Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/KristinAndersonMoore

Data from the 2002 round of the National Survey of America's Families show the share of children living in poverty dropped between 1996 and 2001 in all states studied except Alabama. Young children were more likely to be read to or told stories in 5 of the 13 states. Children became less engaged in school in 10 of the 13 states.

Data from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families shows that school engagement declined from 43 percent in 1997 to 35 percent in 2002 among 6- to 11-year-olds. School engagement also declined for 12- to 17-year-olds from 38 to 31 percent. The share of young children whose parents read or told stories to them infrequently dropped from 17 to 14 percent. Higher-income children showed some small setbacks in their behavioral and emotional health.

Data from the 1997 National Survey of America's Families indicates that poor children, children whose families received AFDC in 1996, children whose parents were unemployed, or children living in single-parent households are more likely to experience behavioral and emotional problems, fair or poor health, and school problems than are other children in the United States. Child well-being varied across states but the variation in well-being was less than the variation in poverty, welfare receipt, and single parenthood.

Data from the 1997 National Survey of America's Families indicates that poor children, children whose families received AFDC in 1996, children whose parents were unemployed, or children living in single-parent households are more likely to experience behavioral and emotional problems, fair or poor health, and school problems than are other children in the United States. Child well-being varied across states but the variation in well-being was less than the variation in poverty, welfare receipt, and single parenthood.

This Snapshot presents findings on several parent-reported measures of child well-being from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) and compares these findings with data reported from the 1997 NSAF. These data are available for representative samples of the United States as well as for 13 states. Findings are discussed separately for adolescents and for younger children. In addition, this Snapshot compares the status of low-income children--those living in families with incomes below 200 percent of poverty in 1998--with that of higher-income children, whose family incomes exceeded 200 percent of poverty.

This Snapshot summarizes findings from the 1999 NSAF on measures of children's family environments (as reported by their parents) for 13 states and for the United States as a whole. It compares the family environments of low-income children (those living below 200 percent of poverty in 1998) with those of higher-income children (those living above 200 percent of poverty). It also compares the family environments of children in single-parent versus two-parent families. Finally, changes that have taken place since 1997 are identified.

Children living in families with three or more of the following risks — single parenthood, four or more children in the household, a parent’s lack of education, and poverty — were classified at a high level of sociodemographic risk. Nationally, 8 percent of children under age 18 experienced high levels of sociodemographic risk compared to 20 percent of poor children. High risk children were significantly more likely to exhibit emotional and school problems. These problems appear more frequently with older children. Among the 13 states studied, the proportion of children experiencing sociodemographic risk is higher than the national average in Alabama, California, and Mississippi and lower than the national average in Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin.

This brief looks at the characteristics of children who experience turbulence. Nationwide, 6 percent of all children and 13 percent of poor children experienced turbulence (two or more changes in residence, parent’s employment, school or health). Children who experience turbulence are more likely to have high levels of emotional and behavioral problems and be less engaged in school than children who do not experience turbulence. These problems appear more often as the children get older.

This brief uses six measures that assess parent and child health, food security, crowding, access to health care and the family's ability to pay bills. While 22 percent of all children under age 18 live in stressful family environments, nearly half of poor children live in stressful family environments. Children who have stressful family lives are twice as likely to exhibit low school engagement as other children, and youth (ages 12 to 17) are more likely to have high levels of emotional and behavioral problems than younger children (ages 6 to 11). Among the 13 states studied, California had the largest proportion of children in living in families with high levels of stress (30 percent) compared with 15 percent in Wisconsin, the state with the smallest proportion.

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