Child Social Well-Being in the U.S.: Unequal Opportunities and the Role of the State

In this study, the author explains the inequalities that exist between U.S. states with respect to child social well-being outcomes by demonstrating that state level characteristics (which are structural in nature) can predict child social well-being outcomes. Child social well-being outcomes are quite variable in the United States. Children in states like Connecticut, Minnesota, and Vermont experience relatively good outcomes, while children in states like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama experience poor outcomes. Although these inequalities suggest the need for strong federal child welfare policies to raise the well-being of all children to a minimum standard, such policies remain absent from the child welfare policy agenda. Using data from the U.S. census and various child welfare and social welfare organizations, the study demonstrates that economic, population, and child welfare policy characteristics of states influence indicators of child social well-being, including child poverty rates, infant mortality rates, and out-of-home placement rates.