The Project on Societal Distress is devoted to monitoring the prevalence of societal distress in the United States and in specific states. Prevalence refers to how often people and households experience these conditions. Our mission is to provide the public and policymakers with accurate statistics about the prevalence of societal distress so that decisions and priorities are informed by the best facts.
The project is a research activity, based at an academic institution, and does not engage in advocacy or promote specific policy strategies. Its focus is on presenting data.
The project examines societal distress in five domains—food security, housing, health, education, and income—and makes the information available to the public and policymakers. The goal is to clarify how many Americans experience hunger, precarious housing or homelessness, inadequate health and health care, inferior education, and inadequate income/poverty.
The project presents data online and in publications for the overall population and for important subgroups, such as children, minorities, and older adults. Analyses are also conducted for specific states. The Project on Societal Distress is the flagship activity of the Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Human Needs.
To examine our data, click on any of the five domain tabs across the top of our website: Food Security, Housing, Health, Education, or Income. To read or print our publications, click here.
The Project on Societal Distress is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
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