from Duke University and University of Michigan
Two reports on America’s young people are encouraging. Duke University’s National Child and Youth Well-Being Index shows kids are generally safer and better educated than they’ve been in twenty years. Fewer are victims of violent crimes than twenty years ago. Suicide rates and risky behaviors, such as smoking and binge drinking are also down. High school graduations have increased along with college graduations. Children’s test scores are up slightly. The rise of single-parent homes has slowed compared to the 1980s. Not all the news is good, however. Stubborn problems of child poverty and child obesity are still at high rates. Another survey, this one from the University of Michigan, shows both alcohol and cigarette use by teens are at their lowest since 1975. Use of illicit drugs also showed a decline last year.