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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.
 

[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: 

“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:

[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.”

NEW HAVEN, Conn., November 25, 2024 — In one of the richest states in the U.S., a newly released report from DataHaven highlights concerning trends in financial, food, and housing insecurity across Connecticut.

According to the 2024 DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, released today at a statewide event celebrating the organization’s 30th Anniversary, nearly 40 percent of adults in Connecticut are struggling financially, marking the highest rate of financial insecurity since the start of statewide data collection in 2015. The report also reveals a troubling rise in food and housing insecurity, with certain populations facing disproportionately high rates of hardship.

The survey also highlights disparities in how different populations experience financial, food, and housing insecurity. Certain groups, such as immigrants from Puerto Rico, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals, face significantly higher levels of insecurity in all three areas. The gender gap is especially notable, with women reporting higher rates of financial hardship than men across most indicators.

While today’s announcement focused on financial and food insecurity in Connecticut, the full survey results, including information on a wide range of topics such as the quality of parks and bike lanes, trust in local and state government, access to mental health services, social support, discrimination, and life satisfaction, can be found on the DataHaven website. Future releases will highlight trends observed by DataHaven in those areas during the past 10 years of this survey program.

For the full press release, and detailed crosstabs with data tables for each question across detailed demographic groups, please visit the main DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey page and view the “2024 DCWS” section.

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 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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Answer the Call to Improve Your Community”: DataHaven and Partners Urge Residents to Participate in Landmark Wellbeing Survey of Connecticut 

Thousands of randomly-selected residents from all 169 Connecticut towns will participate in the 2024 DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, the seventh wave of a large survey on happiness and quality of life that has been fielded since 2012

HARTFORD, CT, May 7, 2024 – How happy are you? Are the public parks in your area in excellent, good, fair, or poor condition? When was the last time you saw a dentist?

These are just a few of the types of questions included in interviews by friendly survey-takers helping DataHaven and dozens of leading community, health care, and charitable groups across Connecticut complete what is believed to be the nation’s largest neighborhood-level well-being survey.

“We include well-established questions that people like to answer,” says Mark Abraham, Executive Director of DataHaven. “They are answering questions about their own happiness and well-being, their experiences and relationships within their community, and how their neighborhoods are doing. These questions show that we care deeply about the aspects of life that are most important to everyone’s day-to-day happiness and quality of life.”

DataHaven, the nonprofit group that leads the collection and sharing of public data about Connecticut, said that the 2024 program will track trends on key issues such as economic security, institutional trust, access to healthcare, and public safety. The latest data will allow DataHaven to create even more granular portraits of Connecticut towns and neighborhoods, as well as statistical data for groups that share specific demographics or life experiences.

Over time, 45,000 randomly-selected adults in every Connecticut ZIP code have participated in the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, which was also fielded in 2012, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022. This year, thousands more will participate in in-depth, multilingual interviews.

As with prior years, Connecticut’s leading hospitals, non-profits, and charitable organizations are supporting the program (see below). To ensure that the survey topics reflect the interests of communities, an Advisory Council of representatives from 300 different organizations around the state once again helped choose the questions to include this year. For example, the parents and caregivers who are selected to take the survey may receive a significantly expanded set of questions about child well-being and mental health, which emerged as a top issue of concern during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the spring and summer, randomly-selected residents in each town will receive phone calls from survey-takers at the Siena College Research Institute – typically appearing as a 203, 860, or 518 area code – and in some cases, may receive a letter, package, or text message with information on how to participate. Beginning this fall, survey results will be included in many local and statewide publications and community health needs assessments, including DataHaven’s widely-used Town Equity Reports.

“Make a difference: Pick up your cell phone, help your community learn more about your needs, and tell us what you want to see to promote greater happiness and well-being in your neighborhood,” says Abraham.
 
“UNITED BY DATA”: SPONSORS OF THE 2024 DATAHAVEN COMMUNITY WELLBEING SURVEY
    Many organizations throughout Connecticut, including those listed below, provide funding to support the 2024 DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey. Major sponsors are highlighted in bold font.
    
Foundations and Philanthropy
•    Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
•    Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
•    Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
•    Connecticut Health Foundation
•    The Connecticut Project
•    Connecticut Community Foundation
•    Valley Community Foundation
•    Main Street Community Foundation
•    American Savings Foundation
•    United Way of Greater New Haven
•    United Way of Coastal and Western CT
•    United Way of Central and Northeastern CT
•    NewAlliance Foundation
•    Tremaine Foundation

Health Care
•    Yale-New Haven Health* 
•    Hartford HealthCare*
•    Stamford Health
•    Trinity Health of New England*
•    Nuvance Health*
•    Yale Cancer Center
•    Connecticut Children’s
•    Eastern Connecticut Health Network*
•    Waterbury Health
•    Griffin Health
•    Middlesex Health
•    Day Kimball Healthcare
•    Planned Parenthood of Southern New England
•    Valley Council of Health and Human Services

*Multiple hospitals represented

Government / Agency / Community
•    Naugatuck Valley Health District
•    Stamford Health Department
•    Bridgeport Health Department
•    Hartford Dept. of Health and Human Services
•    Yale University
•    University of Hartford
•    Connecticut State Office of Rural Health
•    New Haven Health Department
•    Danbury Health Department
•    Norwalk Health Department
•    Ledge Light Health District
•    Eastern Highlands Health District
•    Central Connecticut Health District
•    Northeast District Department of Health
•    North Central District Health Department
•    Quinnipiack Valley Health District
•    Newtown Health District
•    Stratford Health Department
•    Fairfield Health Department
•    Trumbull Health Department
•    Monroe Health Department
•    Milford Health Department
•    City of Bristol
•    Town of Bethel
•    Capitol Region Council of Governments
•    Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments
•    South Central Regional Council of Governments
•    Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance
•    Workforce Alliance
•    Trinity College
•    Southern Connecticut State University
•    DMHAS Center for Prevention Evaluation and Statistics at UConn Health
 
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For more details, please contact Mark Abraham at 203.500.7059, info [at] ctdatahaven.org. Promotional graphics are attached below and may be shared.

About DataHaven
DataHaven is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization with a 30-year history of public service to Connecticut. DataHaven is a formal partner of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, a collaborative national effort by the Urban Institute and approximately 40 local partners. For more information, visit www.ctdatahaven.org. 
 

[Article by Elizabeth Burton and Kathy Pettit at NNIP News, November 2023]

Imagine if every town knew what share of their residents felt safe in their neighborhoods, were getting the medical care they need, or were struggling to cover household expenses because of inflation. Thanks to the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey (DCWS), people in Connecticut have this—and much more information on other factors affecting individual and community well-being—to help them better advocate, plan, and set priorities. First launched in 2012, DCWS enables policymakers, media, foundations, community groups, and residents to understand the lived experience of people in the state.

Conducted across six waves with a seventh wave planned for 2024, the DCWS provides one-of-a-kind information based on over 40,000 live interviews from randomly selected adults in every Connecticut town. It covers a wide range of topics, such as people’s experiences and opinions on safety, financial well-being, health and health care, neighborhood satisfaction, and the criminal legal system. The DCWS also collects information on characteristics such as age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, household structure, experiences of incarceration, disability, income, and employment that are crucial for understanding local needs. DataHaven develops these survey questions with input from an advisory council that represents more than 300 public and private organizations. The council votes on the indicators that will be most meaningful in any given year; since 2020, DataHaven has added many new indicators that focus on racial equity, the impacts of COVID-19, and trust in the health care system.

DataHaven shares its findings in two signature products: the Community Wellbeing Index and the town equity reports. The Community Wellbeing Index provides comprehensive reports for Greater New Haven, Greater Hartford, and Fairfield County that combine in-depth DCWS data with local, state, and national data analysis. The town equity reports, which also incorporate local-level DCWS data and other sources, help to frame the needs of the 169 towns and a variety of broader administrative regions within the state, with a focus on racial equity. They inform grantmaking strategies and are widely used by journalists, residents, and others, with more than 15,000 downloads. The DCWS data are also used in other reports provided by DataHaven in sectors ranging from housing to workforce development, and to support the evaluation of several multi-year federal grants that fund community health interventions in cities including Hartford and New Haven.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is one of more than 80 state and local government, health care, academic, and community partners that fund DCWS. The foundation invests in DataHaven’s efforts, because its rigorous methods, community-centric approach, and racial equity lens result in high quality data. In one instance, the foundation’s program officer reviewed the survey findings on low social cohesion in a Hartford neighborhood at a time when residents were calling for beautification and public art. The combination of DCWS data and community feedback led to increased coinvestments with the city government for neighborhood greening and programs that boost neighborhood trust, such as Love Your Block.

In addition, DCWS and related reports facilitate collaboration with Hartford’s sister community foundations in Fairfield County and Greater New Haven for planning and sharing tools and presentations. The state’s community foundations also promote data literacy for local nonprofits, so that they can effectively use DCWS data in their planning and grant applications. For example, a coalition of public and private groups used DCWS data to successfully apply for a $30 million Promise Neighborhood grant. And many hospitals and public health departments across Connecticut incorporate DCWS data into their community health needs assessments.

DataHaven continues to share DCWS and other related analyses to help people use the data for action. With these robust and accessible data and reports, communities, policymakers, and foundations are better able to center resident experiences as they work toward improving the quality of life for people in Connecticut.

This story was written by Elizabeth Burton and Kathy Pettit at the Urban Institute, with support from Mark Abraham at DataHaven and Kate Szczerbacki at the Hartford Foundation. NNIP is a learning network, coordinated by the Urban Institute, that connects independent partner organizations in more than 30 cities. DataHaven is the NNIP partner in New Haven, Connecticut.

DataHaven’s Hartford Foundation 2023 Equity Profile Highlights Region’s Challenges and Opportunities

New report highlights residents’ experiences related to employment, income, housing, and health
 
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is committed to supporting the availability of high quality, rigorous research to inform action on issues critical to the region as well as our own priorities, strategies, and operations. As a part of this commitment, the Foundation sponsored an equity report produced by DataHaven covering the 29 towns served by the Hartford Foundation. This report includes resident experiences on a wide variety of key issues including education, employment, income, housing, health, access to services, amenities, and other quality of life indicators.

The 2023 Hartford Foundation Equity Profile is designed to inform local-level efforts to improve community wellbeing and racial equity. This report corresponds with DataHaven’s Town Equity Reports, which disaggregate data for each of the state’s 169 towns.  The reports leverage information from the 2020 Census, American Community Survey microdata files, DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey record-level files, and federal and state agencies to create relevant town-level information that is not available from any other source. The report for the Hartford Foundation area is based on DataHaven’s analysis of data for each town the Foundation supports.

As of 2020, the population of the Hartford Foundation service area is 760,475, including 156,885 children and 603,590 adults. Forty-two percent of the Hartford Foundation area’s residents are people of color, compared to 37 percent of residents statewide.

“Many of the indicators included in the report demonstrate how recent socio-economic events as well as a history of structural racism and discrimination have affected our neighbors’ wellbeing and produced disparate outcomes along racial, ethnic, and income dimensions.” said Kate Szczerbacki, the Hartford Foundation’s Director of Strategic Learning and Evaluation. “This high-quality report is emblematic of DataHaven’s 30 years of public service (While progress is being made, there is still much more to do to make our systems and communities equitable for all residents. We are grateful to our partners DataHaven and this high-quality report is emblematic of the 30 years of public service they have provided our state.”

[….]

Key findings include:

Income and Wealth

Housing

Of the 302,137 households in the Hartford Foundation geographic area, 66 percent own their home. Home ownership rates vary measurably by race/ethnicity. Owning a home is more attainable for advantaged groups because the homebuying process has a long history of racially discriminatory practices that continue to restrict access to homeownership today. This challenge, coupled with municipal zoning dominated by single-family housing, results in de facto racial and economic segregation seen throughout Connecticut.

In the Hartford Foundation area:

English Proficiency

Linguistic isolation is characterized as speaking English less than “very well.” People who struggle with English proficiency may have difficulty in school, seeking health care, accessing social services, or finding work in a largely English-speaking community.

Health

Socioeconomic disparities tend to correlate with health outcomes. Factors such as stable housing, employment, literacy and linguistic fluency, environmental hazards, and transportation all impact access to care, physical and mental health outcomes, and overall quality of life. Income and employment status often drive differences in access to healthcare, the likelihood of getting preventive care, the affordability of medicines, and the ability to purchase other goods and services, including nutritious food.

[For more, please view the press release]

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. Through partnerships, the Foundation seeks to strengthen communities in Greater Hartford by putting philanthropy in action to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $948 million since its founding in 1925. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.  

The DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey completed live, in-depth interviews with over 45,000 randomly-selected adults in every town in Connecticut in recent years, producing robust local-level information (such as data included in the Town Equity Reports) on the issues that are most relevant to community well-being. This survey has been supported by over 100 public and private partners throughout Connecticut, and will be fielded again beginning in early 2024.

Our Advisory Council is a critical element of this program, and over 300 people participated in 2021-2022.  Representatives from all public agencies, non-profits, and community-based organizations in Connecticut are invited to join the Council and help us select topics to include in this year’s survey.

Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DCWS2024AdvisoryCouncil to register and provide initial feedback.

More information about Advisory Council expectations, and the incentives for participation, can be found in the form linked above. Responses to this initial form are requested by October 30, 2023, if possible. Participants will be invited to provide additional feedback on the survey design after that date.

We encourage you to share this link with your colleagues and partners, including advocacy and community-based organizations in your area.

Related newsletter link, with our full newsletter from August 28, 2023: https://mailchi.mp/197cf8a16d4d/incentives-to-join-our-statewide-council-new-report