Birthrates drop in California, and experts blame recession

Birthrates drop in California, and experts blame recession: "

Birthrates in California began to drop in 2008, in what experts say is a response to the recession. The downward trend of California’s birthrate mirrored that of many other states, experts found.

A Pew Research Center analysis released Wednesday found that the number of California babies born in 2008 dropped to 551,000, down from 566,000 babies born in the state in 2007.

This signified a 2.8% dip in the birthrate, the third largest decline of any state other than Arizona and Mississippi.
In the same time period, California’s per capita income decreased from $44,880 to $43,641, according to the study.

In the previous year, the state’s housing prices decreased by more than 2%, the largest drop in the country, researchers said.
Researchers found that the data is telling of a link between birthrates and the souring economy.

“We wanted to see whether there was some kind of link for the most recent recession,” said D’Vera Cohn, the study’s senior writer. “We looked at the decision to get pregnant and took a look at what is going on in the economy to affect that decision.”

Indeed, Arizona’s birthrate, which saw the largest decline in the country in 2008, reflected its weakened economic picture. The state had a decrease in income between 2006 and 2007, and housing prices that increased only 1.7% in the same time period.

Researchers cited an October 2009 Pew Research Center survey, which found that 14% of Americans ages 18 to 34, and 8% of those ages 35 to 44 say they postponed having a child because of the recession.
In the past, birthrates have roughly reflected the nation’s economic booms and busts, Cohn said.

-- My-Thuan Tran

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Poll finds overwhelming US support for improved public transportation – slideshow summary

Poll finds overwhelming US support for improved public transportation – slideshow summary: "

Here are just a few tidbits from a new national poll conducted by Transportation for America, Public Opinion Strategies, and Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz and Associates:

• An overwhelming majority (82%) of Americans believe the country would benefit from improved public transportation.


• Most Americans (57% “strongly”) would like to spend less time in their cars.


• An overwhelming majority of Americans find current public transportation either not available at all (47%) or not convenient (35%) in their communities.


• A strong majority (59%) see public transportation as the best strategy for reducing traffic congestion.

There is much more. Here is an excellent slideshow summary of the poll results:

Read more detail about the poll here, and federal transportation secretary Ray LaHood’s statement about the results here.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment. For more posts, see his blog's home page.

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Majority in California support gay marriage, Times/USC poll finds

Majority in California support gay marriage, Times/USC poll finds: "

Same-sex marriage got majority support in the latest Los Angeles Times/USC poll -- much like a similar poll by the Public Policy Institute of California earlier this spring.

But does that mean that a measure to repeal Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state, would have smooth sailing?

Not necessarily.

First, the numbers: Registered voters surveyed in the latest poll said 52% to 40% that “same-sex couples should be allowed to become legally married in the state of California.”

That’s the latest in a string of surveys that have found similar results. A PPIC poll released March 25 found respondents backing gay marriage 50% to 45%. And a Times/USC poll last November found a 51% to 43% split on the issue.

As with the previous surveys, the latest Times/USC poll showed a sharp polarization by political party and ideology, with Democrats and liberals supporting same-sex marriage by large margins and Republicans and conservatives opposing it by equally lopsided margins.

The poll also showed a huge variation by age, with registered voters younger than 30 supporting same-sex marriage by roughly 3 to 1, while a majority of those 64 and older were opposed.

That age division, also seen in every other poll on the issue, suggests that over time, the state’s electorate probably will become even more supportive of same-sex marriage -- unless today’s voters in their 20s become more socially conservative as they age. But the divide also poses a challenge for gay rights advocates: Older voters are substantially more likely to turn out to vote than younger voters.

That’s particularly true in non-presidential election years, when turnout in general tends to be lower.

So compared with 2008, the electorate in 2010 is likely to have a higher representation of the age groups most opposed to same-sex marriage.

And 2008, of course, was the election in which Proposition 8 passed. No surprise, then, that gay rights groups have decided to sit this election out.

The poll was conducted for The Times and the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences by two polling firms, the Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and the Republican firm American Viewpoint.

The margin of error for the survey, which included 1,515 registered voters, was plus or minus 2.6 percentage points for the overall sample and slightly larger for smaller breakdowns. Questioning took place March 23-30.

-- David Lauter

Photo: Protesters in support of same-sex marriage march in downtown L.A. in 2009. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

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Young Men Who Smoke Have Lower IQs

File this under duh of course they do


Young Men Who Smoke Have Lower IQs: "Hugh Pickens writes 'Science Daily reports on a study that has determined that young men who smoke are likely to have lower IQs than their non-smoking peers. In the study, conducted with 20,000 Israeli Army recruits and veterans, the average IQ for a non-smoker was about 101, while the smokers' average was more than seven IQ points lower at about 94, and the IQs of young men who smoked more than a pack a day were lower still, at about 90. (These IQs all fall within the normal range.) 'In the health profession, we've generally thought that smokers are most likely the kind of people to have grown up in difficult neighborhoods, or who've been given less education at good schools,' says Prof. Mark Weiser of Tel Aviv University's Department of Psychiatry, whose study was reported in a recent version of the journal Addiction. 'Because our study included subjects with diverse socio-economic backgrounds, we've been able to rule out socio-economics as a major factor. The government might want to rethink how it allocates its educational resources on smoking.' Prof. Weiser says that the study illuminates a general trend in epidemiological studies. 'People on the lower end of the average IQ tend to display poorer overall decision-making skills when it comes to their health,' says Weiser. 'Schoolchildren who have been found to have a lower IQ can be considered at risk to begin the habit, and can be targeted with special education and therapy to prevent them from starting or to break the habit after it sets in.''

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Breastfeeding saves a lot of money, study says

Breastfeeding saves a lot of money, study says: "

If all U.S. women followed medical recommendations to breastfeed their infants exclusively for six months, the nation could save $13 billion a year in medical costs and prevent 911 deaths, according to an analysis published in the new issue of the journal Pediatrics.

The study authors compared the costs of 10 childhood diseases at current breastfeeding rates and the projected costs of those diseases if 90% of U.S. women complied with the recommendations. The costs included medical care and as well as indirect costs, such as missed time from work. The majority of the deaths linked to failure to breastfeed involve Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the authors said, as well as complications among premature babies.

About three-quarters of U.S. women breastfeed, but only 32% are still nursing exclusively after three months. Just 12% of infants are exclusively breastfed for six months.

Several medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, recently urged Congress to appropriate $15 million per year to support breastfeeding in the United States. More support is needed in hospitals and at work places to encourage breastfeeding, the authors state.

"People shouldn't blame mothers because they are often not supported well, even from the moment their babies are born," said Dr. Melissa Bartick, the lead author of the study and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, in a news release.

-- Shari Roan

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Fewer Californians support cutting illegal immigrations benefits, Times/USC poll finds

Fewer Californians support cutting illegal immigrations benefits, Times/USC poll finds: "

A new Los Angeles Times/USC poll has found a shift in California voter sentiment away from proposals to take away all
social services from illegal immigrants, including access to schools and emergency medical
treatment, from illegal residents.

Large majorities in the poll
supported two alternative proposals: one that would couple stronger
enforcement at the border with a temporary worker program, and one that
would combine stronger border enforcement with a path to eventual
citizenship for illegal residents who perform community service, pay
back taxes and learn English.

The support for both a
guest-worker program and a citizenship option were notable partly
because they come at a time when California voters remain deeply
pessimistic about the state's economy.

The Los Angeles Times/USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
poll surveyed 1,515 registered voters from March 23 to 30. It was
conducted by a bipartisan team of polling companies based in the
Washington, D.C., area: Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a Democratic firm, and American Viewpoint, a Republican firm. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

The poll asked whether voters supported "implement stronger
enforcement at the border and
prohibit those here illegally from
benefiting from any taxpayer-funded social services, including
emergency room treatment and
public education for children
here illegally." In response, 31% said they strongly support and 32% said they strongly oppose.

In 1994, California voters approved Proposition 187, which cutoff many of those benefits to illegal immigrants. It was later ruled unconstitutional.

Explore all the poll questions here. Check out Times reporter Evan Halper's entire story here.

-- Los Angeles Times

Photo: Isaac Chang of the Minuteman Project, left, argues with a
counter-protester at a rally in San Francisco by the group to demand
the resignation of the mayor. Credit: Jeff Chiu / Associated Press

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