Indicator: Youth Feeling Important

Priority or Priorities:  ACES/Resiliency
Initiative(s): Trauma-Informed System of Care (THRIVE)
Outcome (s): Children and youth respected, safe and nurtured in their communities

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

Less than half, 45%, agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “adults in my town or city make me feel important”. For 2005, 43% neither agreed or disagreed with the statement and 12% disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement. The trend continues to be that slightly less than half of all youth surveyed appear to feel important to adults in their town or city.

Nationally, a survey of 6th to12th graders completed in 2003 by the Search Institute found that 22% of respondents perceived that adults in the community value youth.

Data Source 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, random digit dial telephone survey of Maine youth in grades 9 – 12 conducted by Critical Insights, a strategic marketing research firm in Portland, Maine. A total of 402 youth participated in the interviews for this 2005 report; interviews were completed by January 2006. The youth were asked the following question: “Please tell me how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: Adults in my town or city make me feel important”. Due to funding limitations, surveys were not conducted in 2003.

NOTE: For all years, only the data in the “all” column is statistically representative of youth in this age group statewide; the gender and grade level breakdowns are provided for descriptive purposes only and are not representative of all Maine youth in this age group.

National data comes from the Search Institute Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors Survey. This 2003 survey reached approximately 150,000 6th to12th grade youth in 202 communities across the United States. Complete results and explanation can be found at:
http://www.search-institute.org/research/assets/assetfreqs.html.