Indicator: 1 - Youth Feeling Important
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, 2001
and 2002 agreed or strongly agreed that “adults in my town or city
make me feel important.” The data below 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:
- Somewhat more than two-fifths of the youth (43% in 2000; 44%
in 2001; and 46% in 2002) agreed or strongly agreed with the
statement, “Adults in my town or city listen to what I have to
say.”
- Over half (50% in 2000; 52% in 2001; and 57% in 2002) 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,
as shown in the national Search Institute data in the graph below
right. 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 in grades 9 - 12 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, and 400
in November 2002. 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 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.
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