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Articles 1 - 29 of 29
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Changes In New Hampshire’S Republican Party: Evolving Footprint In Presidential Politics, 1960-2008, Dante J. Scala
Changes In New Hampshire’S Republican Party: Evolving Footprint In Presidential Politics, 1960-2008, Dante J. Scala
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief describes a series of dramatic changes in New Hampshire's political landscape over the past four decades. Examining presidential elections from 1960 to 2008, author Dante Scala uncovers a series of significant shifts in New Hampshire's political geography at the county level. He reports that historically Republican counties Grafton and Merrimack have both tilted Democratic consistently in recent decades and that New Hampshire has become less Republican overall. All of these changes have impacted not just general elections in New Hampshire, but the Republican presidential primary as well.
Rates Of Public Health Insurance Coverage For Children Rise As Rates Of Private Coverage Decline, Michael J. Staley, Jessica A. Bean, Jessica D. Ulrich
Rates Of Public Health Insurance Coverage For Children Rise As Rates Of Private Coverage Decline, Michael J. Staley, Jessica A. Bean, Jessica D. Ulrich
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief uses data from the 2008, 2009, and 2010 American Community Survey to document changes in rates of children’s health insurance, between private and public. The authors report that, nationally, private health insurance for children decreased by just under 2 percentage points, while public health insurance increased by nearly 3 percentage points. Rural places and central cities witnessed significant declines in rates of private health insurance for children in nearly every region. Rates of public insurance coverage rose in every region and place type. Children’s health insurance coverage overall continued to rise in 2010, increasing by 0.6 of a …
Do You Believe The Climate Is Changing? Answers From New Survey Research, Lawrence C. Hamilton
Do You Believe The Climate Is Changing? Answers From New Survey Research, Lawrence C. Hamilton
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief explores how political views influence Americans’ understanding and perception of science. The research is based on a national version of the Community and Environment in Rural America survey called NCERA, and on New Hampshire’s statewide Granite State Poll. Author Lawrence Hamilton reports that most people on both surveys feel that they understand either a great deal or a moderate amount about global warming or climate change. However, deep partisan divisions affect both personal beliefs about climate change and perceptions of agreement among scientists. Democrats are much more likely to state they believe that climate change is happening, caused …
Teen Stress And Substance Use Problems In Coös: Survey Shows Strong Community Attachment Can Offset Risk, Karen T. Van Gundy, Meghan L. Mills
Teen Stress And Substance Use Problems In Coös: Survey Shows Strong Community Attachment Can Offset Risk, Karen T. Van Gundy, Meghan L. Mills
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief explores how social stress and community attachment are related to problem alcohol and drug use for girls and boys in Coös County, New Hampshire. The brief uses survey data from the Coös Youth Study, which includes self-reported information from 564 Coös youth who were in seventh and eleventh grades in 2008, and who were surveyed again one year later (in 2009) when they were in eighth and twelfth grades. Nearly one-fourth of youth in Coös County (22 percent of boys and 23 percent of girls) reported at least one alcohol or drug use related problem. The authors note …
Reliance On Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Continued To Rise Post-Recession, Jessica A. Bean
Reliance On Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Continued To Rise Post-Recession, Jessica A. Bean
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief uses data from the 2007, 2009, and 2010 American Community Survey to provide an up-to-date look at changes in SNAP receipt over the course of the recession.
Coos Teens’ View Of Family Economic Stress Is Tied To Quality Of Relationships At Home, Corinna J. Tucker, Genevieve R. Cox
Coos Teens’ View Of Family Economic Stress Is Tied To Quality Of Relationships At Home, Corinna J. Tucker, Genevieve R. Cox
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
Family economic hardship during adolescence affects family relationships and the social, emotional, and behavioral development of a substantial number of American youth. The authors of this brief use data from the Coos County Youth Study, conducted by the Carsey Institute, to explore adolescents’ perceptions of family economic pressure in 2008 and determine whether these views are linked to their family relationship experiences one year later. They report that one-third of adolescents in Coos County, New Hampshire, perceive that their family is experiencing significant economic pressure and that significant economic pressure is linked to negative parent-child and sibling relationships one year …
More Poor Kids In More Poor Places: Children Increasingly Live Where Poverty Persists, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Kenneth M. Johnson, Andrew P. Schaefer
More Poor Kids In More Poor Places: Children Increasingly Live Where Poverty Persists, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Kenneth M. Johnson, Andrew P. Schaefer
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
More poor kids in more poor places: children increasingly live where poverty persists
Stretching Ties: Social Capital In The Rebranding Of Coos County, New Hampshire, Michele Dillon
Stretching Ties: Social Capital In The Rebranding Of Coos County, New Hampshire, Michele Dillon
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
Place rebranding is gaining in popularity as cities and rural communities alike attempt to expand their revenue streams through innovative marketing strategies that seek to revitalize or create tourism destinations. These efforts tend to come about as part of an economic development strategy pursued by communities that have borne steep economic losses resulting from global economic restructuring and the decline in traditional manufacturing, agriculture, and natural-resource extraction. Author Michele Dillon explores the role of social capital in rural wealth generation by focusing on how it was used to advance place rebranding in Coos County in northern New Hampshire.
Jobs, Natural Resources, And Community Resilience: A Survey Of Southeast Alaskans About Social And Environmental Change, Thomas G. Safford, Megan M. Henly, Jessica D. Ulrich
Jobs, Natural Resources, And Community Resilience: A Survey Of Southeast Alaskans About Social And Environmental Change, Thomas G. Safford, Megan M. Henly, Jessica D. Ulrich
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
As part of the Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) project, researchers at the Carsey Institute surveyed 1,541 residents of the ten boroughs and unincorporated census areas in Southeast Alaska to better understand social and environmental change in the region and their implications for Alaskan community and families. The authors of this brief report that social problems in the extremely isolated region of Southeast Alaska such as crime and drug use are closely related to economic distress, particularly in small outlying communities.
One Million Additional Children In Poverty Since 2009: 2010 Data Reveal Nearly One In Four Southern Children Now Live In Poverty, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Jessica A. Bean, Andrew P. Schaefer
One Million Additional Children In Poverty Since 2009: 2010 Data Reveal Nearly One In Four Southern Children Now Live In Poverty, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Jessica A. Bean, Andrew P. Schaefer
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
In this brief, the authors use the ACS data released on September 22 to focus on child poverty. The authors report that between 2009 and 2010 an additional one million children joined the ranks of those in poverty. This brings the total to an estimated 15.7 million poor children in 2010, an increase of 2.6 million since the Great Recession began in 2007.
Tanf In Rural America: Informing Re-Authorization, Leif Jensen, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Jessica A. Bean
Tanf In Rural America: Informing Re-Authorization, Leif Jensen, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Jessica A. Bean
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
In 1996 welfare reform ushered in a new era in which cash assistance for poor parents became both temporary and conditional on activities to promote economic independence through work. Cash assistance from TANF relieves, but does not eliminate, poverty because benefit levels are far too low to lift families above the poverty threshold. These ameliorative effects are weaker in rural than urban areas. Over time, the positive impacts of TANF receipt have continued to decline. The authors assert that the necessity of re-authorizing TANF gives us an opportunity to reflect on its strengths and limitations.
Southeastern Kentuckians Remain Optimistic Through Great Recession: Growing Concerns About Sprawl, Housing, And Recreational Opportunities, Jessica D. Ulrich
Southeastern Kentuckians Remain Optimistic Through Great Recession: Growing Concerns About Sprawl, Housing, And Recreational Opportunities, Jessica D. Ulrich
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
In May and June of 2007, Carsey Institute researchers surveyed 1,000 randomly selected respondents from Kentucky’s Harlan and Letcher counties, and between November 2010 and January 2011, they returned to survey 1,020 different randomly selected respondents from the same counties. These two Kentucky counties provide a snapshot of perceptions of community and environmental change in a chronically poor rural place. This brief focuses on the questions asked in both surveys to identify area wide (Harlan and Letcher counties combined) changes since the Great Recession. The surveys reveal that the recession has exacerbated concern about many community-level problems including poverty, affordable …
Unemployment In The Great Recession: Single Parents And Men Hit Hard, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Kristin Smith, Jessica A. Bean
Unemployment In The Great Recession: Single Parents And Men Hit Hard, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Kristin Smith, Jessica A. Bean
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief discusses the sweeping impact the Great Recession has had on Americans, particularly men, single parents, young adults, and people with less education. Using data from the 2007 and 2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey, the authors report that unemployment is highest among men and among unmarried adults, regardless of place or parenting status. Although this was also true before the recession, gaps between men and women, and the unmarried and married, have widened considerably during the recession. Also during the Great Recession, unemployment rose more in central cities and suburban places than in …
Continuity And Change In Coos County: Results From The 2010 North Country Cera Survey, Chris R. Colocousis, Justin R. Young
Continuity And Change In Coos County: Results From The 2010 North Country Cera Survey, Chris R. Colocousis, Justin R. Young
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief from Chris Colocousis and Justin Young uses the most recent North Country CERA survey to focus on change and continuity in Coos County between 2007 and 2010, and then makes comparisons of the present conditions across the three study counties. The authors examine such topics as community problems, environmental and economic concerns, and community cohesion and confidence in the local government. They report that Coos County residents remain highly concerned about the lack of economic opportunities in the region, and their concern about population decline has increased in recent years. Coos residents see the economic future of their …
Total Children Covered By Health Insurance Increased In 2009, Jessica A. Bean, Michael J. Staley
Total Children Covered By Health Insurance Increased In 2009, Jessica A. Bean, Michael J. Staley
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief uses data collected in 2008 and 2009 from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) to examine changes in overall insurance coverage rates, as well as changes in types of coverage, and differences by region, state, and place type. The data show that together with new and more inclusive parameters for children's health insurance coverage, rates of children's health insurance have grown during the final year of the recession. Authors Jessica Bean and Michael Staley of the Carsey Institute discuss the complex factors contributing to the shift from private to public health insurance among children. The authors …
Rural And Central City Residents With Multiple Children Likely To Be Hardest Hit By Proposed Wic Cuts, Jessica A. Bean
Rural And Central City Residents With Multiple Children Likely To Be Hardest Hit By Proposed Wic Cuts, Jessica A. Bean
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief uses data from the 2007 and 2010 Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement to describe the distribution of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) receipt across the population and to detail place-based differences in receipt. WIC is a nutrition program that serves pregnant or postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5 (who meet certain criteria) by providing them with nutrition education and checks or vouchers for food purchases. The proposed fiscal year 2012 funding is $733 million less for WIC than fiscal year 2011 levels, and far less than …
Rural Workers Have Less Access To Paid Sick Days, Kristin Smith, Andrew P. Schaefer
Rural Workers Have Less Access To Paid Sick Days, Kristin Smith, Andrew P. Schaefer
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief, using data from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) survey, analyzes paid sick time rates of workers by place and type of work. Paid sick days provide job protection to workers and a steady paycheck when they need to care for themselves or family members. Paid sick days also help workers with more limited resources who cannot otherwise afford to take a day off. Authors Kristin Smith and Andrew Schaefer report that a greater proportion of rural workers than urban workers (both suburban and central-city) lack access to at least five paid sick days per …
Long-Term Foster Care: Different Needs, Different Outcomes, Wendy A. Walsh, Marybeth J. Mattingly
Long-Term Foster Care: Different Needs, Different Outcomes, Wendy A. Walsh, Marybeth J. Mattingly
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief examines where foster children are living four years after removal from their homes and the characteristics of these children and their placements. Understanding whether child characteristics such as age or emotional or behavioral problems are associated with a longer stay in out-of-home care can help identify children who are least likely to find permanence and may benefit from specialized services. The authors conclude that children in long-term foster care suffer from behavioral and emotional problems at alarming rates. Better identifying and assisting children with, or at risk of developing such problems upon entry to foster care and throughout …
Natural Decrease In America: More Coffins Than Cradles, Kenneth M. Johnson
Natural Decrease In America: More Coffins Than Cradles, Kenneth M. Johnson
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief summarizes recent regional patterns of natural decrease in the United States. Natural decrease occurs when more deaths than births occur in an area in a given year. The growing incidence of natural decrease has gone largely unnoticed, yet natural decrease is no longer an isolated phenomenon occurring in a few remote corners of the country. Last year, 24 percent of all U.S. counties experienced natural decrease. And, for the first time in U.S. history, deaths now exceed births in an entire state. Author Ken Johnson discusses the implications of natural decrease, as well as the impact of the …
Community Strength And Economic Challenge: Civic Attitudes And Community Involvement In Rural America, Michele Dillon, Justin R. Young
Community Strength And Economic Challenge: Civic Attitudes And Community Involvement In Rural America, Michele Dillon, Justin R. Young
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
Residents in rural areas that are rich in amenities report a positive outlook about their community strength and civic engagement, with nine out of ten saying they would work together to solve a community problem. However, residents in chronically poor rural communities are less likely to trust, get along with, and help their neighbors.
Reading Levels Of Rural And Urban Third Graders Lag Behind Their Suburban Peers, Suzanne E. Graham, Christine Teague
Reading Levels Of Rural And Urban Third Graders Lag Behind Their Suburban Peers, Suzanne E. Graham, Christine Teague
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief examines the complex interplay of family, school, and place factors in the reading achievement levels of third grade students. Third grade reading achievement is critical to later academic and occupational success. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, the authors report that suburban children realize greater gains in reading achievement from kindergarten to Grade 3 than their rural or urban counterparts. Rural students who were struggling readers at the beginning of kindergarten have lower average reading achievement in third grade than both urban and suburban students when children of the same socioeconomic status are compared. The differences …
Household Reports Of Energy Assistance Receipt Increased 48 Percent During Recession: Proposed Cuts Threaten Vulnerable Families, Jessica A. Bean
Household Reports Of Energy Assistance Receipt Increased 48 Percent During Recession: Proposed Cuts Threaten Vulnerable Families, Jessica A. Bean
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief examines heating assistance usage and the implications of President Obama's 2012 budget proposal to cut $2.5 billion from the $5.1 billion energy assistance fund for low-income families at a time when families are struggling with higher energy costs amid a difficult economy. The federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) assists vulnerable families in paying their home heating and cooling bills. Nationwide, from the winter of 2006/2007 to the winter of 2009/2010, there was a 48 percent increase in households receiving energy assistance. This growth appears to have accelerated with the recession, particularly in the rural Northeast and …
Social Impact Of The Gulf Oil Disaster: Diverging Views From Communities In Florida And Louisiana, Jessica D. Ulrich
Social Impact Of The Gulf Oil Disaster: Diverging Views From Communities In Florida And Louisiana, Jessica D. Ulrich
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
Carsey researchers surveyed over two thousand residents of the Gulf Coast following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in 2010 to analyze their perception of the spill. Nearly one-half of all Gulf Coast residents perceived damage to the environment and wildlife as the most serious result of the oil spill. Perceptions regarding the impact of the spill reflect the different relationships to the oil economy in the two states--”Floridians are most concerned about effects on tourism and Louisianans on the fishing and oil industries. Louisianans were more than twice as likely as Floridians to think that their state and …
Education In Chronically Poor Rural Areas Lags Across Generations, Jessica D. Ulrich
Education In Chronically Poor Rural Areas Lags Across Generations, Jessica D. Ulrich
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
As part of the Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) initiative, the Carsey Institute has been investigating broad trends between rural community types, including the education level of residents and their parents. Since 2007, Carsey researchers have conducted over 17,000 telephone surveys with randomly selected adult Americans from twelve diverse rural locations to ask about both their own and their parents’ educational attainment, as well as their perceptions of school quality in their communities. Survey results conclude that educational achievement varies significantly by type of place in rural America. In chronically poor rural areas, 45 percent of residents have …
Civil Protective Orders Effective In Stopping Or Reducing Partner Violence: Challenges Remain In Rural Areas With Access And Enforcement, T. K. Logan, Robert Walker
Civil Protective Orders Effective In Stopping Or Reducing Partner Violence: Challenges Remain In Rural Areas With Access And Enforcement, T. K. Logan, Robert Walker
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
Civil protective orders are a low cost, effective solution in either stopping or significantly reducing partner violence for women. While all women benefit from civil protective orders, this brief finds there are greater obstacles to enforcement in rural places, which result in less benefit for rural than urban women. The authors suggest that policies and services should be tailored to address community-specific barriers and differences such as hours of access, time it takes to obtain or serve an order, and access to information about the process.
Environmental, Economic, And Social Changes In Rural America Visible In Survey Data And Satellite Images, Joel N. Hartter, Chris R. Colocousis
Environmental, Economic, And Social Changes In Rural America Visible In Survey Data And Satellite Images, Joel N. Hartter, Chris R. Colocousis
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief focuses on the changing landscapes of different types of rural America where social, economic, and ecological changes are occurring over large areas: the Northern Forest, Central Appalachia, and the Pacific Northwest. These three study sites embody varying historical reliance on land and natural resources and represent very different socioeconomic dynamics. Their common and unique challenges are explored, along with the far-reaching implications of land-cover change in their areas. Data used includes both telephone surveys and satellite imagery to illustrate the unique changes seen in rural America in recent years. (Please note that it is best to print this …
Enduring Ties To Community And Nature: Charting An Alternative Future For Southeast Alaska, Jessica D. Ulrich, Thomas G. Safford
Enduring Ties To Community And Nature: Charting An Alternative Future For Southeast Alaska, Jessica D. Ulrich, Thomas G. Safford
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
Like much of rural America, Southeast Alaska is confronting the social implications of both population declines and the downturn in natural resource-based industries. Although many residents have chosen to leave Alaska in the last decade, the majority have stayed. Strong social cohesion and intimate ties to the natural amenities of the region are what sustain rural Alaskans. It is these connections to people and place that may ultimately enable residents to create renewed and more resilient Alaskan communities. Examining the challenges faced by Southeast Alaska, this brief discusses ways to encourage community groups and governmental agencies to work collaboratively to …
How Far Would You Drive For Fresh Food? How Some Rural New Hampshire Residents Navigate A Dismal Food Landscape, Jennifer J. Esala
How Far Would You Drive For Fresh Food? How Some Rural New Hampshire Residents Navigate A Dismal Food Landscape, Jennifer J. Esala
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
Lack of access to food stores with healthy and affordable food is one of the central obstacles to eradicating hunger in America. Approximately 23.5 million Americans live more than a mile from a supermarket, which makes accessing healthy food more challenging. Among low income populations, especially those with young children and limited transportation, this distance can severely limit access to affordable and healthy foods. This brief reports the challenges that eighteen rural New Hampshire mothers face to secure healthy, affordable, and quality foods and suggests ways to help address these challenges.
No Place Like Home: Place And Community Identity Among North Country Youth, Genevieve R. Cox, Corinna J. Tucker
No Place Like Home: Place And Community Identity Among North Country Youth, Genevieve R. Cox, Corinna J. Tucker
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository
This brief explores the link between rural youths’ identification with their community, their self-esteem, and their future plans. The panel study of New Hampshire’s Coos County youth offers a snapshot into the dynamics of a population that is developing its identity in a region that is undergoing an identity transformation of its own. Place identity may be influential in how individuals think of themselves and their futures, particularly for youth in the process of forming an identity. The study reveals the importance of developing community programs and activities for youth that create social ties to form a positive identification with …