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 (Sampsonet al, 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

The trend from the past has continued on this indicator; for 2004, 71% of the youth interviewed
agreed or strongly agreed that “In my neighborhood or town, there are a lot of people who care
about me.” For 2004, there are no differences between males or females on this indicator, unlike
previous years.

 

Data Sources and Context

This Maine Marks indicator is adapted from the work of the Search Institute
(www.search-institute.org) and their research into developmental assets of young people. The developmental assets framework is popular with many who work in the field of youth
development. The data source for this indicator is a statewide telephone survey of youth
grades 9-12 conducted 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 in November 2001, 400 in November 2002, and 400 in December 2004. Due to
inadequate funding, there weren’t any interviews conducted in 2003.

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.”

For all years, only the data in the “all” column is statistically representative of youth
statewide in grades 9-12. For 2004 only, the data was weighted by finding an average of
the proportion of students in each secondary grade level, by gender, over the past five
years. Attendance reports from the Maine State Department of Education were used to
develop these weighted estimates. These weighted results are rough estimates and are
primarily descriptive in nature.