A pair of new studies conducted by UC Riverside suggest that most Inland Empire residents are “struggling to get by.”
The research was conducted by the university’s Center for Community Solutions. More than 3,300 residents in the sprawling area, located mostly southeast of Los Angeles, responded to the two surveys, which uncovered both “troubling disparities and hopeful signs of community cohesion,” said a news release from UC Riverside.
“While the levels of well-being fell below national averages, Inland residents were more likely than other Americans to feel a sense of belonging in their communities,” the release said.
One of the surveys, called the “Insights on Vital Conditions in the IE,” asked participants to rate their current and anticipated future lives from zero to 10. The results were then combined to place respondents in one of three well-being categories, according to the release.
“The results were sobering,” said UCR’s statement. “Just 41% of the Inland Empire respondents are thriving—the highest well-being category—compared with 53% nationwide.”
The regional score places it similar to countries like Brazil, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Slovakia, the release said.
Participants who claimed they were thriving were typically also those with higher incomes and more education, as well as those who are married or belong to a church, the report said. On the other side, 53% claimed to be struggling, while another 6% said they were struggling, or “saw little hope for the future.”
The second study, called “Women and Well-Being,” focused on 1,000 women from San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The results showed “even starker challenges,” researchers said.
“Among them, 58% said they were struggling, and 6% were suffering,” the release noted. “Fewer than four in ten women reported feeling they were thriving.”
More than one-third of the Riverside County women surveyed also said that they expected their lives to be worse within five years, while just 9% of those in San Bernardino County said the same.
The study suggests that healthcare, education and economic opportunities were major challenges. Those surveyed said that cost of healthcare coverage provided a large issue.
Respondents did note some positives, however. More than 90% said they had stable housing, and nearly 90% said that they felt safe in their own neighborhoods.
Despite the stark results of both surveys, researchers did see “hopeful findings.”
About one-third of residents surveyed said that they had a strong sense of belonging in their local communities, which surpassed the national levels for similar surveys.
“We often talk about income as if it is the strongest factor linked to well-being, but our study shows belonging and civic engagement are just as strongly correlated,” said Justine Ross, the executive director of the UCR’s Center for Community Solutions.
They compared the feeling associated with high community engagement to earning $190,000 annually.