Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Lgbtq+ Municipal Equality Index In Mountain West Cities, 2022, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Cities & Metros

This fact sheet examines the status of LGBTQ+ legislation, policy, and services as defined by the Municipal Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF). Data are included for “large cities” in the Mountain West, defined as cities with estimated populations larger than 250,000 people according to the United States Census Bureau’s April 1, 2020 Decennial Census population data. This fact sheet includes data on 13 large cities in the Mountain West including five in Arizona, three in Colorado, four in Nevada, and one in New Mexico.

Homelessness In Mountain West Continuums Of Care (Coc), 2022-2023, Yvette Machado, Anna Vu, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data on the number of homeless per 100,000 individuals and the number of unsheltered per 100,000 individuals in six Mountain West metropolitan areas in 2023. Six continuums of care (CoC) are identified in the Mountain West: the Albuquerque, NM CoC; the Las Vegas/Clark County, NV CoC; the Phoenix, Mesa/Maricopa County, AZ CoC; the Tucson/Pima County, AZ CoC; the Metropolitan Denver, CO CoC; and the Colorado Springs/El Paso County, CO CoC.

Educational Attainment In The Mountain West, 2021, Isabelle G. Graham, Jesse M. Fager-Larsen, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines data on educational attainment rates for five states in the Mountain West: Arizona, Colorado,Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The original report from the Lumina Foundation explores education attainment data for those aged 25 to 64 years in all U.S. states.

How Covid-19 Changed Us: Compassion, Leadership, And Policy, The Lincy Institute

Lincy Institute Events

Nevada was one of the hardest hit states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past three years, researchers at The Lincy Institute and other institutions collected interviews from 80 Nevada leaders across sectors including elected officials, leaders in education, community organizations, government agencies, and the business community. Four years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our communities continue to build a resilient and healthy Nevada. This forum discusses how the crisis prompted us to rethink how we lead and how we can prepare for future challenges. Following a presentation of the project and its deliverables, leaders across sectors discuss …

The Safety Net Should Work For Working Age Adults, Lauren Bauer

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

This lecture focuses attention on a population that is ill-served by the safety net but rarely acknowledged: low-income, working-age adults without dependents or government-determined disabilities. In this lecture, Brookings Scholar Lauren Bauer, a former Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary at the US Department of Education, argues that a safety net that is inaccessible to ABAWDs (able-bodied adults without dependents) fails to recognize the precarious state of the low-wage labor market or how safety-net programs allow these workers to remain in the workforce. By modernizing the parameters of who qualifies for access to safety-net programs, assistance can be …

Nevada High School Students: Graduates From Unlv And Unr, 2010-2022, Madison Dwyer, Zachary Billot, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet reports data for individuals who earned both a high school diploma from a Nevada high school and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) or the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) between 2010 and 2022, as well as the race/ethnicity and gender of these graduates.

Isn’T There A Better Way To Nominate Presidential Candidates?, Elaine Kamarck

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

This lecture examines why every four years the major political parties undertake a drawn-out, confusing series of primaries, caucuses, and conventions to determine their presidential nominees. Over the years, a number of rational and more orderly ways to select presidential nominees have been proposed but none of these ideas have been adopted. Brookings Institution scholar Elaine Kamarck, who has written extensively on the topic and served as a presidential and presidential campaign advisor, addresses these topics and more.

Nevada Workforce Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Study 2023, Becky Harris, Andrea Dassopoulos

International Gaming Institute Faculty Publications

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) metrics enable organizations to set concrete goals and self-monitor their performance. In 2021, Nevada’s legislature passed Senate Bill No. 267 (SB267), authorizing the University Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to study DEI benchmarks in the State. The study is designed to produce actionable results capable of informing policy and employer best practices in Nevada. Workforce Study data was collected for the 2022 calendar year with study participation taking place between January 2-April 30, 2023.

The questions in the study were crafted based on DEI public policy considerations as well as metrics for gauging the scope of …

Headwinds And Tailwinds: The Present And Future Of Work For Women, Molly Kinder

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

As part of the Brookings Scholar Lecture Series, Brookings Mountain West presents a lecture titled "Headwinds and Tailwinds: The Present and Future of Work for Women” by Brookings fellow in the Brookings Metro, Molly Kinder. Women comprise nearly half of the US labor force, and today outnumber men on college campuses. Yet the gender pay gap persists and women are overrepresented in the lowest paying occupations. In what ways are jobs and economic opportunities changing for women in the labor force? Over the next decade, how will demographic changes like the aging of the baby boom generation and technological changes …

Student And Faculty Diversity At Public Research Universities In The Mountain West, Maryam Raja, Riley Ruff, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet examines data on student and faculty diversity at public research universities in the Mountain West region. This fact sheet examines data from a New America report by Olivia Cheche which explores data on the 106 R1 (Research Very High) universities in the U.S. as designated by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Mountain West State Health System Rankings, 2023, Julia Salangsang, Ivan Sun, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet presents data from the “2023 Scorecard on State Health System Performance” published by The Commonwealth Fund. The original report includes data from all 50 states and measures health system performance based on health care access, quality, use of services, costs, health disparities, reproductive care and women’s health, and health outcomes.

2022 Midterm Election Voter Turnout In The Mountain West, Ayda Atici, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Elections & Governance

This fact sheet presents voter turnout rates in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah) for the 2022 midterm election. The data are retrieved from the 2023 Brookings Institution report “New Voter Turnout Data from 2022 shows some surprises, including lower turnout for youth, women, and Black Americans in some states” by William H. Frey.

Intentional Conversations: Co-Creating Global Family, School, And Community Engagement Research, Emily Markovich Morris

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

As part of the Brookings Scholar Lecture Series, Brookings Mountain West presents a lecture titled "Intentional Conversations: Co-Creating Global Family, School, and Community Engagement Research" by Brookings fellow in global economy and development, Emily Markovich Morris. The more that families, schools, and communities work in partnership, the more students and schools have the support needed to thrive. This lecture explores a school and community-based research study representing education institutions in 14 countries across 6 continents. The project identifies beliefs held by families, educators, and students on the purpose of school, and global barriers to family, school, and community engagement. Surveys …

Firearm Deaths In The Mountain West, 2020, Lana Kojoian, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

This fact sheet examines data from the RAND Corporation report “Understanding Firearm Deaths by State—and How to Reduce Them,” which provides data on state and national rates of firearm related deaths, including suicides and homicides for 2020 This fact sheet includes firearm death data for five Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Veterans In Nevada, 2021, Nicole Diaz Del Valle, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data on veterans in Nevada in 2021. The original data source, the U.S. Census Bureau’s, “2021 American Community Survey One-Year Estimates” includes data on veterans for all 50 states.

Twitter Trends During The 82nd Session Of The Nevada Legislature, 2023, Annie Vong, Zachary Billot, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Elections & Governance

This fact sheet examines Twitter trends during the 82nd Session of the Nevada Legislature (2023). Data are comprised of tweets posted on Twitter by users located in Nevada addressing the most discussed topics during the session.

The State Of Homelessness In Nevada, 2020, Annie Vong, Mae Ling Catayong, Christine Guardian, Abigail Boron, Maria Jerinic, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data on homelessness in Nevada between 2007 and 2020. The original report, “State of Homelessness,” by the National Alliance to End Homelessness includes the number of homeless individuals that slept outside on any given night, how many beds in shelters went empty, and the number of homeless individuals per 10,000 individuals in each continuum of care in Nevada.

Demographic And Population Change In Mountain West Cities And Suburbs, 2020 Census, Zachary Billot, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines the five metro areas with populations exceeding one million in the Mountain West, drawing from the Brookings Institution report, “Today’s Suburbs are Symbolic of America’s Rising Diversity: A 2020 Census Portrait” by William Frey. Demographic data are included for both primary city and suburban portions for the major metros in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah.

The Black Progress Index In Mountain West Metropolitan Statistical Areas (Msas), Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data from the Brookings Institution report, “Black Progress Index: Examining Social Factors That Influence Black Well-Being” authored by Andre Perry and Jonathan Rothwell in September 2022. The Black Progress Index (BPI) score is constructed using data and social factors that impact life expectancy for Black Americans. This fact sheet compares the BPI with the actual life expectancy of Black people in Mountain West metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). This fact sheet also examines each of the 13 variables included in the original report to present the BPI in the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSA.

Police Funding In The Mountain West, 2020-2022, Lana Kojoian, Miguel Soriano Ralston, Annie Vong, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

This fact sheet examines data from Third Way’s report “The Red City Defund Police Problem” which provides information on police funding and other metrics on police forces. The original report offers a review of police funding and operating budgets for the 25 largest Democrat-run cities and 25 largest Republican-run cities in the U.S. This fact sheet includes police force data for 10 Mountain West cities (Aurora, CO; Chandler, AZ; Colorado Springs, CO; Denver, CO; Glendale, AZ; Gilbert, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; Mesa, AZ; North Las Vegas, NV; and Phoenix, AZ).

Physician Workforce In The Mountain West, Hira Ahmed, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

Using data from the Association of American Medical College’s State Physician Workforce Data Report, this fact sheet synthesizes Mountain West data on the numbers of active physicians and active physician demographics in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This fact sheet focuses on active physicians in the Mountain West region by gender, race and ethnicity, as well as the number of students pursuing medical and premedical education.

Of Boys And Men: Why The Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, And What To Do About It, Richard Reeves

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Boys and men are struggling. Profound economic and social changes of recent decades have many losing ground in the classroom, the workplace, and in the family. While the lives of women have changed, the lives of many men have remained the same or even deteriorated. Our attitudes, our institutions, and our laws have failed to keep up. Conservative and progressive politicians, mired in their own ideological warfare, fail to provide thoughtful solutions.

The father of three sons, a journalist, and a Brookings Institution scholar, Richard V. Reeves has spent twenty-five years worrying about boys both at home and work. His …

Foster Youth In The Mountain West, Zachary Billot, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Sofia Takhtadjian, Joshua Padilla, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines population trends for foster youth and their experiences with foster care in the Mountain West region. The data are sourced from the report “State-level Data for Understanding Child Welfare in the United States” which cites the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) for fiscal year (FY) 2020 and the “State-by State Data” report by the Casey Family Programs from FY 2020. This fact sheet highlights the number of foster youth in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) and their demographic composition.

Death On The Job: Mountain West States, 2022, Miguel A. Soriano Ralston, Joshua Padilla, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines select data from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) 2022 report, “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect,” which reports on worker safety, health, and workplace fatalities. The original report provides a comprehensive national and state-by-state profile of workplace conditions in the United States. These data were originally reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This fact sheet highlights workforce fatalities and injuries in the Mountain West region (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah).

Student And Faculty Diversity: University Of Nevada, Las Vegas (Unlv) And University Of Nevada, Reno (Unr), 2012-2020, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet highlights data on the racial and ethnic diversity of students, tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty, and non-tenured/tenure-track faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). Data are presented for each year from 2012 to 2020. The UNLV Office of Decision Support and representatives at UNR assisted in the compilation of this data.

Race-Ethnic Population Changes In Mountain West Metros, 2010-2020, Joshua Padilla, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

The 2020 census shows continuing nationwide trends in population growth when compared to the last decade. The growth of various race-ethnic groups across the country contribute to the diversification of the population in selected regions. Using the U.S. Census Bureau 2020 data prepared by William H. Frey of the Brookings Institution, this fact sheet focuses on the population changes in nine Mountain West metros.

Spatial Deconcentration Of Tourism Concentrations: A Visitors’ Galaxy Impact Model Of The Covid-19 Crisis, Jaewon Lim, Karima Kourtit, Peter Nijkamp, Christopher Stream

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on mass tourism concentrations, such as Las Vegas. It argues that health risks and perceptions may induce a more deconcentrated pattern of mass tourism, with more geographical dispersion to rural and natural areas. The analytical framework is modeled and applied to extensive data on Las Vegas tourism. The proposition on deconcentrated tourism concentrations is confirmed. Pre-pandemic outer-inner city complementary relations between “Outdoor Activities” in 11 surrounding national parks and the “Gaming Industry” in Las Vegas have transformed into outer-inner city substitution relations in the COVID-19 pandemic. This represents the evolving deconcentration of tourism …

Race And Ethnic Group Dependent Space Radiation Cancer Risk Predictions, Francis A. Cucinotta, Premkumar B. Saganti

Health Physics & Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Publications

Future space missions by national space agencies and private industry, including space tourism, will include a diverse makeup of crewmembers with extensive variability in age, sex, and race or ethnic groups. The relative risk (RR) model is used to transfer epidemiology data between populations to estimate radiation risks. In the RR model cancer risk is assumed to be proportional to background cancer rates and limited by other causes of death, which are dependent on genetic, environmental and dietary factors that are population dependent. Here we apply the NSCR-2020 model to make the first predictions of age dependent space radiation cancer …

Awareness And Knowledge Of Aging And Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder: Service User And Provider Perspectives And Experiences In Southern Nevada, Renato M. Liboro, Brandon Ranuschio, Sherry Bell, Jenna Despres, Trinity Puno, Aruna Sedere, Nadia Sheik Yosef, Esmeralda Villalobos, Janelle Wackens, Lianne Barnes

Psychology Faculty Research

This community report presents the findings and analysis of a survey that was part of the quantitative stage of a mixed-method Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) project dedicated to examine the awareness and knowledge of racially and ethnically diverse, middle-aged and older people living with HIV/AIDS, and their healthcare and service providers from Southern Nevada, on aging, brain health, HIV/AIDS, and the condition known as HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder. The CBPR project was conducted in collaboration with community partners such as the LGBTQIA+ Community Center of Southern Nevada, Southern Nevada Health District’s Ryan White Program, Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada, and …

Costs And Consequences Of Traffic Fines And Fees: A Case Study Of Open Warrants In Las Vegas, Nevada, Foster Kamanga, Virginia Smercina, Barbara G. Brents, Daniel Okamura, Vincent Fuentes

Sociology Faculty Research

Traffic stops and tickets often have far-reaching consequences for poor and marginalized communities, yet resulting fines and fees increasingly fund local court systems. This paper critically explores who bears the brunt of traffic fines and fees in Nevada, historically one of the fastest growing and increasingly diverse states in the nation, and one of thirteen US states to prosecute minor traffic violations as criminal misdemeanors rather than civil infractions. Drawing on legislative histories, we find that state legislators in Nevada increased fines and fees to raise revenues. Using descriptive statistics to analyze the 2012–2020 open arrest warrants extracted from the …