blog post Who Is the California Voter? By Stephanie Barton Nov 8, 2022 A near record-high share of eligible individuals are registered to vote in the Golden State. Likely voters tend to be older, white, affluent, college educated, and homeowners. Nonvoters, on the other hand, are more likely to be younger, Latino, lower income, less educated, and renters.
blog post California Sees Steep Decline in Financial Aid Applications By Kevin Cook Mar 12, 2021 Far fewer California high school seniors completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) this year, reducing the number who may receive funding that helps provide access to higher education.
blog post Applications for Dream Act Financial Aid Have Fallen By Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson Aug 20, 2021 A sharp decline in California Dream Act applications during the COVID-19 pandemic may mean that college is less affordable for some undocumented students—or even lead to a decline in enrollment.
blog post Commentary: What Do We Need to Learn about Preventing Mass Shootings? By Heather Harris Sep 29, 2022 Mass shootings have grown more prevalent over time. Reversing this trend will involve evidence-based approaches to protecting public spaces, stopping would-be shooters, and addressing how weapons are acquired.
Report Child Poverty and the Social Safety Net in California By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Sep 29, 2014 Because economic hardship is associated with a host of adverse outcomes, particularly for children, policies that can give children a better start in life are especially important. This report focuses on measuring material hardship among children across the state. Using the California Poverty Measure—which accounts for both family earnings and safety net resources and adjusts for work expenses and housing costs—we find that one-quarter of California’s children are in poverty. An additional 26 percent of children live in households that are "near poor,” or somewhat above what is often referred to as the poverty line. In short, about half of California’s children are poor or near-poor. Poverty rates, earnings, and the role of safety net resources all vary by region. But most poor children live in "working poor” families, with one or more working adults. And, without resources from the social safety net—which includes the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, CalFresh (California’s food stamp program), CalWORKs (California’s welfare program), and housing subsidies—there would be far more children in poverty throughout California.
Fact Sheet State Financial Aid in California By Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson, Courtney Lee Jun 26, 2019 California’s financial aid programs help large numbers of middle- and low-income students attend college--but many are excluded by complex eligibility requirements, and most non-tuition costs are not covered.
blog post New Census Data Sheds Light on California’s Changes By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch, Vicki Hsieh Aug 17, 2021 The 2020 Census shows that California’s population—while increasing only a little—has become both more diverse and less rural in the past decade.
Report A Portrait of Race and Ethnicity in California By Deborah Reed, Hans Johnson, Belinda Reyes, Jennifer Y. Cheng ... Mar 1, 2001 California's racial and ethnic composition has changed dramatically over the last generation: so dramatically, in fact, that many businesses, public interest groups, media professionals, and policymakers lack current, reliable information about the state's population. In this sourcebook, Belinda Reyes and a team of researchers examine trends and outcomes in: demography education health labor economic status crime political participation ethnic geography Each chapter presents key indicators for the state's four major racial and ethnic groups: whites, African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics. Where possible, the authors also present trends and outcomes for major Asian and Hispanic subgroups.
