United Way State of Caring Index(TM) Provides Unique Measure of Americans' Capacity to Care

United Way of America
Wednesday, 29 November 2000

WASHINGTON, DC - A new measurement of America's social and economic well being released today by United Way of America shows a strong upward national trend in Americans' capacity to care for one another during the 1990s.

In releasing the first United Way State of Caring Index, United Way of America said it hoped to help policy makers and others in the public and private sectors identify areas of greatest need as they direct community building efforts. The first-of-its-kind index, which will be released annually, reflects a range of elements including financial security, health care, education, safety, but also charitable activity, voluntarism and civil engagement at the state and national levels.

"United Way understands that public and private decision makers need a clear, consistent reminder of where we stand as a nation beyond dollars and cents," said United Way of America Chairman Dimon R. McFerson. "The United Way State of Caring Index is a benchmark of progress that tells us how our nation is doing and where it can do better."

The new United Way State of Caring Index, shows the state of Minnesota with the best overall performance among the 50 states and highlights Louisiana as the state that has demonstrated the most improvement during the eleven years ending in 1998 (the most recent year for which data is available).

The index represents an analysis of 32 key indicators of economic and social performance and was assembled by United Way researchers.The index provides a unique perspective on the capacity of Americans to care for one another. The 32 indicators were weighted towards issues that United Way analysts considered indicative of overall well being. Theoretically, the index can vary between 0 and 1000, but no state scored lower than 298 or higher than 701 between 1988 and 1998.

The United Way State of Caring Index for the nation as a whole rose to 536 (of 1000) in 1998 from 510 in 1988, a 5.1 percent increase. It hit a decade low point of 482 in 1993, yet has risen for five straight years since then. In addition to the improvement in the economy, the index was pushed higher by declining rates of property and violent crimes, and educational gains, including increased math and science proficiency by the nation's high school seniors. Overall, more indicators are up than down since 1993, even in states ranked in the lower portions of the index.

The index also highlights a few clear areas for improvement. The data reveals a shortage of affordable housing and an increasing gap in income between the most affluent Americans and the poorest. Specifically, the gap between the highest income families and the lowest income families rose by 18.3% between 1988 and 1998. The index also shows that even within areas of improvement, performance is uneven. For example, the nation in 1998 is spending more on education (per pupil), but slightly less on teacher salaries than in 1988. It also shows that while more people are volunteering for community activity than ever before, they are devoting less time to those volunteer activities.

"The United Way State of Caring Index will aid United Ways as they convene diverse groups and individuals to focus on the most important social and health and human service issues our communities face," said United Way of America President Betty Stanley Beene. "This new resource helps communities and their leaders better understand the cross currents at work in our society, and can help them develop a results-oriented agenda that will have an impact on peoples' lives."

United Way is taking the lead in mobilizing communities to improve themselves, through collaboration and partnering with government, other non-profits and the private sector. The index is part of United Way's broad effort to help communities develop solutions to their social challenges. It has developed a long list of products and programs that help communities build and increase social capacity. The index is the latest example of the United Way of America's commitment to performance-based philanthropy. Funding for the national introduction and distribution of the Index has been made possible through a gift of Richard L. and F.Annette Scott of Greenwich, CT. Richard Scott is president of Richard L. Scott Investments and a member of the United Way of America Board of Governors. "Our gift for the launching of this Index backs up our strong belief in the importance of data-based, informed decision-making. The more we know about our social environment, the better suited we'll be to make lasting change in our communities and our nation", said Scott.

United Way of America is the national service organization providing training, resources, and technical assistance to 1,400 member United Ways which together support over 44,000 agencies delivering programs and services to millions of people.

For more information, or to contact United Way of America, see their website at: www.unitedway.org