| The survey measured whether
families felt that they and their children were supported in their
neighborhoods by asking whether they agreed with the following statements:
- People in the neighborhood help each other out.
- We watch out for each other’s children.
- There are people I can count on in the neighborhood.
- If my child were outside playing and got hurt or scared, there
are adults nearby whom I trust to help my child.
Families were considered to live in supportive neighborhoods
if they answered “definitely agree” or “somewhat
agree” to each of the statements. Overall, parents of 81.4
percent of children report that they live in supportive neighborhoods.
Families living in urban areas are less likely to
consider their neighborhoods supportive than those in suburban and
rural areas. Of children living in central cities, parents of 75.8
percent report that their neighborhoods are supportive, compared
to 82.1 percent of children living outside their counties’
central cities, 85.5 percent of children in urban counties without
a central city, 83.0 percent of children in metropolitan areas without
a central city, and 84.6 percent of children in rural areas.
Parents of children in higher-income families are
more likely to feel that their neighborhoods are supportive. Of
children in families with incomes below the poverty level, the parents
of 68.2 percent report that their neighborhoods are supportive,
compared to 76.4 percent of children in families with incomes between
100 and 199 percent of poverty. Of children with family incomes
between 200 and 399 percent of FPL, 85.4 percent live in supportive
neighborhoods, as do 89.8 percent of children with family incomes
of 400 percent of FPL or more. |
