Declining teen birth rates have significantly improved overall child well-being in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to a new state-by-state analysis to be released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on April 13. Specifically, the analysis shows that child poverty would have been worse in 2002 if state teen birth rates had not declined between 1991 and 2002—compelling evidence that preventing teen pregnancy is a direct and effective way for states to reduce poverty and improve overall child well-being.
Reductions in teen births are usually not cited as one of the reasons why child poverty and the living arrangements of children have improved, even though years of research have closely linked teen pregnancy and early childbearing to these and other critical social issues. Nationally, the teen birth rate declined 30% between 1991 and 2002. Every state and D.C. also experienced declines during that same time period (2002 is the most recent year for which state data are available). This new analysis asks the question: “What if teen birth rates in each state had not declined between 1991 and 2002?” and presents data on seven key measures:
-The number of additional children under age 18 who would have been born to teen mothers between 1991 and 2002.
-The additional number and percent of children under age six who would have been living in poverty in 2002.
-The additional number and percent of children under age six who would have been living in single mother households in 2002.
-The percent improvement in the state’s poverty rate for children under age six in 2002.
-The percent improvement in the proportion of children under age six living in single mother household in 2002.
Please visit http://www.teenpregnancy.org/whycare/whatif.asp to learn more about this important new research, including:
-State specific fact sheets and press releases,
-Easy-to-read tables detailing state data and providing state rankings,
-Frequently asked questions about the new research, and
-A memo explaining the methodology of the new research.
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