneth Johnson reports that the U.S. population grew by just 393,000 between July of 2020 and July of 2021 according to new Census Bureau estimates—the lowest rate of annual population gain in history and the smallest numeric gain in more than 100 years. Diminished immigration from abroad contributed, but the driver of this minimal population gain was that there were only 148,000 more births than deaths. This is the smallest natural gain in more than 80 years. COVID-19 played a central role in this small population gain. In addition to 475,000 deaths directly attributable to COVID-19 …

New Census Reflects Growing U.S. Population Diversity, With Children In The Forefront, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, author Kenneth Johnson reports that the U.S. population grew by a modest 7.4 percent during the past decade to 331.4 million in April 2020. Yet, there was significant variation in the rate and direction of population change among the numerous racial and Hispanic origin groups that together represent the U.S. population. The net result was a significant increase in racial diversity over the course of the decade, both in the population as a whole, and children in particular. Diversity was geographically widespread and increased in every region of the country.

The nation’s growing racial-ethnic diversity increases the …

Inequities In Job Recovery During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Year Later, Rogelio Saenz, Corey Sparks, Asiya Validova

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, authors Rogelio Sáenz, Corey Sparks, and Asiya Validova report that in April 2020, after the first two months of significant spread of COVID-19 in the United States, nearly 25 million fewer people had a job. In June 2021, there were still 5.9 million fewer people employed, representing a drop of 3.7 percent in workers since before COVID. Workers of color, women, and those with lower levels of education have consistently had the highest unemployment rates, a trend that persisted through June 2021.

The recovery of the workforce has not been equal, with dramatic differences based on race/ethnicity, …

Home Isn't Where The Office Is: Black Professionals Discuss Challenges Of Working Remotely, John Jones, Jordan Hensley

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Working from home, once a rare feature of office culture, became common during the COVID-19 pandemic. As infections fall and rise working remotely seems likely to persist and even become standard procedure. But in the top-down American office, where facetime with your manager or the chief can make the difference between thriving or languishing, can working from home work against you? And if so, are Black professionals, who already experience discrimination in pay and promotion in the American workplace, at special risk? With the pandemic shining light on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion these questions are as important …

Modest Population Gains, But Growing Diversity In New Hampshire With Children In The Vanguard, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, author Kenneth Johnson reports that New Hampshire’s population grew by a modest 4.6 percent during the past decade to 1,377,500 in April 2020. In contrast, the number of minority residents, defined as those who were other than non-Hispanic Whites, increased by 74.4 percent to 176,900 in 2020. Minority residents now represent 12.8 percent of the state’s population compared to 7.5 percent (101,400) in 2010. Though the minority population grew, a substantial majority of the state’s population remains non-Hispanic White.

Hispanics are the largest minority population in New Hampshire with 59,500 residents, or 4.3 percent of the population. …

New Census Data Reveal Modest Population Growth In New Hampshire Over The Past Decade, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this fact sheet, author Kenneth Johnson reports that New Hampshire’s population reached 1,377,529 on April 1, 2020, an increase of 61,000 residents (4.6 percent) since April 1, 2010 according to new 2020 Census data. This increase is smaller than the state’s population gain of 6.5 percent between 2000 and 2010.

New Hampshire’s population grew both because more migrants moved to the state than left and because births exceeded deaths. Migration was the most important source of the state’s population increase, accounting for 89 percent of the population gain. Over the decade, New Hampshire had a net migration gain of …

Half Of New Hampshire Residents Buy Local Farm Food At Least A Few Times A Month, But Engagement Varies By County, Jessica A. Carson, Analena Bruce, Isaac Leslie

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Getting local farm food to customers in ways that make financial and logistical sense for both farmers and consumers has long challenged the growth of direct-to-consumer sales. And despite a surge of interest in local foods spurred by the pandemic, there have been few data sources available to farmers and local food advocates for measuring consumers’ contemporary engagement with local food systems and market types.

In this brief, Jess Carson, Analena Bruce, and Isaac Leslie describe data collected in the May 2021 Granite State Poll and find that while more than 80 percent of Granite Staters report buying local farm …

Scaling Equitable Solar Finance, Eric Hangen, Rebecca Regan, Sarah Boege

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

The U.S. solar photovoltaics industry has taken off over the past decade, but without deliberate action low- and moderate-income communities could be left behind in the transition to clean energy.

Drawing on substantial literature related to multiple dimensions of low-income solar finance and interviews with key informants in the field, authors Eric Hangen, Rebecca Regan, and Sarah Boege recommend public investments and policy changes that could help scale the provision of equitable solar finance.

7.6 Million Fewer Births And Still Counting, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this data snapshot, author Kenneth Johnson reports that new data for 2020 show a 3.8 percent decline in births since 2019 and the fewest since 1979. There were 16.5 percent fewer births last year than in 2007, just before the Great Recession began to influence births. The cumulative effect of this sustained decline in births means over 7.6 million fewer babies were born in the last 13 years than might have been expected. This is unlikely to change in the short-term because of the pandemic’s adverse impact on fertility.

A critical long-term question is: how many births are being …

Deaths Exceeded Births In A Record Number Of States In 2020, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this data snapshot, author Kenneth Johnson reports that in 2020, the impact of COVID-19 contributed to a record 3,376,000 deaths in the United States: 18 percent more than in 2019. In addition, births diminished by 4 percent to 3,605,000 in 2020. The surplus of births over deaths added just 229,000 to the population in 2020 compared to 892,000 in 2019: a decline of 74 percent.

This decline coupled with diminished immigration produced the United States’ smallest annual population gain in at least 100 years. Deaths exceeded births in 25 states in 2020, far more than in any previous year.

2020 Census Reflects Lagging U.S. Population Growth, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, author Kenneth Johnson reports that the first data from the 2020 Census reveal a significant slowdown in U.S. population growth. Population change varied considerably from state to state. Fourteen states had population gains exceeding 10 percent, 20 had population gains of less than 5 percent, and 3 lost population. States’ population changes were influenced both by migration and the balance between births and deaths.

Looking ahead, the short-term prospects for substantial population increase appear limited. Even aside from the COVID-19-related deaths following the April 2020 Census, mortality is likely to rise among an aging U.S. population and …

Research-To-Practice, Pirc's Spring Newsletter, Prevention Innovations Research Center

PIRC Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Bringing Solar Energy To Low- And Moderate-Income Communities, Eric Hangen, Rebecca Regan, Sarah Boege

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

The U.S. solar photovoltaics industry has taken off over the past decade, but without deliberate action low- and moderate-income communities could be left behind in the transition to clean energy.

Drawing on substantial literature related to multiple dimensions of low-income solar finance and interviews with key informants in the field, authors Eric Hangen, Rebecca Regan, and Sarah Boege recommend public investments and policy changes that could help scale the provision of equitable solar finance.

The Slow Dawn Of Climate-Change Awareness, And Its Challenge For A Sustainable Planet, Lawrence C. Hamilton

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this perspectives brief, author Larry Hamilton summarizes his research on public perceptions of climate change, drawing on a decade of nationwide and New Hampshire surveys.

He reports that public awareness of human-caused climate change rose slowly over the past decade, showing no sudden jumps after climate-related events such as major storms. Awareness rose twice as fast among members of Generation Z compared with older generations, although increases occurred within each of those generations too. Faster change among young adults fits with other research showing people at that life stage tend to be more active in updating their beliefs with …

Four-In-Five Adults Are Vaccinated Or Intend To Get A Vaccine, Sarah Boege

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this data snapshot, author Sarah Boege reports that by March 29, one-quarter of U.S. adults reported that they had already received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, 39.1 percent hadn’t yet been vaccinated but reported that they will “definitely” get one when available and another 17.4 percent said that they “probably” will. However, 10.1 percent of adults will “probably not” and 8.2 percent will “definitely not” get a vaccine.

These data suggest that a large majority of adults could be vaccinated in the coming months, but experts see risks in having a sizeable group remain …

Share Of Childless Adults Eligible For Eitc Triples Under American Rescue Plan, Jessica A. Carson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this fact sheet, author Jess Carson explores how changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2021 affect childless tax filers.

Findings show that the share of childless adults who can claim a credit has tripled under the new provisions, and that the biggest driver of widened access is lowering the minimum age for eligibility. Childless filers in different areas of the country and of different racial-ethnic groups all have wider access, but gains are larger in some groups than others.

Policymakers considering whether to retain all or part of the EITC expansions in future years should consider how …

2020 New Hampshire Civic Health Index, Quixada Moore-Vissing, Bruce L. Mallory

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this report, authors Quixada Moore-Vissing and Bruce Mallory build on previous Indexes published in 2006, 2009, and 2013 to take stock of New Hampshire's civic well-being in light of the changes the state has experienced in recent years. Their research draws on data from the U.S. Census, the Social Capital Community Benchmarks survey, and the UNH Granite State Poll.

Designing And Conducting A Community-Based Civic Health Index: A Primer For Local Leaders, Quixada Moore-Vissing, Bruce L. Mallory

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this report, authors Quixada Moore-Vissing and Bruce Mallory build on previous Indexes published in 2006, 2009, and 2013 to take stock of New Hampshire's civic well-being in light of the changes the state has experienced in recent years. Their research draws on data from the U.S. Census, the Social Capital Community Benchmarks survey, and the UNH Granite State Poll.

Peer Conversation About Substance Use, Danielle M. Pillet-Shore

Communication

What happens when a friend starts talking about her own substance use and misuse? This article provides the first investigation of how substance use is spontaneously topicalized in naturally occurring conversation. It presents a detailed analysis of a rare video-recorded interaction showing American English-speaking university students talking about their own substance (mis)use in a residential setting. During this conversation, several substance (mis)use informings are disclosed about one participant, and this study elucidates what occasions each disclosure, and how participants respond to each disclosure. This research shows how participants use casual conversation to offer important substance (mis)use information to their friends …

Research-To-Practice, Pirc's Winter Newsletter, Prevention Innovations Research Center

PIRC Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Improving Staff Communication For Small Non-Profits: Girls' Empowerment Program Case Study, Elizabeth Schwaner

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this white paper, author Elizabeth Schwaner discusses challenges faced by Girls' Empowerment Program, a non-profit organization based in the northeast U.S. that serves at-risk girls in its community through a year-round mentoring program paired with a residential social summer camp. Despite its undeniable strengths, issues with communication are a persistent challenge. Like many small organizations staffed by a few paid employees and many volunteers, identifying specific practices that lead to miscommunication or helpful informational pathways can be a challenge. This case study elucidates some of those challenges and opportunities for Girls' Empowerment, but with the expectation that other small, …