Hartford, Conn. — At a packed statewide event hosted yesterday by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, DataHaven unveiled the results of its latest DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey (DCWS), believed to be the largest and most comprehensive neighborhood-level wellbeing survey in the United States. The event, attended by civic leaders, health professionals, and nonprofit partners, featured presentations from DataHaven as well as remarks by Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam and Jay Williams of the Hartford Foundation. Data placemats and graphics, along with detailed crosstabs for each 2025 DCWS question, are available at https://ctdatahaven.org/wellbeingsurvey.
The DataHaven survey captures a portrait of residents’ health, economic stability, and community life through interviews with thousands of randomly-selected adults in every Connecticut ZIP Code. The New Haven-based nonprofit organization collaborates with Siena Research Institute to ensure the reliability and consistency of its research methods, which include live interviews in English and Spanish and statistical weighting to accurately represent Connecticut’s entire adult population. Since 2015, more than 53,000 representative adults have participated in these in-depth interviews. For the 2025 survey, 1,371 adults were interviewed from August 4 to October 16, 2025, and the statewide results carried a maximum margin of error of 3.5 percent.
“Connecticut continues to show great resilience and a high quality of life, with more than 83 percent of adults saying they are satisfied with the place they live,” said Mark Abraham, Executive Director of DataHaven. “But the data also reveal areas of concern that communities are working hard to address, including cuts to food assistance, health care, and housing that over a million people in our state have been relying on. The results also show rising anxiety, worries about immigration enforcement, differences in access to economic and health opportunity, and financial stress, especially for renters and families with children.”
Trust in Local Institutions Remains High
The presentation began with a focus on institutional trust, a theme that resonated among the representatives from local and statewide agencies, philanthropies, and healthcare organizations gathered at the event. “Our data show that trust in local and state government remains high, even as trust in federal government has declined,” said Abraham. “This implicit legitimacy of local partners is one of Connecticut’s greatest assets, as it allows communities to respond with credibility as challenges arise.”
Abraham noted that the survey continues to demonstrate a strong link between responsive government and higher self-reported well-being, underscoring the importance of access to trusted local information at a time when the availability of reliable data has been threatened nationally.
A Collaborative Effort
The survey is made possible through a broad coalition of partners. This year, major supporters include the University of Hartford, American University, and Yale University, Connecticut Children’s, Yale New Haven Health, the Connecticut Department of Public Health, local health departments in Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford, and regional philanthropic organizations including The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Connecticut Community Foundation, The Connecticut Project, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, United Way Coastal Fairfield County, United Way of Greater New Haven, and the United Way of Connecticut, with many other organizations contributing as well.
“This diversity of organizations supporting the survey reflects the fact that the survey measures what matters most to quality of life, whether that is community trust, transportation, affordability, health, housing, or support from friends and family,” Abraham said at the event.
Major Changes Since Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The presentation highlighted the largest statewide changes measured by the DataHaven survey between 2018 and 2025.
• Cannabis use doubled, with about 350,000 more adults now using cannabis or marijuana (24 percent of adults using it at least once during the last 30 days, up from 12 percent in 2018).
• Optimism about local jobs increased and underemployment rates improved somewhat, with 250,000 more adults in Connecticut rating employment opportunities for residents in their area as “excellent” or “good.”
• Mental health challenges rose, with about 200,000 more adults reporting anxiety or depression.
• Chronic disease diagnoses rose, with about 150,000 more adults reporting diabetes or hypertension, potentially reflecting both an aging population and improved screening.
• The number of adults who ran out of money for housing, and the number who had to stay home in the past year because they lacked reliable transportation, both increased by roughly 150,000 adults. In 2025, 11 percent of adults statewide (about 320,000 people) said they ran out of money for housing, which is about double the rate that was measured by the DataHaven survey 10 years ago. Statewide, 7 percent of adults said they had to miss doctor’s appointments because they had no way to get there.
• Food insecurity is rising, increasing by 100,000 adults from pre-pandemic levels. The increase is particularly large for adults living with children (with 26 percent reporting that they ran out of money for food in the past year, compared to 11 percent of adults without children). Abraham noted that this increase is even more striking if compared to 2021’s record low in the food insecurity rate, when the expanded Child Tax Credit helped families and slashed child poverty nationally. In some of Connecticut’s largest city centers, up to half of adults with children report that they ran out of money for food this past year.
• Access to care remains an issue, with 100,000 more adults unable to get needed medical treatment in the last year. The rate of missed care spiked during the peak year of the COVID-19 pandemic and has since improved for higher-income adults but continued to worsen among moderate- and lower-income residents.
• About 100,000 fewer adults in the state smoke cigarettes, though this is partly because vaping has become more popular, especially among younger adults.
• About 150,000 additional residents say they have safe places to ride bicycles, likely reflecting the construction of new protected bike paths in many towns.
• Social support declined, especially for adults with below-median incomes, with 100,000 fewer adults saying they usually receive the social or emotional support they need.
Despite these shifts, Abraham emphasized that “most measures have remained stable over time, meaning that Connecticut continues to outperform national averages on many dimensions of health and well-being.”
Key Topics Shared at the Event
The presentation covered several additional findings from this year’s data:
• SNAP and the Social Safety Net: In 2025, new questions were added on public benefits. The survey found that 26 percent of Connecticut adults or their household members have received SNAP at some point, 36 percent have received Medicaid/HUSKY, 9 percent received rental housing assistance, and more than 1 in 10 used a food pantry in the past year. The survey also found that of the adults who received SNAP within the past 30 days, the majority had not used a food pantry or emergency food service at all within the past year. “These numbers help communities understand who depends on safety net programs, and how policy changes like the pause in SNAP benefits are likely to drive a huge increase in demand at food banks,” Abraham said. The survey also examined residents’ attitudes about public programs, finding that most say that there is not enough assistance for low income people, and that most residents are concerned that current national policy changes will lead to more people going hungry or unable to access health care or housing.
• Immigration Concerns: The survey included questions about the personal and community effects of immigration enforcement. In Connecticut, 31 percent of all adults worry “somewhat” or “a lot” that they or someone they know could be detained, deported, or have their legal immigration status revoked. Many residents, particularly Latino adults, reported heightened stress, lost sleep, and delayed medical care related to these concerns. “Even before new policies take effect that will dramatically increase the federal budget for immigration enforcement and deportations, many residents are already feeling an impact on their health and well-being,” Abraham noted.
• Eviction and Criminal Justice: A new survey item showed clear disparities in evictions by incarceration experience, suggesting a need for policy interventions that reduce the barriers to stable housing for people with past justice involvement.
• Mental Health: About 13 percent of all adults, including 22 percent of young adults, reported needing mental health treatment within the past year but being unable to get it, often due to cost or lack of available services.
• Social Support: Abraham noted that this single measure of how much support people feel from family and friends predicts happiness and well-being more than any other item in the survey. “The increase in loneliness is something we should take seriously, and we should consider what we can collectively do to support each other in our state,” he said.
Data Access and Next Steps
The 2025 DCWS Connecticut Crosstabs, along with graphics and “Data Placemats,” were distributed to attendees and are publicly available at ctdatahaven.org/wellbeingsurvey. Survey data are also accessible in DataHaven’s town reports and its Connecticut Town Data Viewer, which combines results since 2015 to provide neighborhood-level insights for each of the 169 towns in the state. DataHaven encourages partners and advocates to reach out for analyses or presentations that can bring the findings to life at the local level.
Media Contact
Mark Abraham, MPH, Executive Director, DataHaven, Email: info [at] ctdatahaven.org, Phone: (203) 500-7059.
[Excerpt from Patch article by Michael Lemanski, 7/16/25]
HARTFORD, CT — A Hartford-based benevolence foundation recently donated several grants to support organizations advocating for LGBTQ causes.
According to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, eight area organizations received a total of $200,000 in grants from the foundation’s Equality Fund.
Separately in 2018, donor Joel Roskin established a donor-advised fund supporting organizations serving Greater Hartford that empower people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
Combined, the two funds made the 2025 Equality Fund grantmaking possible.
The foundation commissioned a LGBTQIA+ Resident Wellbeing study in partnership with DataHaven in late 2023 to illustrate the current state of the LGBTQIA+ community’s quality of life in Greater Hartford.
Findings provided in this report were designed to assist organizations and funders in understanding conditions that affect LGBTQIA+ residents’ health and well-being.
While the study identified Connecticut as a national leader in LGBTQIA+ protections and resources, the report also highlighted some recommendations about ways to strengthen the LGBTQIA+ community.
Grants awarded through the Equality Fund were considered for Greater Hartford organizations with missions that support the LGBTQIA+ community or have programs designed specifically to address the unique needs of the LGBTQIA+ community.
As an example, Anchor Health is a leading health center for the LGBTQIA+ community in Connecticut.
With offices in Hamden and Stamford, the organization provides racially inclusive, gender-affirming, and sex-positive medical, mental health, and pharmacy care.
As a result, Anchor Health received a $43,000 grant from the Equality Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, to support the launch of a nine-month LGBTQIA+ pop-up clinic at The Health Collective East in Manchester, providing primary care, gender-affirming medicine, HIV prevention/treatment, and mental health services to 300 patients from Manchester, East Hartford, Vernon, Tolland, and surrounding towns.
“We are honored and grateful to receive support from the Hartford Foundation’s new Equality Fund,” said Bethany Cinque, Director of Donor Engagement at Anchor Health. “At a time when LGBTQ+ communities face growing barriers to healthcare and rising threats to their safety and well-being, this funding is a powerful commitment to health equity.”
[Excerpt from Hartford Courant article by Livi Stanford, 7/14/25]
State officials and immigration advocates are warning that President Donald Trump’s continued plan to deliver the “single largest mass deportation program in history” will severely impact Connecticut’s economy, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs because immigrants are as a critical contributor.
Art Feltman, executive director of International Hartford, a nonprofit focused on the creation of jobs in Hartford for immigrants and refugees, said that if immigrants leave the state, the regional economy will “shrink.”
“So many people think that because they are native born that this is someone else’s problem,” he said. “It is going to be their problem as consumers and taxpayers. All these businesses are paying state and local taxes. Their taxes will go up. If you take the engine of the economy, the growing sector, the growing startups and you take them out of the economy, you are left with no growth.”
Feltman continued: “The potential effect on the economy is staggering. It can’t be measured. The Trump Administration is not just going after undocumented. It is going after anybody that is dark skinned. They don’t like them unless they are citizens.”
The loss of immigrant businesses would be felt in day to day life, Feltman explained.
“You may want to go down and have a nice Asian meal and the restaurant is closed,” Feltman said. “You may want to go to the dry cleaner and the dry cleaner is closed and you may want to go to the neighborhood market and find the market is closed.”
Immigrants in Connecticut own 26% of the state’s businesses and comprise 30% of all startups in the state, according to Feltman.
DataHaven reported that those businesses contribute an estimated $1.6 billion to the state’s economy.
Immigrant-led households in Connecticut paid an estimated $5.8 billion in federal taxes and $3.3 billion in state and local taxes, according to DataHaven.
“Undocumented immigrants in Connecticut are estimated to have paid $636 million in federal taxes and $371 million in state and local taxes,” DataHaven reported.
Immigrants own and work in businesses constitute a significant sector of the economy in areas such as health care, construction, restaurants and retail, immigrant advocates said.
Among immigrant entrepreneurs, of whom there are 47,400 in the state, approximately 22,184 or 46% have either revocable or no status and are therefore at risk of deportation, according to Feltman.
“Almost half of immigrants in the state are vulnerable,” he said.
Daniel O’Keefe, the state’s commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, said immigrants are “a big part of our entire entrepreneurial ecosystem and a big part of our innovation ecosystem.”
O’Keefe added that “it saddens me to see how amplified this has become.”
“To now turn this into a thing where fear is spreading in societies — that is not who we are,” he said. “It is not who we aspire to be. I don’t believe that is what voters want and that is a mistake. Connecticut is a place where we want you to come and contribute and we want you to feel safe here.”
Overall, immigration experts and economists say that immigrants are not taking the jobs of Americans except in extremely limited circumstances.
Maria Matos, president and chief programming officer for Latinos for Educational Advocacy and Diversity, with offices in Bridgeport, Danbury, New Britain, New Haven, Norwich, East Hartford and Waterbury, said businesses large and small are feeling the impact of Trump’s deportation threats.
“Even well-known local Latino supermarket chains have shared how their operations are being affected,” she said. “Restaurants are seeing fewer workers and customers. Hospitals, too, are experiencing staffing challenges that impact their daily activities.”
Last month state immigration advocates warned that arrests of undocumented immigrants were ramping up in the state, creating anxiety and fear in communities with people taken every day.
[….]
The American Immigration Council reported that immigrants make up 19.5% of the state’s labor force and they account for “22.7% of STEM workers and 38.1% of health aides in the state.”
In a May report, DataHaven and The Connecticut Immigrant Support Network wrote that “policies that deter immigration, including those targeted at people who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. will harm the Connecticut economy.”
“In particular, deporting undocumented immigrants, who comprise 3% of Connecticut’s total population (about 117,000 people), would potentially wipe out tens of thousands of jobs, given that 87% of these immigrants are working age,” the report said. “Health and child care fields would be severely disrupted, as immigrants comprise 22% of all early childhood education workers in Connecticut and 38% of all health aides in the state.”
The report went on further to state that worker “shortages can lead to higher costs for goods and services, with one estimate finding that prices would rise by 9% nationally if several million people were removed from the labor force.”
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said that “literally in every community block of the city there is a business that is immigrant owned.”
“Our immigrant community makes our city and economy much stronger,” he said. “People bring different cultures to New Haven that we can benefit from. New Haven is the culture capital of Connecticut.”
Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski Jr. described Waterbury as the “city of immigrants,” explaining that it has always been this way. He said while he could not quantify the percentages of businesses owned by immigrants, he noted it is significant.
“A lot of the small businesses and stores and some of the smaller restaurants are run by immigrants,” he said.
Sheila Hayre, clinical professor of law at Quinnipiac University and director of the Civil Justice Clinic, said under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 in part due to “pressure from business interests, Congress declined to make it a criminal offense for undocumented individuals to work without authorization, though it did make it unlawful for employers to hire workers who are not legally authorized to work.
“This reflects the general agreement that the U.S. economy depends on, benefits from, and grows because of immigrants,” she said. “Putting aside whether the mass deportation is achievable, mass deportation would be catastrophic to the American economy.”
[….]
New Haven, CT – A new report published by DataHaven and The Connecticut Immigrant Support Network shows how immigrants are critical to Connecticut’s economy—supporting major industries, driving entrepreneurship, and contributing billions in tax revenues and consumer spending.
Titled “The Economic Contributions of Connecticut’s Immigrant Community,” the publication highlights that immigrants make up 15% of the state’s population but hold about 20% of all jobs. Immigrant workers are critical to sectors like construction, agriculture, health care, and early childhood education, and also account for 26% of the state’s entrepreneurs. It also notes that immigrant-led households in Connecticut wield approximately $22 billion in spending power, which supports businesses and jobs across the state.
“Connecticut’s prosperity, both economically and otherwise, is closely tied to the contributions of its immigrant communities,” said Mark Abraham, Executive Director of DataHaven.
The report encourages Connecticut lawmakers to continue to pursue policies that welcome immigrants. It warns that deporting undocumented immigrants—who make up 3% of the state’s population—could have catastrophic consequences to the state’s economy. For instance, 87% of undocumented immigrants in Connecticut are of working age, and they contribute about one billion dollars in federal, state and local taxes each year.
“At this critical point in time, it is imperative to understand that undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to Connecticut’s economy by participating in the workforce, by paying taxes, and by spending their money locally. Our state is more diverse and vibrant because of their presence,” said Tabitha Sookdeo, Executive Director of CT Students for a Dream, and a representative of The Connecticut Immigrant Support Network.
“Connecticut employers have long supported legal immigration, recognizing the contributions immigrants have made to our long legacy of innovation and the ongoing contributions to our economy,” said Chris DiPentima, President and CEO of CBIA, the state’s largest business organization. “Immigrants bring essential skills that complement our workforce, filling labor shortages across a wide range of industries, helping drive productivity gains and job creation and making Connecticut’s economy more competitive.”
The full report is available for download online at https://www.ctdatahaven.org/reports/economic-contributions-connecticuts-immigrant-community.
[Excerpt of front-page article from The Day, Sunday, April 20, 2025, By Alison Cross]
Putnam — On a rainy Tuesday, medical staff from Generations Family Health Center prepped for a day of appointments outside the Hale YMCA.
[….] In a region with fewer health care providers per person than anywhere else in the state, Generations is working to boost access by making dental and medical care mobile.
For each primary care provider or dentist in Windham County, there are 2,050 residents, a 2022 report by DataHaven found. The state average is 1,430 for every provider.
Within the northeast, Plainfield and Killingly are home to the lowest rates of health care utilization in the region. In 2020, up to 37% of adults in these areas had not been to a dentist within the past year and up to 27% did not have an annual checkup in 2021, according to a DataHaven report on the 17 towns that make up the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments.
From rural parts of Putnam, Plainfield and Killingly to more urban areas in Norwich and New London, the Generations Mobile Health Unit travels each week to apartment complexes, community centers, YMCAs, schools, farms and other local hubs to provide dental and medical care in places where traditional health facilities are out of reach, either physically or financially.
[….] A 12-year study published by the National Library of Medicine found that between 2005 and 2016, the rate of ER visits in rural hospitals rose by 75%, outpacing hospitals in urban settings whose ER visit rates rose by 6% over the same period. The researchers noted that the rise in rural ER use was particularly apparent among Medicare beneficiaries and uninsured patients. By the final year of the study, rural hospitals in the U.S. had 65 visits per 100 persons in their ERs, urban hospitals had 43. [….]
[Article excerpt by Gary Larkin, April 4, 2025]
NORWALK – By closing gaps in income, home ownership, home values, and educational attainment Fairfield County could generate $15.6 billion in gross domestic product growth, according to a recently released report.
A new research report unveiled on Wednesday called The Upside—Growth, Potential, and the Future of Fairfield County co-authored by experts from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, the Urban Institute and DataHaven paints a clear picture of what’s possible for Fairfield County if it comes together to create a more competitive, resilient, and inclusive regional economy.
Intentionally planning to expand opportunity could generate a $15.6 billion boost to the region’s GDP, the equivalent of the entire annual economic output of nations like the Bahamas, the report states.
“This research sends a powerful message: Expanding opportunity is a game-changing economic strategy,” said Mendi Blue Paca, CEO and president of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. “For the first time, we have hard data proving that an inclusive Fairfield County isn’t just possible — it’s the key to unlocking our region’s full economic potential. The time for bold action is now.”
Key outcomes from closing opportunity gaps:
- $13.3 billion in additional aggregate income for local residents
- 33,000 more homeowners and 84,000 more college graduates
- $603 million in additional local property tax revenue and $1.2 billion in state tax revenue.
- Despite being one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, Fairfield County ranks second highest in income inequality among U.S. metro areas.
“Fairfield County has long been recognized as one of the most unequal counties in America,” said Kelly Davila, principal research associate at DataHaven. “While we often rely on economic indicators and well-being surveys to demonstrate the various factors driving these disparities and their effect on quality of life, this new research goes a step further and actually demonstrates the benefits to all residents that could arise from closing opportunity gaps in Fairfield County.”
The report highlights deep economic disparities that contribute to widening income inequality such as White households earn $134,000 more on average annually than Black households and approximately $125,000 more than Latino households. It also found median home values for White households are approximately $580,000, compared to $343,000 for Black and $413,000 for Latino households.
“Fairfield County, Connecticut, has the opportunity to strengthen the local and state economy, creating new opportunities for residents and local businesses,” said Dr. Christina Plerhoples Stacy, principal research associate, at the Urban Institute. “In our research, we found that increasing opportunities for Fairfield County residents and closing socioeconomic gaps could lead to long-term economic gains. At a time of economic uncertainty, this new evidence-based research outlines ways in which the Fairfield County community can continue to grow and thrive using recommendations from local leaders across the private, public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors.”
A Call to Action
FCCF is urging business leaders, policymakers, philanthropists, and community members to act now. The study outlines key steps to drive inclusive growth, including:
- Expanding access to education: Universal preschool, stronger K-12 support, and college/trade school subsidies.
- Workforce & small business development: More apprenticeships, fair hiring practices, and expanded business financing.
- Housing solutions: Down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and reducing barriers to new housing construction.
- Wealth-building programs: Baby bonds, matched savings initiatives, and financial coaching.
[Excerpt of article from Viktoria Sundqvist, CT News Junkie, 12/4/2024]
State Republican lawmakers say a recent survey showing nearly 40% of adults in Connecticut are struggling financially should be “a wake-up call to all state Democrats.” Democrats, however, stress that now is the time to come together across party lines to respond to the needs of Connecticut families.
The well-being survey, conducted by DataHaven, also revealed a rise in food and housing insecurity, with certain populations facing disproportionately high rates of hardship, such as immigrants from Puerto Rico, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ individuals, the organization said.
The survey used probability sampling and consisted of in-depth interviews with nearly 7,500 randomly-selected adults in every Connecticut town.
The results of this year’s survey marks the highest rate of financial insecurity since the start of statewide data collection in 2015, DataHaven said.
“The gender gap is especially notable, with women reporting higher rates of financial hardship than men across most indicators,” DataHaven Executive Director Mark Abraham said in a news release.
“The financial strain faced by so many Connecticut residents is a major concern, especially given the rising costs of housing, healthcare, and everyday essentials. These trends highlight the urgent need for policy solutions that provide long-term economic stability for our communities.”
The survey also looked at things like the quality of parks and bike lanes, trust in local and state government, access to mental health services, social support, discrimination, and life satisfaction.
The Senate Republican Caucus was quick to blame Democratic state leadership for the situation, claiming Democrats have “no sense of urgency to address the cost of living crisis” in Connecticut.
“Wherever we go, Connecticut Republicans hear this same troubling message loud and clear from working and middle class families. From groceries and electric bills to insurance and housing, Connecticut is becoming increasingly unaffordable,” the Republican caucus said in a news release. “Every issue the state legislature debates in the 2025 must focus on one word: Affordability. Because right now, as this survey clearly reveals, Connecticut is trending in the wrong direction.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, however, said Connecticut voters have made it clear they trust Democrats to respond to the pressures families across the country are facing.
“Instead of engaging in obstructionist political games and voting against overwhelmingly popular economic initiatives, we welcome Connecticut Republicans to join us in responding to the needs of Connecticut families,” Looney said.
The DataHaven report repeatedly cites the drop in federal pandemic aid – including the federal child tax credit – as the primary driver for increased costs, Looney said, and that Democrats are “focused on delivering” for low- and middle-income families, whether that be through increasing the minimum wage or passing the largest income tax cut in state history.
“We encourage the Trump administration and our Republican colleagues in the General Assembly to join us in investing the state and federal funds necessary to improve the economic security of all residents in Connecticut,” Looney said. “With or without their support, we will be forging ahead to deliver real relief for residents.”
PRESS RELEASE
DataHaven wins federal innovation prize for empowering residents with data
National award recognizes DataHaven’s innovative new town-by-town map of well-being and environmental conditions
NEW HAVEN, Conn., September 26, 2024— DataHaven, a non-profit organization that has provided communities with information to advance equity and well-being across Connecticut neighborhoods for thirty years, continues to show how organizations can drive social change through data and technological innovation. On September 26, DataHaven was awarded a $72,500 prize from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge.
This national award recognizes DataHaven’s efforts to make data accessible for all 169 towns in Connecticut, through public outreach and tools such as its Connecticut Town Equity Reports and Connecticut Town Data Viewer.
More specifically, the award also acknowledges the organization’s work to develop and test a set of multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) models and local estimates based on the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey (DCWS), a statewide survey that has completed live interviews with over 50,000 randomly-selected adults in every Connecticut town. These models create more detailed and accurate data about Connecticut towns. Communities can use the model’s data to engage residents and make better decisions about local needs, such as access to public park systems, housing, youth programs, health care, and affordable fresh produce. DataHaven’s data reveals specific health and environmental disparities that disproportionately impact marginalized communities, thereby informing effective policy and systems changes aimed at improving health equity.
Many of DataHaven’s latest town-by-town estimates are included in its Connecticut Town Data Viewer, which was recently made available on the DataHaven website at ctdatahaven.org/data-dashboard. Granular data about demographic groups within each town and region, as well as about specific neighborhoods within the largest cities, are found in DataHaven’s other reports or available on request.
“We believe that access to these new datasets, which reflect quality of life and economic issues that are of greatest importance to Connecticut residents, can help residents shape the success of their community now and in the future,” said Mark Abraham, Executive Director of DataHaven. “Furthermore, the models developed by DataHaven do not just benefit Connecticut, but can also be applied to other state and national surveys, enabling estimation of community-level measures that were previously not possible. We are honored to have received this prize from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”
DataHaven’s day-to-day activities, including its new data viewer as well as its approaches to survey data collection, are informed by a volunteer Advisory Council of over 300 residents and agency leaders from across the state. The Advisory Council members suggest improvements, highlight key topics for DataHaven to include, and conduct user testing. During the next year, DataHaven plans to use the innovation prize funding to expand its Advisory Council and develop new user-friendly approaches to sharing data about different communities. Results from DataHaven’s latest statewide survey will be released later this fall.
Advisory Council members commented on DataHaven’s receipt of the national prize:
“Our congratulations to DataHaven on this well-deserved honor,” said Matt Hart, the Executive Director of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) in Hartford, Connecticut. The DataHaven Connecticut Town Data Viewer provides access to a vast range of economic, demographic, and well-being topics and indicators. The user can easily summarize this data by state, municipal, and COG level geographies, in both map and tabular form. This dynamic tool will help regional and municipal staff to quickly visualize, compare, and contrast various socioeconomic and quality of life datasets at a statewide, regional, and municipal level. We look forward to using the Data Viewer at CRCOG as part of our regional planning studies and projects.”
“Understanding the full picture of health and well-being in Connecticut requires digging deeper into the data and asking questions to see how people in every community are really doing. DataHaven’s Connecticut Town Data Viewer makes this possible in a user-friendly way, and we hope many people will use it this information to explore the strengths and challenges that exist in communities across the state,” said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “While Connecticut as a whole is a healthy state, more granular data shows us that not everyone has the same opportunities to live their healthiest lives. Tools like this help show us where there are gaps and can help shape our policy choices to make Connecticut more equitable.”
“This tool serves as a powerful resource, giving a clear snapshot of public sentiment at a glance. The data shared is more than just numbers—it’s a window into the community’s perceptions of the built environment and local governance. By understanding these trends, you’re better equipped to shape a future that truly reflects the needs and desires of those you serve,” said Rick Dunne, Executive Director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments in Waterbury, Connecticut.
The HHS Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge is a nationwide contest to support disadvantaged communities and Tribes facing the brunt of environmental injustices, including health harms due to climate change. This Challenge aims to uplift community-level solutions to address health inequities with prizes totaling $1,000,000 that were awarded in two phases in 2024.
About DataHaven
DataHaven’s mission is to empower people to create thriving communities by collecting and ensuring access to data on well-being, equity, and quality of life. The organization has served Connecticut as a nonprofit organization since 1992, working with many partners to make information more useful to local communities.
Contact
Mark Abraham, Executive Director, 203.500.7059, info at ctdatahaven.org
[Excerpt from Capitol Dispatch article posted by Joe O’Leary, August 3, 2024]
Connecticut stands as a leader when it comes to the rights of the queer community, standing well ahead of many other states when it comes to the rights of LGBTQIA+ residents. With same-sex marriage legalized here seven years before its federal approval and enshrined rights for same-sex and queer parents, legal defenses and the transgender community, Connecticut can stand proud.
However, more can always be done. A recent report by DataHaven and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving found that the state’s queer community has priorities for further success in the future – these include expansion of youth-focused spaces safe for LGBTQIA+ individuals, making sure more voices are heard and, most prominently, improving access to housing and shelter throughout the state for those in need. Creating a more welcoming and accepting environment – even in a state where queer rights are enshrined – is vital for adults and children alike, especially to preserve the safety of queer youth, who are at increased odds of discrimination and can struggle under conditions where they are otherized.
While Connecticut is largely perceived as a safe haven for LGBTQIA+ people, especially transgender people – the report said Connecticut has a reputation where queer people move to Connecticut from states where fewer protections are in place – there is always more that can be done. Discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people, especially young ones who may be struggling, was a common feature in the report.
Finding work and housing can be challenging for a number of these individuals, and some groups within it struggle more than others; transgender people, as one example, face more discrimination and struggles than others. A third of all LGBTQIA+ people in Connecticut face difficulty paying expenses, which leapt to 47% for transgender individuals; food insecurity, lower incomes and households experiencing loss of work also were more common for transgender respondents than the general queer community.
Queer individuals in Connecticut are also significantly more likely to face mental health problems, primarily anxiety and depression, than cisgender straight individuals, with these conditions reported by 39% of queer people compared to 25% of the general population. This trend continues for other forms of medical care, with queer respondents missing medical care 2.1 times more than the general population and transgender ones 3.9 times more likely to miss such care. Discrimination was also more common for queer people in health care, police and employment interactions compared to the general public. Disability rates were also higher for queer and transgender groups than cisgender ones.
The report found that while Connecticut is a leader in queer rights in many respects, more work can and should be done. It found that the best responses to these issues is to find areas of improvement, including community outreach to those in need, supporting funding efforts aiding these groups and individuals and increased communication and effort to meet the needs of organizations serving the LGBTQIA+ community.
[Excerpt of news article by Natasha Sokoloff, July 27, 2024]
HARTFORD — Despite Connecticut’s relatively strong protections of its LGBTQ+ community, a new report on the greater Hartford community says that it still faces striking disparities in areas of health, well-being, and quality of life.
At a time when other states seem to be increasingly hostile to LGBTQ+ lives through discriminatory policies and lack of protections, there is a common conception of Connecticut being a “safe haven” for LGBTQ+ people, according to a report released on July 22 by DataHaven. However, both qualitative data from Hartford-area residents and federal and statewide surveys indicate that Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ community still has unique barriers to housing, financial security, health care, and employment.
The report, which was done in partnership with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, aims to illuminate the current state of the LGBTQ+ community in the Hartford area and ultimately help better direct resources to meet the needs of this community.
“There is a very vibrant and interconnected queer community in the Hartford area,” said Shannon Carter, the lead researcher on the report. “But there’s still these sort of, like, other upstream factors that disproportionately affect queer people that aren’t necessarily directly queer issues.”
According to the report, LGBTQ+ adults in Connecticut disproportionately report more difficulty affording basic needs, having lower household incomes, more likely to face housing insecurity, and overall face higher economic precarity than the cisgender heterosexual population.
“There’s definitely things that make life a little bit more difficult for folks with those identities,” said Kate Szczerbacki, director of Learning and Evaluation and Capacity Building at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. “And you see the evidence of that show up as disparities in the data.”
But as queer people themselves, both Carter and Szczerbacki said none of that was necessarily surprising.
“I think being able to look at the data, you really understand that there is sometimes greater need and greater challenge for folks with LGBTQIA identities,” Szczerbacki said. “This is just another point of verification of that reality.”
The report shows that LGBTQ+ adults in Connecticut were at least two times more likely to not get medical care when needed despite experiencing a higher burden of need, as members of this community face barriers to health care access due to lower financial means and discrimination from providers while also having higher rates of chronic and mental illness and disability.
“These things are all interrelated, and I think we understand that they’re related, but really seeing how that shows up in people’s lives and making it really tangible — we can see that in quantitative data, we can see that in data sets,” Szczerbacki said.
Carter said what was most surprising to them in the report’s findings wasn’t the clear challenges the LGBTQ+ population was faced with, but some of the stark disparities within the community itself. Transgender people were far more likely to experience housing insecurity and to have missed needed medical care than other LGBTQ+ adults, according to the report. And people of color within the LGBTQ+ community also experienced higher disparities in other quality of life issues.
So despite relatively strong protections on paper, LGBTQ+ people, and in particular transgender people, experienced discrimination in many dimensions of public life in Connecticut, with reports of discrimination based on gender identity spiking in recent years, according to the report.
“I think what’s really important is to really understand some of the dynamics that are happening, you know, out in the real world, and what sort of structures, systems, experiences that might be driving the trends and disparities that we see in the quantitative data,” Szczerbacki said.
But the lack of quantitative data available was an example of another disparity in itself, Carter said. Sexual orientation and gender identity is rarely collected at the state and federal level, according to the report, which is why the report also relies on DataHaven’s statewide survey responses over recent years and also collected qualitative data in greater Hartford specifically.
The report was commissioned by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to guide decision making for the foundation’s Equality Fund, which is focused on the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ residents in greater Hartford, Szczerbacki said.
“There is a really a lack of data about this population,” Szczerbacki said. And because the foundation was seeking to understand how to best support the community, it seemed like an opportune moment to partner with DataHaven to leverage both the quantitative and qualitative data that is out there to drive grant making and strategy to address those inequities that exist in the community, she said.
That’s why, in addition to data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, DataHaven’s Community well-being Survey, and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities’ yearly discrimination data, the report also draws upon the input and experiences of greater Hartford LGBTQ+ organizations and community members.
The report referenced responses from people in qualitative interviews over a couple of months and in a discussion in April, who were able to share how these inequities show up in their lives.
“One thing that came up in the qualitative interviews a lot is just Connecticut as this state that is, like fairly affirming for queer people, and has been sort of ahead of the curve on a lot of these legal protections,” Carter said.
Having legalized same-sex marriage seven years before federal legalization, a robust record of judicial wins regarding parental rights of same-sex couples, and recently passing the Parentage Act that further advanced these rights, Connecticut has created a strong foundation for its LGBTQ+ community, according to the report.
“And for a lot of folks, that was very comforting and kind of helped them feel safer here, or folks have come to Connecticut for specifically the queer protections,” Carter said.
But not everyone they spoke to in the greater Hartford community felt that way.
“There was also folks that were like, ‘Oh, I came to Connecticut for the safety and then when I got here, I didn’t realize that there were all these other issues, like, things are really expensive here,'” Carter said. “If you’re a person that’s not making a lot of money, or you’re on disability, it can be really difficult to carve out a living here.”
“So lots of folks were like, yes, we really love these legal protections, but it doesn’t always translate into equal treatment,” they said.
Based on the report’s findings, while Connecticut’s policies put the state near the top of the list for protections of the LGBTQ+ community, actual experiences, as seen in both the quantitative and qualitative responses, tell a more harrowing story about inherent challenges, structural stigma and interpersonal bias.
But in spite of the systemic barriers that exist, Carter said that if there’s anything they learned from this study, it’s that there is a lot of strength and resilience in Connecticut’s, and greater Hartford within it, LGBTQ+ community.
And ongoing and improved data collection will allow for a better understanding of the needs of this community, so that organizations like the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving can target funding and resources to where it is needed most.