Do Energy Burdens Contribute to Economic Poverty in the United States? A Panel Analysis

Social Forces ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremiah Bohr ◽  
Anna C McCreery
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Energy Expenditures ◽  
Energy Behavior

Abstract For many households, energy consumption represents a non-discretionary portion of their budget and directly relates to quality of life. As researchers continue to study the environmental impacts of energy behavior, it is important to explore how energy consumption relates to socio-economic wellbeing. This paper examines the economic impacts of being energy-burdened in the United States, defined as spending at least 10% of household income on heating and electricity services; energy burdens are partially, but not entirely, driven by income, since energy needs and costs can vary substantially due to housing characteristics, utility rates, and other factors. Using panel data of US household income and energy expenditures during 1999–2017, this analysis demonstrates that energy-burdened households were at about 150%–200% greater risk of transitioning into or extending the duration of economic poverty over a two-year timeframe relative to non-burdened households. This analysis indicates that dedicating inordinate amounts of income to energy services can threaten a household’s economic well-being over time, possibly by preventing a household from engaging in other economic activities or compounding existing economic hardship. These results emphasize the importance of energy assistance and energy efficiency for low-income households, drawing attention to how structures of energy consumption, the welfare state, and social stratification intertwine.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal patterns of urban mosquitoes are modulated by socioeconomic status and environmental traits in the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senay Yitbarek ◽  
Kelvin Chen ◽  
Modeline Celestin ◽  
Matthew McCary
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Spatial Regression ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Lower Income

The distribution of mosquitoes and associated vector diseases (e.g., West Nile, dengue, and Zika viruses) is likely a function of environmental conditions in the landscape. Urban environments are highly heterogeneous in the amount of vegetation, standing water, and concrete structures covering the land at a given time, each having the capacity to influence mosquito abundance and disease transmission. Previous research suggests that socioeconomic status is correlated with the ecology of the landscape, with lower-income neighborhoods generally having more concrete structures and standing water via residential abandonment, garbage dumps, and inadequate sewage. Whether these socio-ecological factors affect mosquito distributions across urban environments in the United States (US) remains unclear. Here, we present a meta-analysis of 22 paired observations from 15 articles testing how socioeconomic status relates to overall mosquito burden in urban landscapes in the United States. We then analyzed a comprehensive dataset from a socioeconomic gradient in Baltimore, Maryland to model spatiotemporal patterns of Aedes albopictus using a spatial regression model with socio-ecological covariates. The meta-analysis revealed that lower-income neighborhoods (regions making less than $50,000 per year on average) are exposed to 151% greater mosquito densities and mosquito-borne illnesses compared to higher-income neighborhoods (≥$50,000 per year). Two species of mosquito (Ae. albopictus and Aedes aegypti) showed the strongest relationship with socioeconomic status, with Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti being 62% and 22% higher in low-income neighborhoods, respectively. In the spatial regression analysis in Baltimore, we found that Ae. albopictus spatial spread of 1.2 km per year was significantly associated with median household income, vegetation cover, tree density, and abandoned buildings. Specifically, Ae. albopictus abundance was negatively correlated with median household income, vegetation cover, and tree density. Ae. albopictus abundance and the cover of abandoned buildings were positively correlated. Together, these results indicate that socio-ecological interactions can lead to disproportionate impacts of mosquitoes on humans in urban landscapes. Thus, concerted efforts to manage mosquito populations in low-income urban neighborhoods are required to reduce mosquito burden for the communities most vulnerable to human disease.

How Positive Youth Development Can Support Low-Income Roma Youth Living in the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 16-28
Author(s):  
Marija Bingulac
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Youth Of Color ◽  
Persistent Violence ◽  
Mainstream Society

Deprivation and discrimination, including the destruction of housing settlements, forced evictions, and persistent violence, led a portion of Europe’s 12 million Roma to seek refuge in the United States and Canada. Approximately 1 million Roma live in the United States, and 80,000 Roma currently live in Canada. Profound experiences of injustice in their home countries have led Roma in the United States to keep their lives hidden from mainstream society. The Roma as a race/ethnicity is not accounted for in any American surveys, and research on their well-being in the United States is scarce. This chapter fills knowledge gaps by presenting a one-of-a-kind comprehensive literature review synthesizing empirical evidence on the lives of Roma people and their youth in the United States by applying the positive youth development (PYD) framework that focuses on promoting positive asset-building for youth and seeing youth as vital resources in development strategies. In doing so, the chapter advances beyond the more usual narrative that has focused on the problems of Roma youth to examine the mechanisms that can enable them to flourish in the United States. Romani youth is a case study example of youth of color in general; this chapter adds to the body of knowledge that examines how PYD development matters for positive developmental outcomes of a minority group that has experienced socioeconomic disparities strictly because of the stigma of their identity.

scholarly journals LONG-TERM COSTS OF GRANDPARENT CAREGIVING: RESULTS FROM THREE WAVES OF THE MIDLIFE IN THE UNITED STATES STUDY (MIDUS)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S797-S798
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Rickenbach ◽  
Elizabeth H Rickenbach ◽  
Chih-Chien Huang ◽  
Jessica Y Allen ◽  
Kelly E Cichy
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Grandparent Caregiving

Abstract Cross-sectional studies reveal the health burden of grandparent caregiving. Still, longitudinal, research is needed to understand how grandparent caregiving compromises grandparents’ long-term health. Using three waves of data from the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS), we examined sociodemographic factors, health and well-being outcomes between caregiving (CG) and non-caregiving (NCG) grandparents. By wave 3, 12.8% (n = 234) were CG. CG were younger, more likely female, and had lower income and education. MANCOVA adjusted for age, gender, education, and number of children revealed CG reported poorer physical and emotional well-being (e.g. higher depression, anxiety, lower life satisfaction, greater morbidity); CG were consistently less healthy than NCG across all three waves. Lower income and less healthy older adults are more likely to become grandparents, and they remain less healthy over time. Policies and resources to assist grandparents, particularly low-income and vulnerable older adults who are caring for grandchildren, are needed.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship Between the CFPB Financial Well-Being Score and the Elder Index

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 731-732
Author(s):  
Jan Mutchler
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Poverty Rate ◽  
Financial Security ◽  
Cost Of Living ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The Elder Index is a cost of living indicator that measures the income older adults need to meet their living expenses while staying independent in the community, calculated on a county-by-county basis for the United States. Analyses based on the Elder Index show that a large segment of the age 65+ population has incomes below the Index, reflecting a level of insecurity that is considerably higher than suggested by the poverty rate. Moreover, comparison of the Elder Index to household income illustrates differences across states in the extent to which incomes cover the cost of necessary expenditures. In this paper we explore how cost of living contributes to subjective financial security among older people, as measured by the CFPB Financial Well-Being Score, using a data match of the Understanding America Study with the Elder Index. Results document this association, offering insight to spatial patterns of financial insecurity in later life.

Dialectical Thinking and Psychological Well-Being in Morocco, China, and the United States

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassidy Bibo ◽  
Julie Spencer-Rodgers ◽  
Benaissa Zarhbouch ◽  
Mostafa Bouanini ◽  
Kaiping Peng
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dialectical Thinking ◽  
Psychological Well Being

The link between coronavirus, anxiety, and religious beliefs in the United States and United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Rigoli
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Cultural Implications ◽  
The Impact

Research has shown that stress impacts on people’s religious beliefs. However, several aspects of this effect remain poorly understood, for example regarding the role of prior religiosity and stress-induced anxiety. This paper explores these aspects in the context of the recent coronavirus emergency. The latter has impacted dramatically on many people’s well-being; hence it can be considered a highly stressful event. Through online questionnaires administered to UK and USA citizens professing either Christian faith or no religion, this paper examines the impact of the coronavirus crisis upon common people’s religious beliefs. We found that, following the coronavirus emergency, strong believers reported higher confidence in their religious beliefs while non-believers reported increased scepticism towards religion. Moreover, for strong believers, higher anxiety elicited by the coronavirus threat was associated with increased strengthening of religious beliefs. Conversely, for non-believers, higher anxiety elicited by the coronavirus thereat was associated with increased scepticism towards religious beliefs. These observations are consistent with the notion that stress-induced anxiety enhances support for the ideology already embraced before a stressful event occurs. This study sheds light on the psychological and cultural implications of the coronavirus crisis, which represents one of the most serious health emergencies in recent times.

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