Home Editor's Choice R.I. Life Index drops to 57, the lowest score since 2019

R.I. Life Index drops to 57, the lowest score since 2019

By

Katie Castellani

-

12/11/2024

Uz4qGSfe-LwRirtWK-jqkU9lhs-Statehouse-1-2 (2) — RHODE ISLANDERS feel they are facing an uphill battle when it comes to affording basic necessities like food and housing, a new survey found. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ARTISTIC IMAGES

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Islanders feel they are facing an uphill battle when it comes to affording basic necessities, such as food and housing, a new survey found. These trends were analyzed in the 2024 Rhode Island Life Index, an annual survey funded by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and in partnership with

Already a Subscriber? Log in

To Continue Reading This Article

Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Critical RI business news and analysis updated daily.
1 year of print (26 issues).
Unlimited access to all subscriber only content on our website, on any device.
Free email alerts.
Annual Book of Lists Print Edition.
All special issues produced during subscription term.

Click Here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article

PBN Branded Content

Rhode Island FC To Offer Local Businesses Top-Notch Networking Opportunities in 2025

The perfect atmosphere for entertaining clients or hosting employees, The Stadium at Tidewater Landing will…

Learn More

No posts to display

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Islanders feel they are facing an uphill battle when it comes to affording basic necessities, such as food and housing, a new survey found. These trends were analyzed in the 2024 Rhode Island Life Index, an annual survey funded by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and in partnership with the Brown University School of Public Health. Rhode Island earned an overall index score of 57 on a scale of 0 to 100 this year, almost unchanged from last year’s score of 58 and marking the lowest score for the state in the report’s six-year history. The index measures how Rhode Islanders feel about several health and social issues based on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing a perfect score. This year, 1,946 randomly selected Rhode Islanders completed the survey offered in English and Spanish over the phone or online with an oversample of Black and Latinx residents. Responses were broken down by age, ethnicity and race as well as core and non-core cities. Core cities included Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket and are identified as those with the highest number of children living below the federal poverty level. While this year’s overall score showed no improvement, a few issues related to health access and perceptions of urban residents and Latino rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. “The RI Life Index continues to provide a detailed snapshot of how Rhode Islanders perceive social factors that impact their well-being and, unfortunately, it’s a picture that reveals that too many are struggling with unrelenting challenges. The annual release of the results enables us to collectively understand the issues and rally around a shared agenda to reduce health inequities, notably food insecurity, lack of affordable housing and other social drivers,” said Martha Wofford, CEO and president of BCBSRI. “We’re grateful to the RI Life Index Coalition members who are working hard to address these gaps and ensure that the voices of our diverse Rhode Island communities are heard.” At 21, cost of living was the lowest score this year – meaning almost 4 out of 5 Rhode Islanders feel cost of living was out of reach. All respondents reported challenges, however, Black Rhode Islanders living in core cities struggled the most. The values within this demographic group was 15 for those 55 and older and 17 for those younger than 55. Similarly, the affordable housing category scored a 31 as Rhode Island’s rising rent prices have outpaced other states this year. The score for access to nutritious food was 64, down from last year’s score of 66 and nine points lower than 73 in 2021. To assess this trend, Brown University hosted a panel discussion on household food security Wednesday during the index’s announcement event led by Rhode Island Community Food Bank CEO Andrew Schiff. The panelists included: Kathleen Gorman, professor of psychology and director of the Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America, University of Rhode Island; Teddi Jallow, executive director of the Refugee Dream Center; Alison Tovar, associate professor of behavioral and social sciences and interim director of the Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity at the Brown’s School of Public Health; and Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, academic dean of the Brown’s School of Public Health. "From housing and food security to the rising cost of living, this year’s findings highlight persistent struggles but also provide a foundation for targeted actions to improve the well-being of our communities,” said Beaudoin. “This data-driven approach ensures that solutions are timely, relevant, and rooted in evidence, enabling us to better address inequities and build healthier systems for everyone statewide." Other index values:

Food Security: 76, down from last year’s score of 81. Non-core cities scored an 80 while core cities scored a 69
Services for Children: 71, which is the same as last year, with 65 in core cities and a score of 74 in non-core cities
Health Care Access: 68, including a 68 in non-core cities and 67 in core cities
Community Life: 65, including 62 in core cities and 67 in non-core cities. This is down from last year’s 66. This category marks how residents perceive several areas including: employment, education, convenient locations for nutritious food, access to affordable healthcare and feeling safe at home
Services for Older Adults: 64, unchanged from last year, including a score of 62 in core cities and 65 in non-core cities
Job Opportunities: 53, down from last year’s score of 55. This includes a score of 51 in core cities and 54 in non-core cities
Quality of Community: 51, including 49 in core cities and 52 in non-core cities

This year also marked the launch of Rhode Island Voices, a project of the RI Life Index that is looking into learning about lived experiences of Rhode Islanders. The project is enlisting a panel of up to 1,000 Rhode Island residents to participate in web-based questionnaires throughout the year on several topics related to social determinants of health. Panelists are still being recruited via RILifeIndex.org. Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.