A new report published by the UCR Center for Community Solutions and commissioned by the Inland Empire Community Foundation contextualizes well-being and provides a common foundation for understanding how life in the IE is experienced.
The report features findings from an original survey of 2,381 IE residents that considers various dimensions of Belonging and Civic Muscle and offers insight into patterns in residents’ feelings of belonging and civic engagement, as well as analyses of how these concepts are correlated with well-being.
The Cantril Ladder is a well-established and widely used measure of life satisfaction and well-being that asks people to rate their lives today and in the future on a scale from 0 (worst possible) to 10 (best possible), allowing researchers to categorize respondents’ well-being as thriving (high and stable), struggling (precarious), or suffering (low). The report found that of those surveyed, 41% are thriving (compared to 53% nationally and 29% globally), 53% are struggling (43% nationally; 60% globally) and 6% are suffering (4% nationally, 12% globally) — placing the region in a relative middle ground.
Additionally, the report includes an analysis of select data tied to the remaining six vital conditions, accompanied by expert insight from UCR School of Public Policy faculty, that connects key measures to regional trends and needs. The data featured in this report provides common ground to better understand our region and work together for the common good.
Explore the full report and the online companion site here.