Observing Race And Ethnicity Through A New Lens
Survey questions about race and ethnicity can shed light on how experiences differ across groups and ultimately help policymakers and other interested parties address inequities in health and other outcomes. Yet, such questions often focus only on self-identified race and ethnicity and lump together diverse populations, masking substantial differences within groups and yielding results with insufficient nuance to understand and address inequities appropriately. A brief from the Urban Institute explores what can be learned by measuring race and ethnicity in alternative ways on surveys and what is missed by focusing only on one set of measures of these two factors. The assessment involves nonelderly adults’ perceptions of how others see their race based on their physical appearance (henceforth “street race”) and how responses to questions about street race vary depending on the response options given. The investigation proceeded by analyzing data from the December 2021 round of the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS), a nationally representative, internet-based study of adults ages 18 to 64. The brief can be obtained here.
What A Decline In Fertility Means For State Budgets
Fertility continues to follow a downward trajectory across the U.S., falling to a record low in 2020. State budgets have started to feel the effects of this long-term decline and this historic drop will affect nearly every area of state budgets in the coming years. A brief from The Pew Charitable Trusts indicates that fewer births could yield cost savings. Many school districts are experiencing drops in enrollment and a sharp reduction in teenage pregnancies has helped limit growth in health expenditures. In the coming decades, however, governments may face resource challenges, with a smaller pool of workers likely suppressing income, sales, and other tax revenue sources. The historic decline in fertility will touch nearly every area of state budgets in the coming years. Some fiscal effects have already emerged, while others will be relatively minor or won’t be felt for decades. The implications for individual states vary. Those with shrinking workforces that rely more than other states on taxes sensitive to population declines—such as income and sales taxes—are especially vulnerable to budget pressures. Other demographic shifts, such as migration also will affect many sources of revenue and spending. Today, most states find themselves in a relatively healthy fiscal position, with many enjoying robust budget surpluses. Fewer births in recent years have contributed appreciable cost savings. If low fertility persists, however, states will need to look more for other ways to grow their tax bases or they could face challenges over the long term. The brief can be obtained here.
Families Caring For An Aging America
Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America is a new publication from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The document examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults. The report can be obtained here.