Why This Is Important

The research on risk and resilience factors for young people has demonstrated that one key protective factor for them is the degree to which they feel connected or bonded to others in their environment. Young people who feel respected by others in their community are less likely to engage in risky behavior.

Where We Stand

About 40% of a sample of Maine youth interviewed in 2000 and 2001 agreed or strongly agreed that "adults in my town or city make me feel important." This percentage rose slightly in 2001, with positive changes occurring for females, freshmen and seniors. The data indicates that young people tend to feel less important as they near the end of high school. Two other related questions were also asked in the youth survey:

• About two-fifths of the youth (43% in 2000, and 44% in 2001) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "Adults in my town or city listen to what I have to say."
  
• About half (50% in 2000, and 52% in 2001) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "In my town or city, I feel like I matter to people."

Maine youth appear to feel more important than youth nationally. A 1999 publication from the Search Institute reported the following percentages of youth feeling respected nationwide. This data is from various data sets and is not from a nationally representative sample, so it is not strictly comparable to the Maine youth data.

Data Sources and Context

The Maine Marks indicator was shaped by the work of the Search Institute and their research into developmental assets of young people. The developmental assets framework is popular with many working in the field of youth development. The data source for this indicator is a statewide telephone survey of Maine youth aged 13 to 19 done by Critical Insights, a strategic marketing research firm in Portland, Maine. A total of 403 telephone interviews with Maine youth were done in November 2000; 402 more were interviewed in November 2001. The youth were asked the following: "Please tell me how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: Adults in my town or city make me feel important." Only the data in the "all" column is statistically representative of youth statewide; the gender and grade level breakdowns are only meant to be roughly descriptive of all young people in Maine.

The national comparative data is from A Fragile Foundation: The State of Developmental Assets Among American Youth, Search Institute (1999). The charted information reflects the degree to which youth agree with four statements of questions in a number of communities:

• Adults in my town or city make me feel important.
• Adults in my town or city listen to what I have to say.
• Adults in my town or city don't care about people my age.
• In my town or city, I feel like I matter to people.