Indicator: 3 - Youth With Caring Neighbors
Why This Is Important
Feeling cared for is a basic need, especially for young people.
Part of feeling respected is feeling cared for, and the ability
to recognize that others care is associated with the development
of compassion for others. Research on violence in communities has
found that "social cohesion among neighbors" is a significant
predictor of levels of violence in a community--the more cohesion,
the less violence (Sampson, R.J.; Raudenbush, S.W.; & Earls,
F., 1997). The bonding that can occur for a young person as a result
of feeling cared for and respected is a protective factor against
risky behavior.
Where We Stand
About three-quarters of a sample of Maine youth interviewed in
2000 and 2001 agreed or strongly agreed that "In my neighborhood
or town, there are a lot of people who care about me." This
percentage was slightly lower in the latter year, both overall and
for most subgroups. Females were more likely to agree with the statement,
and older youths were less likely to agree with it, in both years.
Maine youth appear more likely to feel there are people in their
community who care about them than do youth nationally. A 1999 publication
from the Search Institute reported the following percentages of
youth who report that they have caring neighbors. 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:
In my neighborhood or town, there are a lot of people who care about
me." 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).
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