MORAL WATCH: INDICATORS Part V
35 INDICATORS of America’s Moral Condition
This work focuses on 35 Indicators to show that direction in which our Nation is heading. The follow meter rating is for the purpose of following trends. Scale is each Moral Indicator (MI) is based on .1 to .9 with higher numbers indicating a worst condition – all multiplied by 3.176
School Dropout Rate: .75
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “based on data from the Current Population Survey, the status dropout rate decreased from 12.1 percent in 1990 to 6.5 percent in 2014, with most of the decline occurring after 2000 (when it was 10.9 percent). However, there was no measurable difference between the 2013 rate and the 2014 rate.’
‘Between 1990 and 2014, the male status dropout rate declined from 12.3 to 7.1 percent, with nearly the entire decline occurring after 2000 (when it was 12.0 percent). For females, the rate declined from 11.8 percent in 1990 to 9.9 percent in 2000, and then decreased further to 5.9 percent in 2014.’
‘In each year from 1990 to 2014, the status dropout rate was lower for White youth than for Black youth, and the rates for both White and Black youth were lower than the rate for Hispanic youth. During this period, the status dropout rate declined from 9.0 to 5.2 percent for White youth; from 13.2 to 7.4 percent for Black youth; and from 32.4 to 10.6 percent for Hispanic youth.’
(Below) Status dropout rates of 16-24 year olds
Internet Searches: .87
In 2012, Google (which was founded in 1998) processed over 3.5 billion searches per day or over 1.2 trillion for the year; that was double the 2008. Google had 78% of the search industry in 2012.
The 10 most searched keywords in 2014 were ‘porno, porn, xxx, translate, maps, weather, free porn, sex, news, iphone6.’ The top 5 sex term searches accounted for about 450 million monthly searches, doubling the approximate 220 million in 2012.
In a 2015 article by The Atlantic, ‘The Future of Morality, at Every Internet User’s Fingertips,’ the article discusses why ‘platforms are deemed morally responsible for the consequences, even unintentional, of the spaces they create online.’ It addressed Facebook, Reddit and other host sites and ‘platform ethics.’
Violent Crimes: .83
2016: The FBI released its annual Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, Crime in the United States, 2015. It revealed almost a 4% increase in violent crime from 2014.
- Estimated number of murders in the nation was 15,696.
- Estimated number of rapes was 90,185.
- There were an estimated 327,374 robberies nationwide, which accounted for an estimated $390 million in losses (average dollar value of stolen property per reported robbery was $1,190).
- Firearms were used in 71.5 percent of the nation’s murders, 40.8 percent of robberies, and 24.2 percent of aggravated assaults.
- Property crimes resulted in losses estimated at $14.3 billion. The total value of reported stolen property (i.e., currency, jewelry, motor vehicles, electronics, firearms) was $12,420,364,454.
Nonwhites commit 90% of the violent crimes in the nation.
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/home
In 2014, there were an estimated 1,165,383 violent crimes (murder and non-negligent homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults); for the category of “violent crimes” there were a total of 8,730,665 arrests.
About 1 in 30 Americans commit felony crimes.
Prison Population:.85
The Federal Bureau of Prisons reports Total Federal Inmates as of December 22, 2016 at 189,982. Over a third was ages of 31 and 40.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of the Justice Department, said in a December 2014 report that in 2013, 2.2 million people were incarcerated and more than 4.7 million people were under community supervision (on probation or parole). The report further says those counts (which roll in some people not convicted of crimes) equate to 2,830 people per 100,000 U.S. adults, meaning 2.8 percent of U.S. adults were under correctional supervision.
According to NAP.edu, (2014) The Growth of Incarceration in the United States, “After decades of stability from the 1920s to the early 1970s, the rate of imprisonment in the United States more than quadrupled during the last four decades. The U.S. penal population of 2.2 million adults is by far the largest in the world. Just under one-quarter of the world’s prisoners are held in American prisons. The U.S. rate of incarceration, with nearly 1 out of every 100 adults in prison or jail, is 5 to 10 times higher than the rates in Western Europe and other democracies. The U.S. prison population is largely drawn from the most disadvantaged part of the nation’s population: mostly men under age 40, disproportionately minority, and poorly educated.”
According to the NAACP, ‘1 in 6 black men had been incarcerated as of 2001.’ They say if trends continue, as many as 1 in 3 could be in prison at some point of the lifetime.
https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2014/07/incarceration1.jpg
Below: Percent of Blacks Incarcerated in 2012.
By 2010, nearly a third of black, male high school dropouts aged 25-29 were imprisoned or otherwise institutionalized. This is higher than the employment rate for the same group, which was less than 25 percent.
Mental Illnesses: .8
Although not all mental illnesses is directly related to morality of a nation, a vast amount of depression cases sheds light on the state of a nation. In 2014, there were an estimated 43.6 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with AMI in the past year. This number represented 18.1% of all U.S. adults.
In 2014, there were almost 10 million adults in the U.S. with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI). Thus, over 4% of all U.S. adults have at least one serious mental illness. Additionally, about 1 in 5 children currently or at some point in their life will have had a seriously debilitating mental disorder.
According to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2016, ‘approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. – 43.8 million or 18.5% – experiences mental illness in a given year. Approximately 1 in 25 adults… 10 million or 4.2% experiences a serious mental illness… and 1 in 5 youth aged 13-18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point in their life; for children 8-15, the estimate is 13%.” 1 in 100 adults in the U.S. suffer from schizophrenia; 1 in about 38 is bipolar. Over 1 in 5 experiences an anxiety disorder; and of the 20.2 million adults that have substance use disorders, half have a mental illness.
About 73% of homeless adults with serious or severe mental illnesses; likewise, about 70% of youth in the juvenile justice systems have at least one mental health condition.
NAMI reports:
- Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
- Mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults aged 18–44.
Also see: https://thetruthsource.org/depression-disease-disorder-choice-and-or-spirit/
Suicide Rate: .8
NAMI reports:
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.,the 3rd leading cause of death for people aged 10–24 and the 2nd leading cause of death for people aged 15–24.
- More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition.
- Each day an estimated 18-22 veterans die by suicide.
Over 42,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2014 and 2015. It was the number 10 cause of death in 2014 and 2015; and second, next to accidents, for ages 10 to 34; and fourth leading cause for ages 35 to 54. Homicide was the 17th leading cause of death in 2014.
The U.S. Depart. Of Health and Human Services (CDC National Center for Health Statistics) 2015 report, showed while number of deaths per 100,000 population for ‘all causes’ fell from 2000 to 2014; especially for heart disease, stokes and cancer, the rate of suicides has increased in America.
According to Save.org, 15% of people who are clinically depressed die by suicide.
For information and Help see: https://thetruthsource.org/overcoming-suicide-and-severe-depression/
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