Digital Commons Network^™

New Hampshire's Population Exceeds Maine's For The First Time In 200 Years, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

For the first time in more than 200 years, the population of New Hampshire exceeded that of Maine. As of July 1, 2009, U.S. Census Bureau estimates New Hampshire's population at 1,324,575 compared to 1,318,301 in Maine. New Hampshire grew faster than Maine over the last decade. Since 2000, New Hampshire gained 89,000 new residents compared to Maine's 43,000.

Students In Rural Schools Have Limited Access To Advanced Mathematics Courses, Suzanne E. Graham

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This Carsey brief reveals that students in rural areas and small towns have less access to higher-level mathematics courses than students in urban settings, which results in serious educational consequences, including lower scores on assessment tests and fewer qualified students entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) job pipelines.

Increased Reliance On Wives As Breadwinners During The First Year Of The Recession, Kristin Smith

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Among low-income families, the wages of employed wives account for the majority of family earnings, according to this Carsey brief. The analysis finds that in 2008, women contributed 56 percent of total family earnings, up from 51 percent in 2007. Also, husbands' education level and race are factors in how much wives contribute to family earnings.

Regional Variation In Perceptions About Climate Change., Lawrence C. Hamilton, Barry D. Keim

Sociology

A 2007 survey covering rural areas in nine US states provides data on perceived local impacts of climate change. Perceptions vary from region to region, with a pattern suggesting links to real climate specifically to winter warming in snow country. A multivariate analysis using mixed-effects ordered logit regression confirms a significant perception-temperature relationship, net of individual background and ideological characteristics, and of regional variations. These findings invite more detailed research.

Visualizing Population Dynamics Of Alaska's Arctic Communities, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Angela M. Mitiguy

Sociology

Abstract

Arctic demography has previously been reviewed on a large scale, across the circumpolar nations. We look instead at some recent population dynamics on sub-regional to community scales, focusing on Arctic Alaska. Detailed graphics depicting yearly population changes from 1990 to 2006 in 43 selected Arctic Alaska towns and villages and all 27 of the state's "county-equivalent entities" (e.g., boroughs) have been published online in connection with two International Polar Year projects. Seemingly comparable places within the same borough have taken widely divergent paths. Birth rates generally exceed death rates, although both are high. Year-to-year and place-to-place variations are dominated …

Juveniles Who Commit Sex Offenses Against Minors., David Finkelhor, Richard Ormrod, Mark Chaffin

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Presents population-based epidemiological information about the characteristics of juvenile offenders who commit sex offenses against minors. The authors analyzed data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and provided topical statistics highlighting the fact that juveniles account for more than one-third (35.6 percent) of this type of offender. Findings may support the development of research-based interventions and policies to reduce sexual assault and child molestation as perpetrated by juvenile offenders.

Law Enforcement Responses To Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crimes: The National Juvenile Online Victimization Study, 2000 & 2006., Janis Wolak, David Finkelhor, Kimberly J. Mitchell

Crimes Against Children Research Center

No abstract provided.

Rural America And The South Have The Highest Percent Of Veterans With Service-Related Disabilities, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Michelle L. Stransky

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Veterans with service-related disabilities are concentrated in the American South and in rural places, this new fact sheet finds. Issued to commemorate Veterans Day (November 11), the report analyzes new data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey, which released service-related disability data for the first time.

Student Discipline In New Hampshire Schools , Barbara Wauchope

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

A new analysis of student discipline in New Hampshire schools in the 2007–2008 school year shows that out-of-school suspension rates are higher and statewide expulsion rates are lower than the average. Schools reporting the highest rates of suspensions and expulsions are the smallest in the state and have the highest percentage of students in poverty. This brief is the first in a collaborative series between the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire and the Carsey Institute.

Demographic Trends In The Manchester-Nashua Metropolitan Area, Kenneth M. Johnson, Robert Macieski

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In the city of Manchester, New Hampshire, 25 percent of children live below the poverty line, a high rate that is in stark contrast to the state's rate of just 10 percent, one of the nation's lowest. That is the most surprising finding from this new analysis of demographic trends in the Manchester-Nashua metropolitan area. The brief presents recent demographic shifts in Manchester, Nashua, and suburban Hillsborough County alongside historical perspectives of the region.

With Less Migration, Natural Increase Is Now More Important To State Growth, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

According to Johnson's analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, the nation continues to experience reduced levels of domestic migration (movement from one state to another) as a result of the economic recession, and natural increases (births versus deaths) are an increasingly important factor in population gains.

Involvement Of Park And Recreation Professionals In Pedestrian Plans, Kelly R. Evenson, Semra Aytur, Daniel A. Rodriguez, David Salveson

Health Management & Policy

Professionals from many different disciplines are finding innovative ways to work together to increase physical activity to help create healthier communities. One process that can provide a focal point for promoting physical activity by park and recreation professionals, land use and transportation planners, public health practitioners, and other stakeholders is the development and implementation of pedestrian plans. A pedestrian plan is a public document that lays out a community’s vision for future pedestrian activity, identifies the actions required to realize that vision, ties actions to funding sources, and describes implementation and use. The purpose of this study was to explore …

Children’S Exposure To Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey., David Finkelhor, Heather Turner, Richard Ormrod, Sherry L. Hamby, Kristen Kracke

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Presents findings from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, the most comprehensive survey to date of children’s exposure to violence in the United States. The survey was conducted between January and May 2008, and surveyed more than 4,500 children or their parents or adult caregivers regarding their past-year and lifetime exposure to violence. This Bulletin discusses the survey’s findings regard children’s direct and indirect exposure to specific categories of violence, how exposure to violence changes as children grow up, and the prevalence and incidence of multiple and cumulative exposures to violence. It also discusses the implications of the …

Rural And Urban Children Have Lower Rates Of Health Insurance Coverage And Are More Often Covered By Public Plans, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Michelle L. Stransky

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This Carsey brief looks at the geographic distribution of health insurance for children. Based on data from the 2008 American Community Survey, it includes such findings as one in ten children are still uninsured, insurance rates vary considerably by geographic area, and rural children are most likely to depend on public plans for their health care.

New Hampshire Civic Health Index, Michele Dillon, Shannon H. Rogers

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

The Carsey Institute is participating in a study to examine America's civic health. Led by the Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), America's Civic Health Index is an annual study that measures a wide variety of civic indicators, such as community involvement and helping others. New Hampshire is one of six states partnering with NCoC to produce a state-specific report that examines the civic health in the Granite State.

Regional Young Child Poverty In 2008: Rural Midwest Sees Increased Poverty, While Urban Northeast Rates Decrease, Marybeth J. Mattingly

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In 2008, America's recession affected poverty rates for children under age 6 unevenly, with rates in the rural Midwest rising significantly, while rates in northeastern central cities fell slightly. And in the rural South, where more than 30 percent of young children are poor, poverty rates for young children persisted at a very high rate. This is an analysis of American Community Survey data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Home Care Workers: Keeping Granite Staters In Their Homes As They Age, Kristin Smith

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Using data from the New Hampshire Direct Care Workforce Survey, this brief shows that New Hampshire's demand for home-based care workers outpaces supply because its population is aging at a faster rate than the average. These workers play a critical role and face many challenges, including low pay, little or no paid time off, and lack of access to health insurance.

Family-Friendly Policies For Rural Working Mothers, Rebecca K. Glauber

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

For working parents, family friendly work policies like paid sick days, flexible time, or medical insurance can reduce work-family conflict and lead to less absenteeism and higher productivity. Working parents in rural America, however, have less access to these policies than their urban counterparts.

The State Of Working New Hampshire 2009, Allison Churilla

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

The issue brief finds that while New Hampshire workers have fared well compared with other New England states, wages have stagnated and full-time workers now form a smaller share of the labor force.

Taking Stock Of Arctic Sea Ice And Climate, Mary-Louise Timmermans, Jennifer Francis, Audrey Proshutinsky, Lawrence C. Hamilton

Sociology

Abstract

The relationship among the cause-and-effect of the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean is discussed. The increased vulnerability of the Arctic system to anomalous atmospheric forcing can be argued from the perspective that recent ice loss is the result of a long-term preconditioning to thinner ice. Such consequences demonstrate the difficulties inherent in ascertaining how the atmospheric circulation responds to Arctic, and global, climate change. Later-forming sea ice also leads to less protection from the waves of fall storms, affecting coastal communities such as Kivalina and Shishmaref. The coming decades will provide new insights into the complexities of the …

The Prevention Of Childhood Sexual Abuse., David Finkelhor

Sociology

Abstract

David Finkelhor examines initiatives to prevent child sexual abuse, which have focused on two primary strategies-offender management and school-based educational programs. Recent major offender managment initiatives have included registering sex offenders, notifying communities about their presence, conducting background employment checks, controlling where offenders can live, and imposing longer prison sentences. Although these initiatives win approval from both the public and policy makers, little evidence exists that they are effective in preventing sexual abuse. Moreover, these initiatives, cautions Finkelhor, are based on an overly stereotyped characterization of sexual abusers as pedophiles, guileful strangers who prey on children in public and …

Unemployment Insurance: A Safety Net For Victims Of Intimate Partner Violence And Their Children, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Laura Dugan

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that over 5 million intimate partner assaults are perpetrated against women each year, and they lose more than 8 million days of work annually. Expanding Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to victims of domestic violence is one mechanism for supporting women as they seek to escape the violence in their lives.

The Forgotten Fifth: Child Poverty In Rural America, William P. O'Hare

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

One in five poor children in this country lives in a rural area. Yet this group of vulnerable young Americans is seldom on the minds of the public or policy makers when they talk about child poverty in the United States. This report highlights child poverty statistics in rural America and compares them to urban areas, discussing how they are affected by family, education, employment, and the government.

Rural Children Are More Likely To Live In Cohabiting-Couple Households, William P. O'Hare, Wendy Manning, Meredith Porter, Heidi Lyons

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

As cohabiting increases nationwide, new data show that the growing rate of children in these households is most pronounced in rural areas. This brief analyzes recent U.S. Census Bureau data to explore these trends and patterns.

Rural Workers More Likely To Work Nontraditional Shifts, Rogelio Saenz

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Workers in rural areas have historically worked at different times of the day compared to their counterparts in urban areas, including during less traditional work periods, such as in the early morning, afternoon, and evening hours. This brief presents a snapshot of the rural workforce around the clock.

Stay Or Leave Coos County? Parents' Messages Matter, Corinna J. Tucker

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

When it comes to deciding whether to stay in New Hampshire's rural Coos County or leave for other opportunities, young people are listening to their parents. Surveying 78 percent of all seventh and eleventh graders in public schools in Coos County, researchers found that young peoples' future intentions to migrate from Coos in search of economic or educational opportunities or to remain in Coos to pursue a future close to home are closely aligned with the messages their parents deliver to them.

The New, Longer Road To Adulthood: Schooling, Work, And Idleness Among Rural Youth, Anastasia Snyder, Diane Mclaughlin, Alisha Coleman-Jensen

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This report focuses on the education and work experiences of rural youth during the emerging adult years (age 20 to 24), as they make the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It documents how rural emerging adults combine work and school and experience idleness, closely examines their educational attainment, and compares their experiences with those in central city and suburban areas.

Rural Workers Would Benefit From Unemployment Insurance Modernization, Anne M. Shattuck

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Rural workers stand to benefit from the modernization of unemployment insurance (UI) to cover part-time workers, which is an opportunity for states under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Plan (ARRA). Rural workers are more likely to work part-time, and many states that do not provide UI benefits to part-time workers have higher than average proportions of rural residents.

Seventy-Eight Percent Of Working Rural Families To Receive Full Making Work Pay Tax Credit, Marybeth J. Mattingly

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

The Making Work Pay Tax Credit provides eligible U.S. workers with additional money in each paycheck throughout the year. The fact sheet shows that 78 percent of rural working families will receive the full amount of the credit, while an additional 10 percent of families will receive a partial credit due to low earnings or high earnings. These tax credits, along with the expansion to the Child Tax Credit, are an important financial boost to families in rural America, particularly low-income working families.

Forty-Three Percent Of Eligible Rural Families Can Claim A Larger Credit With Eitc Expansion, Marybeth J. Mattingly

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This policy brief on the changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit in the ARRA also shows that families with three or more children and married couples will receive an increased refund under these new EITC rules for tax years 2009 and 2010. Many families in urban and suburban communities will also see increased benefits under these new provisions.