Economic Divide Evident in Comprehensive Statewide Survey; Residents Generally Happy in CT, But 1/3 Face Barriers, Financial Challenges

The largest-ever quality of life survey of Connecticut residents, conducted during the past six months,  has found that four out of five adults report feeling happy and satisfied with where they live; but one-third of adults report just barely or not getting by financially.  The disparities in quality of life across the state’s population were a constant running through the survey results. In-depth interviews were completed with 16,219 randomly-selected adults in every Connecticut city and town. Although Connecticut does well when compared to national and international averages of health, income, and education, survey officials said, results reflect that disparities are still great, with a sizeable share of residents continuing to face significant barriers to economic success, safety, health, and other critical aspects of well-being.

The 2015 DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, which asked more than 100 questions of survey respondants, created a detailed portrait of social and economic conditions in towns throughout Connecticut and adjacent sections of New York State.  DataHaven, a non-profit group leading the collection and study of neighborhood-level public data on key social and economic trends, undertook the survey with assistance from Sienna College in New York. It is said to be the most intensive effort of its kind in the United States, according to the survey’s leaders.  Among the key findings:

• 74% of men and 75% of women in Connecticut report feeling mostly or completely happy during the previous day. However, this measure varied widely by income, ranging from 53% among adults earning less than $15,000 per year to 89% among adults earning $200,000 or more.
• Although official unemployment rates have fallen substantially since 2012, 14% of Connecticut workers are still considered “under-employed,” meaning that they have no job and would like to work or they are currently working part-time but would prefer to have a full-time job. Within the Greater New Haven region, the “under-employment” rate among workers fell from 21% in 2012 to 13% in 2015.
• Two-thirds (66%) of Connecticut residents say that they are either doing alright or living comfortably when asked how they are managing financially these days. However, 11% are finding it difficult or very difficult, and an additional 21% say that they are just getting by.
• Many in Connecticut still struggle to afford food, adequate housing, and reliable transportation. One out of every ten adults identifying as white or Asian-American, and one out of every four adults identifying as African-American or Latino, reported that they did not have enough money to buy food for themselves or their family at some point during the past 12 months – in some cases, facing this situation almost every month of the year. About 6% of adults reported that they did not have enough money to provide adequate housing for themselves or their family, and 13% reported a lack of reliable transportation, at some point in the past year.

“The purpose of the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey is to produce the highest-quality, neighborhood-level information on issues that are most meaningful to local residents,” explained Mark Abraham, Executive Director of DataHaven.  Abraham also pointed out that “the initiative is helping to strengthen collaborations between dozens of organizations and agencies that are working together to measure social progress and improve population well-being at the statewide and local levels.” The metrics in the survey complement traditional statistics on topics such as employment, personal income, reported crimes, tax base, and industry output.

More than 50 of Connecticut’s leading foundations, hospitals, community institutions, and government agencies have supported the survey initiative.  Major funders are located in Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, Waterbury, New Britain, Norwalk, Danbury, Greenwich, Middletown, Derby, Bristol, Norwich, New London, Manchester and other cities across the state.

The survey also found that residents of some urban neighborhoods have substantially lower rates of overall satisfaction with where they live as well as much greater concerns about government responsiveness, police effectiveness, and public services. On the other hand, cities such as Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and New Haven have relatively higher proportions of adults who are optimistic that their neighborhood is improving, and residents of higher-income neighborhoods within these city centers are in some cases significantly more satisfied with local quality of life than the average resident.

"The Connecticut Council for Philanthropy along with other funding partners invested in the first ever statewide Community Wellbeing Survey, a scientific survey of the state’s entire adult population that will provide timely, powerful knowledge about our communities and enable us to better know the people and places we care about,” added Maggie Osborn, President of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy.

In a departure from most statewide and national surveys, officials said, the DataHaven program brings together existing grassroots efforts across the state – effectively unifying more than a dozen pre-existing regional or local surveys into a single, high-quality effort that now covers all areas in Connecticut. The power of the survey results was greatly enhanced both by the number of respondents, as well as by having the same questions being asked of respondents in many different areas.

DataHaven designed its 2015 Community Wellbeing Survey with the support of nearly 100 local government, academic, health-care, and community partners as well as a panel of epidemiologists and survey research experts. The 20-minute survey, conducted by the Siena College Research Institute (SRI) in Loudonville, New York, involved landline and cell phone interviews with nearly 17,000 randomly-selected adults throughout Connecticut and adjacent sections of Westchester County between April and October, 2015.

CT Drug Overdose Death Rate Above National Average, 20th Highest in US; Doubles Since 2001

In every state, the rate of young people dying from drug overdoses increased in the past decade, according to a report by Trust for America’s Health. In the past 12 years, the overdose rate for people ages 12 to 25 has more than doubled in 35 states and quadrupled in five, Governing magazine reported.  In 1999, not one state had a drug overdose death rate of more than 6.1 per 100,000 young adults. Fast forward 14 years, and 33 states had drug overdose deaths of 6.1 per 100,000 or higher from 2011 to 2013. The national average is now 7.3 per 100,000 youths. In Connecticut, the average rate between 1999 and 2001 was 4.1 per 100,000.  Between 2010 and 2013, the drug overdose rate had risen to 8.3, above the national average but unchanged from a previous three-year period, 2005-2007.  The data was compiled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Males are 2.5 times as likely to overdose as females (10.4 vs. 4.1 per 100,000), according to the report.

In a report this month, Reducing Teen Substance Misuse: What Really Works, Connecticut ranked 31st lowest (20^th highest) for the number of youth drug overdose deaths, with the rate of 8.3 per 100,000 youth, ages 12 to 25. Connecticut is one of 18 states where the overdose death rates have more than doubled in the past dozen years, according to the report.

West Virginia, New Mexico and Utah have the highest rates of young adult overdose deaths, with each around 12 deaths per 100,000 youths in 2013. This is more than five times higher than South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska, which had rates around 3 deaths per 100,000 teens and young adults.

The statistics, and the use of opiates and heroin across the country, have been featured in recent weeks on 60 Minutes and The New York Times, focusing on Ohio and New Hampshire, respectively.  Both reports indicated it is a national problem of unprecedented proportion. 

Drug overdose death rates have increased everywhere since 1999, but the rate has gone down Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi and Tennessee in the past 8 years. Nevertheless, the rate increased in 13 states since 2007 -- and 11 of those states have overdose death rates above 6.1 per 100,000.

In July, Governor Malloy hosted a bill signing ceremony at a New London treatment center to commemorate the final passage of legislation he introduced aimed at reducing heroin and prescription opioid abuse.  The legislation law improves the prescription monitoring program and prescribing practices, with increased education and tools available to health care professionals, and greater accessibility of the overdose reversing drug naloxone in cases of emergency, according to the Governor’s office.

"We have to treat addiction like a public health issue not a crime,” Malloy said.  “Connecticut is taking a stand against a nationwide prescription opioid and heroin overdose epidemic to become a leader in combating opioid and heroin abuse, preventing drug addiction and overdoses.  This common sense legislation will help save lives and address a pressing public health need."

The legislation streamlines the process to help practitioners identify potential abuse that leads to over prescribing by requiring them to check patient history to verify if patients seeking certain prescriptions have recently received these medications from multiple other prescribers or pharmacists.

Under the Connecticut law, in cases of overdose or medical emergency, the drug naloxone will be more widely available, allowing pharmacists, after being trained and certified to prescribe it to Connecticut families, first responders, and the treatment community across the state.  In Connecticut, State Police Troopers have saved more than 30 lives from drug overdose by administering NARCAN.

The Reducing Teen Substance Misuse report also includes a review of 10 key indicators of leading evidence-based policies and programs that can improve the well-being of children and youth and have been connected with preventing and reducing substance— alcohol, tobacco or other drugs—misuse.  Connecticut was one of two states scoring  nine out of 10 and, nationally, 24 states scored a five or lower. Minnesota and New Jersey received the highest score of 10 out of a possible 10 points, while four states scored the lowest, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi and Wyoming, with three out of 10 points, according to the report.

Those states with drug overdose death rates above the national average, in addition to Connecticut, include Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Rates have more than tripled in twelve states (Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Utah and West Virginia); and more than quadrupled in five states (Kansas, Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Wyoming).

Overall, the report found a significant jump in overdoses from teen to young adult years. Overdose rates for 19- to 25-year-olds are eight times greater than people 18 and younger.  There isn’t a clear answer for why heroin addiction and overdose deaths have grown so dramatically, although the availability of prescription drugs might have something to do with it, Governing reported.

The New York Times reported that:

• Heroin-related deaths jumped 39 percent from 2012 to 2013, and the longer-term trends are equally disturbing: from 2002 to 2013, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths nearly quadrupled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Researchers have found that prior to the 1980s, whites and nonwhites were equally represented among first-time heroin users. Now, nearly 90 percent of the people who tried heroin for the first time in the past decade were white. And a growing number are middle-class or wealthy.
• Three out of four heroin addicts started out by using prescription drugs. The C.D.C. reports that 45 percent of people who used heroin between 2011 and 2013 were also addicted to prescription painkillers. People who are dependent on prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to abuse or be dependent on heroin, according to the C.D.C.
• Opioid deaths were up 76 percent in New Hampshire in 2014, with 325 people dying from an opioid overdose, according to state figures. Emergency room visits from heroin have more than tripled there since 2013. In Massachusetts, opioid deaths rose 20 percent in 2014, and are up 63 percent over 2012, The Boston Globe reported.

https://youtu.be/CQFITcdG8_4

Millennials Work Wish List Omits Economy-Driving Industries; Career Opportunities, Flexible Schedules Are Key

Companies looking to recruit Gen Y employees have a new roadmap to hiring, courtesy of The Hartford’s annual Millennial Leadership Survey, which revealed that the best way to do so is to provide a variety of career opportunities.  In the national survey, nearly half, 46 percent cited that approach.   Additional recruiting tips from Millennials include offering:

• Flexible work schedules (43 percent)
• Benefits, such as health, life, and disability insurance (40 percent); and
• Career advancement and leadership opportunities (33 percent).

A vast majority of Millennials (80 percent) consider themselves as leaders today and want to be leaders in the next five years (69 percent), according to The Hartford’s 2015 Millennial Leadership Survey.

Key industries driving the U.S. economy, including retail, construction and manufacturing, are failing to attract a giant generation of leaders – the 80 million Millennials (ages 18-34) in the United States.  Only 7 percent of young leaders in the third annual survey said they are interested in working in construction, retail or manufacturing. Other industries that rated low on the Gen Y work wish list are insurance, which four percent of Millennials said they’re drawn to, and wholesaling and utilities at 3 percent each.

Arts and entertainment topped the Millennials’ work wish list, with 40 percent of Gen Y survey participants saying they want to work in this industry. Second on the list was education at 36 percent, and technology at 36 percent.

“Year over year, our research shows that the right benefits play a pivotal role in attracting and retaining employees,” said Mike Concannon, executive vice president of The Hartford’s Group Benefits business.

“The results reveal a quiet crisis – a generation of leaders who aren’t interested in many businesses that drive our nation’s economy,” said The Hartford’s Millennial Workplace Expert Lindsey Pollak.

“Millennials can help close this leadership gap by widening their career searches and exploring jobs, salaries and benefits before writing off whole sectors of the U.S. job market.”

As a leading provider of group benefits, The Hartford protects the lives and incomes of more than 12 million working Americans. For more than three years, The Hartford has partnered with Pollak to help Millennials, the largest generation in the U.S. workforce today, make informed benefit choices.

State Economy Stagnating, Residents Have Less Optimism but Fewer Plans to Leave, Survey Shows

Connecticut residents generally view the state’s economy as stagnating, even as a majority consider the state a good place to live and raise a family, and fewer residents say it is likely that they will move out of the state. According to the latest quarterly Connecticut Consumer Confidence Survey, those who view the Connecticut economy as improving has dropped by 10 points between the end of March and the end of September, from one-third of those surveyed (33%) to less than one quarter (23%).

An increasing percentage of state residents consider business conditions as having worsened during the past six months, and fewer think business conditions will improve in the next six months, as compared with the March survey.  Only 22 percent believe that conditions have improved during the past six months, and 74 percent believe business conditions will stay the same or worsen during the next six months (53% stay the same, 21% worsen).

Administered for InformCT by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC) and Smith & Company, the analysis is based on the responses of residents across Connecticut and addresses key economic issues such as overall confidence, reactions to housing prices, upscale consumer purchases, leisure spending and current investments. The research provides a measure of the strength of the Connecticut economy as well as a gauge of select economic factors, officials said.

Reflecting the diminishing consumer confidence in the state’s economy, the percentage who would make a major consumer expenditure has also dropped 10 points since the end of the 1^st quarter – from more than 1/3 to just one-quarter (26%).  Nine in ten state residents believe that there are not enough jobs in Connecticut or that jobs are very hard to get, and those percentages have nudged upwards through the year.

“A higher percentage of respondents have accepted the fact that business conditions “are what they are” and are not going to change soon. This feeling is also reflected in the ‘not improving’ job market,” said Alissa DeJonge, Vice President of Research at CERC.

Nonetheless, those who live in Connecticut are more inclined to stay, according to the survey.  Those who say it is likely they’ll move out in the next 5 years has shifted dramatically between March and September. At the end of the first quarter, in March, there was an even split, 39%-39% on the likely to stay or go question.  The latest data indicates that a 12 point differential has developed, with 46 percent saying it is unlikely (either somewhat unlikely or very unlikely) that they will move out in the next five years, and only 34 percent respond that moving is likely.  The largest segment, one-third of those surveyed, say a move out of Connecticut is very unlikely.

The survey also found that a narrow majority agree that Connecticut is a good place to live and raise a family (51 percent), although the percentage who "strongly agree" has declined by 2 percentage points in each of this year’s quarterly surveys and now stands at 14 percent.

Among other economic indicators, the percentage concerned about being able to afford health insurance has edged up slightly, from 53 percent to 55 percent, those who anticipate refinancing or purchasing a home in the next six months dropped from by one-third, from 18 percent in the first quarter of the year to 12 percent by the end of the third quarter.   Interestingly, buying a car appears immune to economic outlook – the percentage who anticipate that purchase in the next six months  has been nearly identical in each quarterly survey this year.

“Many feel that they are worse off now than 6 months ago and this downward spiral may continue through the next 6 months,” added Stephen A. Smith, President of Smith & Company. “In addition, many do not feel that the Connecticut economy is improving and over half continue to express concern about their ability to retire comfortably.”  In the survey, 55 percent indicated they do not believe they will “have enough money to retire comfortably,” up from 51 percent in March and 53 percent in June.

As the state moves forward with major investments in transportation, the percentage who believe traffic congestion is severe enough to justify tolls on major highways hasn’t budged all year – only one-quarter agree.  The percentage of those who disagree has decreased slightly – from 56 percent to 50 percent, with 6 percent shifting to the “not sure” category between the first quarter and third quarter surveys.

InformCT is a public-private partnership that currently includes staff from CERC and the Connecticut Data Collaborative.  CERC, based in Rocky Hill, is a nonprofit corporation and public-private partnership that provides economic development services consistent with state strategies, leveraging Connecticut’s unique advantages as a premier business location. Smith & Company LLC is a market research firm.  More information about the survey, and subscribing, can be found at www.informct.org.

Three Connecticut Cities Among Nation’s Top 300 Fastest Growing Economies

Bridgeport is not only Connecticut’s largest city by population, it is the city which has expanded – in socioeconomic terms – more than any other in the state between 2008 and 2014, according to an analysis released by WalletHub. Bridgeport ranked at number 230 nationally, one of three Connecticut communities – all in Fairfield County – that reached the top 300 across the country.  The others are Stamford, ranked at number 265, and Norwalk, at number 293.

In 2014, the U.S. recorded its lowest population gain since the Great Depression. Growth stood at .73 percent, largely in contrast with the 5 percent of the 1990s, a period of prosperity, WalletHub pointed out.  Demographer William H. Frey of the Brookings Institution attributed the decline to the economic downturn. Not only did the crisis deter job-seeking migrants from flocking to the U.S., but it also discouraged couples from having children, he noted. Meanwhile, population numbers shifted across states, creating short- and long-term effects on local economies, WalletHub indicated.

In order to identify the cities that have expanded most rapidly in socioeconomic terms between 2008 and 2014, WalletHub compared 515 U.S. cities of varying sizes across 10 key metrics, ranging from population growth to unemployment rate decrease.

The other Connecticut cities that ranked on the overall list of cities were New Britain (344), Danbury (355), Hartford (374), New Haven (425), and Waterbury (504).

Eleven of the twelve top-ranked cities – regardless of size - were all in Texas, led by Odessa, Frisco, Midland, Mission College Station, and Killeen.  When the list was broken down by city population, Connecticut did not have a top-100 city in economic growth.

On the list of small cities, Norwalk ranked at 109, New Britain at number 129 and Danbury at number 132.  Among mid-size cities, Bridgeport was ranked at number 110, Stamford ranked at number 123, Hartford was at number 187 and New Haven and Waterbury were at 212 and 239 respectively.  Midsize cities are those with between 100,000 and 300,000 people; small cities have fewer than 100,000 people.

Large cities with the most growth were Austin, Miami, Fort Worth, Denver and Corpus Christi.  At the bottom of the large city list were Mesa, St. Louis, Tucson, Cleveland and Detroit.  Leading the list of mid-size cities were five Texas communities; on the list of small cities Texas had four of the five top-ranked communities exhibiting the most growth.

The factors considered included socio-demographic landscape (population growth, working-age population growth, and poverty rate decrease), and jobs and economic environment (median household income growth, unemployment rate decrease, job growth, ratio of full-time to part-time jobs, and growth of regional GNP per capita).

Joan Fitzgerald, Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, told WalletHub: “It is not an accident that many of the fastest growing cities have thriving high tech and biotech sectors along with financial services and usually a strong health care sector.  But another priority has to be balance.  In many cities, manufacturing loses out over other uses.”

Added Boston University Professor of Economics Kevin Lang: “it is not so much that population growth encourages employment as that employment opportunities encourage population growth.  Of course, this, in turn, creates further employment opportunities.”

Last month, the  Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford metro area ranked second nationally among the top ten best places for female entrepreneurs, in an analysis by  Nerdwallet, a personal finance information service geared toward helping consumers make informed financial decisions.  That ranking analyzed the U.S. Census Bureau’s survey of business owners and data from the Small Business Administration to come up with the national rankings. The top ranked city for female entrepreneurs was Boulder.  Joining Norwalk-Stamford-Bridgeport in the top five were Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Santa Cruz -Watsonville, and Santa Rosa.  Researchers found that seven of the top 10 metro areas for female business owners -- based on business climate, local economic health and financing opportunities -- are in California or Colorado.

The data sources used in the WalletHub analysis included the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Latino, African-American Arts Organizations Face Steeper Climb to Sustain Success

Latino and African-American museums and performing arts organizations struggle to draw philanthropic support compared to other cultural institutions, creating "chronic financial difficulties" that sharply limit what they are able produce, according to a comprehensive new report, Diversity in the Arts. The study by the University of Maryland's DeVos Institute of Arts Management suggests that donors focus their giving on bigger grants for "a smaller cohort [of minority organizations] that can manage themselves effectively, make the best art, and have the biggest impact on their communities." The 51-page report was cited by the Los Angeles Times and reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.  The report said that minority-focused arts organizations’ most debilitating weakness has been difficulty in attracting private, individual donors, a demographic whose charitable giving far exceeds the grantmaking of foundations, corporations and government.

“In 2015 a large number of arts organizations of color are struggling, in some cases desperately,” says the report, overseen by Michael Kaiser, the veteran arts administrator and former Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts president who heads the DeVos Institute.  The report also recommended that “serious arts funders must address the need to develop pipelines to bring talented college graduates of color into the arts management field.”

Using 2013 tax returns, DeVos found that the 30 largest black and 30 largest Latino nonprofit arts groups had a median budget of $3.8 million, versus $61.1 million for 20 major general arts institutions. Minority entities reported getting 5 percent of their funding from individual donations, compared to a norm of 60 percent for other groups, the Times reported.

“There is an urgent need for philanthropic leaders to revise funding policies to account for changing demographics and the distinctive characteristics of organizations of color,” the report said.  Funders may need to support “a limited number of organizations,” the report stated, noting that “it might allow the sector to thrive by creating a group of strong, effective organizations of color that can serve as role models and training grounds for others.”

“The small staffs at many organizations of color are already stretched to the limit delivering their services and oftentimes struggle with reporting requirements set by institutional donors…A shift toward general operating support allows organizations to direct resources to where they are most needed while promoting sustainable capacity growth.”

The “Diversity in the Arts” report contains another potentially controversial finding: When large, mainstream arts organizations put on black- or Latino-themed performances or exhibitions, they siphon away artistic talent, donations and attendance from black and Latino companies, the Los Angeles Times reported. Kaiser called the study "a wake-up call" for arts funders.

A survey to which 29 of the 60 black and Latino arts groups in the study replied showed that the median percentage of donations coming from individuals was 5%. The norm is about 60% for big mainstream arts organizations.  “This is the most important single statistic in the study,” the report says.  Minority arts organizations also trailed when it came to box office receipts and other earned revenue. Earned money accounted for 40% of their revenue, compared with 59% for the big mainstream groups.

To develop its financial profile, the DeVos Institute used tax returns for what it ranked as the 30 largest African American and 30 largest Latino nonprofit arts groups nationwide, by budget, in the fields of theater, dance and museums. The institute compared them with 20 of the biggest general companies in those fields.

The study concludes by suggesting that “people look at the challenges of arts organizations of color in a new way.  And we hope that leaders of every community will feel moved to work together to ensure that the arts of every segment of our varied society are allowed to thrive.”

The DeVos Institute of Arts Management provides training, consultation and implementation support for arts managers and their boards.  It has been associated with the University of Maryland since 2014 but has its origins in the early 1960’s, and has served more than 1,000 organizations in 80 countries.

Listen, Look and Respond to Texts While Behind the Wheel – Legal in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, Public Act 10-109, enacted into law in 2010, states that “no person shall operate a motor vehicle … while using a hand-held mobile telephone to engage in a call or while using a mobile electronic device while such vehicle is in motion. An operator of a motor vehicle who types, sends or reads a text message with a hand-held mobile telephone or mobile electronic device while such vehicle is in motion shall be in violation of this section.” Now, technology and the nation’s automakers are doing their best to skirt the language of the law, with in-car electronics that allow drivers to listen to, read and send text messages while at the wheel. 

The technology, now being widely advertised as 2016 new car models reach showrooms, “may unintentionally cause greater levels of cognitive distraction,” according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

One advertisement seen recently on local television and appearing on-line, from Chevrolet, is for the company’s Text Message Alert system. The description of the new feature explains “When you’re in your vehicle, this convenient feature alerts you when a new text has been received and allows you to listen to messages, view messages (when your vehicle’s not in motion) and reply with a preset message with a compatible smartphone.”

Whether or not the new technology meets the letter and spirit of the Connecticut law, now five years old, has yet to be tested.  And if it does, is that in the best interest of Connecticticut drivers, or should the law be revised to address changing technologies?  Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, points out that “Technologies used in the car that rely on voice communications may have unintended consequences that adversely affect road safety.”

“We already know that drivers can miss stop signs, pedestrians and other cars while using voice technologies because their mind is not fully focused on the road ahead,” adds Bob Darbelnet, President and CEO of AAA.

The Chevrolet ad exclaims that “Life doesn’t stop when you’re driving. With MyLink you can stay in touch and up-to-date safely with hands-free calling and access to your personal address book through Bluetooth® wireless technology.”  But data indicates that hands-free is not necessarily safe, according to AAA.

AAA has pointed to recent research which indicates that “the accuracy of voice recognition software significantly influences the rate of distraction.”  For example, a team led by Dr. David Strayer and researchers at the University of Utah found that using a speech-to-text system to listen to and compose emails or texts was a greater distraction than talking on a hand-held or hands-free cell phone or listening to the radio.

With three out of four drivers believing that hands-free technology is safe to use, AAA officials caution, Americans may be surprised to learn that these popular new vehicle features may actually increase distraction, according to the new research.  AAA is urging manufacturers to “continue their efforts to develop and refine systems that reduce distractions: while encouraging drivers to “minimize cognitive distraction by limiting the use of most voice-based technologies.”

To assess “real-world” impact, Dr. Joel Cooper with Precision Driving Research evaluated the two most common voice-based interactions in which drivers engage – changing radio stations and voice dialing – with the actual voice-activated systems found in six different automakers’ vehicles. On the five point scale, Toyota’s Entune system garnered the lowest distraction ranking (at 1.7), which is similar to listening to an audio book. In comparison, the Chevrolet MyLink resulted in a very high level of distraction (rating of 3.7). Other systems tested included the Hyundai Blue Link (rating 2.2), the Chrysler Uconnect (rating 2.7), the Ford SYNC (rating 3.0) and the Mercedes COMMAND (rating 3.1).

Chevrolet also offers a feature called Siri Hands Free.  The company’s website explains that “The system allows limited hands-free interaction for when you need to compose important messages on the go.”

“It is clear that not all voice systems are created equal, and today’s imperfect systems can lead to the perfect storm for driver distraction,” continued Darbelnet. “AAA urges vehicle and device manufacturers to use this research to improve their voice systems and promote road safety.”

As someone once described it during the consideration banning texting while driving in Connecticut earlier in this decade, “cell phones don’t cause accidents, distractions do.”

https://youtu.be/kY6ohMfY2gQ

Nearly 2/3 of Americans Have Confidence in Charities, But More Than 1/3 Don’t, Survey Reveals

Almost two-thirds of Americans have confidence in charities, according to a new poll by the Chronicle of Philanthropy — the first to measure public views on the subject since 2008. Although most expressed “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence in charitable organizations and more than 80 percent said charities do a very good or somewhat good job helping people, dissatisfaction was also expressed.  A significant number voiced concern about finances: a third said charities do a "not too good" or "not at all good" job spending money wisely; and 6 in 10 said their leaders are paid too much, the Chronicle reported.

Half of those surveyed said that in deciding where they will donate, it is very important for them to know that charities spend a low amount on salaries, administration, and fundraising; 34 percent said that was somewhat important.  And 35 percent said they had little or no confidence in charities, the Chronicle underscored.

Maggie Gunther Osborn, President of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, points out that “in a new and positive era of transparency, better questions are being asked and more data provided about the positive impact of charities.  The sector is being asked to more openly communicate and be accountable to the public trust.  This is a good thing.”

“At the same time,” she added, “outliers and bad actors are publicized and amplified, tarnishing the sector and creating misinformation and incorrect perceptions.”

People who gave charities low marks on spending money wisely were asked what kind of spending they considered unwise. The biggest portion, 37 percent, cited salaries or other administrative costs. The second-highest answer, named by 11 percent, was advertising.

Mary Cahalane, a Connecticut-based nonprofit fundraising consultant and author of the blog Hands On Fundraising, said that “Charities need to do a better job explaining the importance of our work to the general public. Surveys like this are instructive.”

The Chronicle poll, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, surveyed 1,000 adults in June, asking several questions identical to those included in polls that Princeton conducted from 2002 to 2008.

Americans rank charities higher than a range of other institutions. Fifteen percent said they had a great deal of confidence in charitable organizations over all, with 21 percent stating the same about charities in their own communities. Other institutions did not fare nearly as well.  In a June Gallup poll, only 4 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in Congress, 9 percent in big business, 10 percent in newspapers, and 12 percent in banks, public schools, and organized labor. The top scorers: the military (42 percent) and small business (34 percent), the Chronicle reported.

The survey found significant demographic differences in views toward charities. For example, young people were more positive than older people: 65 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they had a great deal or fair amount of confidence in charities, compared with 54 percent of people ages 65 and older. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say nonprofits do a not-too-good or not-at-all-good job spending money wisely (38 percent and 22 percent, respectively), the Chronicle noted.

“Even the politicians are trying to highlight outliers in the sector to make statements about the whole which are creating false perceptions and in fact end up undermining the social purpose sector and creating false understandings,” Osborn explained.

“It also undermines the ability of the sector to continue to care for the most vulnerable, lift up and advance our society through the arts and education and create ways to deal with safety, environmental and health shifts of enormous impact on our daily lives,” she continued.  “The majority of people, who have factual information or just faith, support and believe in the powerful good of the sector.”

Cahalane also noted three thoroughly debunked myths about charities, which nonetheless remain widely held, are reflected in the survey results:

• Myth #1: Charities should spend every dollar on direct service. This has been called the “overhead myth”. Services can’t happen without administrative and fundraising support. Charities should spend money wisely, but looking at a ratio of service versus administration expenses is not wise. The largest watchdog groups have realized this, she points out.
• Myth #2: Nonprofit staff don’t deserve to be paid for their work. Many staff people have years of specialized experience and skill. This is their profession, and they deserve to be paid fairly for their work. If charities are to run well, skilled people are needed to do the work. A few egregious examples of high executive salaries shouldn’t fool anyone: most in the industry make considerably less than they would in the for-profit world, Cahalane explains.
• Myth #3: People make giving decisions based on low salaries or administrative costs. Most do not. Most give to organizations that make a good case for giving - organizations that move their hearts and align with their values, she emphasized.

When asked in the survey about factors that influence their giving, the biggest portion, 68 percent, said it is very important the charity has evidence that its programs are effective. The other factors, in addition to the 50 percent who favored low overhead spending: the charity gets good ratings from watchdogs, 54 percent; it works on a cause that has affected me or my loved ones, 39 percent; it only occasionally asks for money, 27 percent; and I know people who work there, 24 percent.

In the survey, women had more confidence than men (66 percent to 57 percent) in charitable organizations, and college graduates had more than those with just some college (73 percent to 56 percent).  In 2008, 64 percent said they had a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in charities, compared with 62 percent in the new poll.

Update:  Additional Resource

Building Police-Community Connections As Diversity Lags in Hartford

When Governing magazine examined the diversity within local police departments, compared with the communities they serve, Hartford was among the ten cities with the largest disparity.  But two recent programs that have also received national attention underscore the city’s efforts to strengthen relationships between police and the community. The data indicated that Hartford’s police department was 35.3 percent minority, in a city where the population is 84.1 percent minority.  That was the 7^th largest gap in the nation, after Fontana, CA; Edison, NJ; Irving, TX; Grand Prairie TX; Daly City, CA; and Allentown, PA.  Using 2013 data, Governing reviewed 269 local police agencies across the country.

The article points out that “although no national standards regarding diversity levels exist, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies does require accredited agencies to adopt steps to ensure their workforce mirrors their communities.”  It also indicates that “law enforcement experts emphasize that mending fractured relationships with communities takes much more than merely a diverse force.”

Two locally developed programs, one at the Hartford Public Library (HPL) and the other at the Charter Oak Cultural Center, are working at building police-community relationships.

HPL is one of 10 public libraries in the U.S. that have been participating in the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) initiative since April 2014. The initiative, in collaboration with the nonprofit Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, is an 18-month community engagement training program where libraries learn how to address challenges facing their community.

Hartford’s work was recently featured on the national website of the American Library Association.

Through eight community conversations in Hartford’s North End neighborhood, HPL found that residents’ main concerns were public safety, community violence, and their relationship with the police. In response, a three-session community dialogue on public safety with police and community members was held, led by HPL community engagement director Richard Frieder.  Participants ranged in age from 18 to 87.

During the three sessions, according to published reports, the groups got to know each other; talked about what makes a good neighborhood and what they liked about theirs, what they would like to change, how safe community members feel, and what they believed the residents’ and police officers’ roles were in making the community safe; and figured out how to take action and solve the problems.

Some of the ideas generated include having the police and the community members participate in more activities and learning experiences together, such as block parties and community theater, where they address these issues.  Even though the 18-month project officially ends this month, HPL’s staff hopes to sustain the values and goals they developed.

At the same time, another initiative in the city was taking root – one which soon reached the pages of The New York Times and the attention of the White House.

The Charter Oak Cultural Center’s Good Vibrations program began with a conversation between Hartford’s police chief, James Rovella, and the Center’s director, Rabbi Donna Berman.  The innovative program, which began earlier this year, sought to pair middle school age students who were at a crossroads in their lives with Hartford police officers to inspire and inform the youths involved as well as helping to change the community's negative perception of police officers.  Nearly two dozen students – and police officers – collaborate on musical instruments, and in composing rap lyrics.  The relationships built, and music made, has been described as transformative. Good Vibrations includes two free courses; a Rap Poetry/CD production class, and a guitar class. All the materials are free, including the guitars, which students get to keep.

Last month, a Hartford police officer and a seventh-grader who participate in the program were honored at the White House as "Champions of Change" for their role in helping to build "bridges between youth and law enforcement, while improving public safety," according to the White House. "During the three-and-a-half month program, officers and youth helped to lift the negative stigma between police and youth through open discussions about racism, crime, government, and family."

One participating middle-schooler told the Times: “I thought police officers were just to catch bad guys and be in a bad tone. But these guys are awesome. They’re always in a good tone with us. They play with us. They tag along in our jokes. They do stuff with us. They help us. They give us advice and everything.”

CT Ranks 14th in Percentage of Women in State Legislature, As Numbers Stagnate Here and Nationwide

For two decades, it has been one step forward, one step back in efforts to expand the number of women serving in state legislatures around the county.  That is true as well in Connecticut, where in recent years the number of women in the Connecticut General Assembly has receded slightly. Connecticut’s legislators include 53 women – 44 House members and 9 Senate members, who make up 29 percent of the General Assembly’s membership.  That is a decline from 59 women, or 31 percent, as recently as 2009. Women currently comprise 25 percent of the State Senate and 30 percent of the House of Representatives, according to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.   That number places Connecticut 14th among the states in 2015 for the percentage of women members in the legislature, tied with Alaska. 

The latest issue of Governing magazine indicates that “women have held less than 25 percent of all state legislative seats for years. But both parties are trying to recruit more female candidates.”  Women make up about a third of Democratic legislators nationwide, but less than a fifth of Republicans. Of the 1,793 women currently serving as legislators right now, 60 percent are Democratic.

A 2013 report from American University indicates that women are less likely to seek political office than men, even if they have similar resumes. Women who are elected, however, are far more likely than men to have participated in a training program, according to Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University.

"Women do need to be recruited more than men," she told Governing. "In our surveys, men were much more likely to say it was largely their own idea, that nobody had to ask them."

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 24.4 percent of state legislators in the United States this year are women.  That is almost identical to 24.2 percent in 2014 – and the 24.2 percent back in 2009. That year, NCSL pointed out that the ratio of women “has increased by less than 4 percentage points over the past fifteen years.”

The leading states are Colorado, where 42 percent of the legislators are women, followed by Vermont, at 40.6 percent, Arizona at 35.6 percent, and three states tied at one-third of the legislature (33.3 percent) – Washington, Minnesota and Nevada.   At the bottom of the rankings are Louisiana, 11.8%, Wyoming, 13.3%, South Carolina, 13.5%, and Alabama, 14.3%.

States with the most women elected to the state legislature:

1. Colorado      42%
2. Vermont      40.6%
3. Arizona         35.6%
4. Washington  33.3%
5. Minnesota 33.3%
6. Nevada        33.3%
7. Montana     31.3%
8. Oregon          31.1%
9. Illinois            31.1%
10. New Jersey     30%
11. New Hampshire 29%
12. Maine                    29%
13. Hawaii                 28.9%
14. Connecticut      28.3%