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America's Teens Most Depend on Television and Their Parents for Influencing Their Opinion on the News, Teens Reveal in Sixth Annual Uhlich Teen Report Card:
For the Sixth Straight Year, Teens Give Lowest Grade to Adults in Stopping Young People from Drinking
For more information, contact
Joyce Johnson
Phone: 804/492-4519
Cell: 703/980-7641
E-mail: jjohnson@cwla.org
June 22, 2004, Washington, DC -- It's that time of the year again when America's youth anxiously await their final report card grades, hoping that a year of hard work has resulted in passing grades. However, for the sixth year, some teens have had an opportunity to grade adults in 22 subject areas. And to many adults, the results may be surprising.
This year the Uhlich Teen Report Card decided to find out where America's teens get their information from and who influences them. America's teens say that television (56%) most impacts their opinions about world, national and local events. Newspapers come in a distant second (11.5%). Magazines come in last at (3%), while the much vaunted Internet influences 8.8% of America's teens about the news.
As for individuals to whom America's young people turn to for perspective on the news, parents and family members lead the pack for 41% of the teen respondents across America. Friends and peers come in second at 27.5%. Members of the clergy lag behind with only 1.2% choosing them.
In new or modified questions added to the report card this year, America's teens gave adults a "B-" in fighting the war on terrorism; a "C+" in how well they discipline young people; a "C" in stopping teens from running away; and a "C-" in understanding why teens leave home.
"The message from the teens is very clear, adults have fallen short, and are not doing all that is possible to help youth as evidenced by some of the poignant comments voiced in the focus groups," said Shay Bilchik, President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America.
Created and sponsored by the Uhlich Children's Advantage Network (ucan) located in Chicago, Illinois, the report card is an annual measure of adult progress on issues affecting teens, as graded by teens themselves. Conducted in January and February of 2004, the representative sampling consists of 1,000 teenagers, ages 12 to 19. Teens received the questions in the form of a mail survey, with the results weighted to reflect regional, ethnic and gender distribution across the United States.
The research division of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), in Washington, D.C., provided long-term trending analysis of the grades received by the adults.
CWLA's analysis revealed:
- Adults can take pride that they received consistently high "B'" range grades over the six-year period in "providing a quality education for young people," even though students in urban focus groups often felt that resources at many city schools did not match those of the suburbs.
- Each year between 1999 and 2004, over 50% of young people consistently gave above average grades (A's and B's) to adults in the following categories: "Providing a Quality Education for Young People," "Creating Job Opportunities for the Future," and "Spending Quality Time with their Families."
- Each year between 1999 and 2004, over 35% of young people consistently gave failing grades (D's and F's) to adults in the following categories: "Really Listening to - and Understanding Young People," "Getting Rid of Gangs," "Stopping Young People from Smoking," "Stopping Young People from Using Drugs," and "Stopping Young People from Drinking."
- For the sixth straight year, teens gave the lowest grade to adults in stopping young people from drinking.
- Teens have given adults a wide range of grades on "running the government" over the six-year period, including a "D+" in 1999, a "B-" in 2002, and "C's" in 2003 and 2004.
"We now have six years of data under our belts of what teens think of how adults are doing," said Tom Vanden Berk, President and Executive Director of ucan. "Clearly, we've got some areas that require improvement, but there are some things that teens apparently think that we are doing right. It's our job to build upon those areas where teens trust us and use them to open up a dialogue."
The report card formally consists of 10 grades, the five highest and the five lowest grades from the 20 report card subjects. Here are the results from 2004:
Highest Grades
| Providing a quality education for young people | B |
| Providing young people a safe place to live | B |
| Spending quality time with their families | B- |
| Creating job opportunities for the future | B- |
| Fighting the war on terrorism | B- |
Lowest Grades
| Stopping young people from smoking | C |
| Getting rid of gangs | C- |
| Understanding why teens leave home | C- |
| Really listening to and understanding young people | C- |
| Stopping young people from drinking | C- |
In 2004, over 40% of young people gave adults a below average grade ("D" or "F") in "Really Listening to - and Understanding Young People."
CWLA 's experience and that of its member agencies that serve youth support this finding. It is for this reason that CWLA has a Youth Services and Positive Youth Development initiative to ensure young people have opportunities for full participation in decisions that affect their lives, and supports that facilitate meaningful involvement. This participation is a cornerstone of healthy, positive development.
CWLA's Youth Services department is committed to achieving positive outcomes for young people and to encouraging communication between adults and young people--especially those involved in the child welfare system. To this end, CWLA hosts the National Foster Youth Advisory Council (NFYAC) a diverse national group of current and former foster youth and adult supporters from several states who have had direct experience with the child welfare systems. The council's purpose is to provide a voice for and make a difference in the lives of youth currently in care and support their successful transitions into adulthood.
The survey findings were the topic of discussion for teen focus groups in Chicago and Metropolitan Washington, DC. Teens were given an opportunity to voice their opinions to the questions and the survey results. The sessions were conducted in Chicago by the Uhlich Advantage Network and in Bethesda, MD by the National Center for Children and Families.
Established in 1920, the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is the nation's oldest and largest membership based child welfare organization. CWLA strives to advance sound public policy on behalf of the more than nine million children and families served by its 1,000 public and private member agencies. To further its mission of preserving, protecting, and promoting the well-being of all children and families, CWLA conducts research, develops standards of best practice, hosts regional and national conferences, provides comprehensive, field-based consultation and professional development services, and is the largest publisher of child welfare materials in North America. Additional information can be found on the CWLA website at www.cwla.org.
Founded in 1869, Uhlich Children's Advantage Network (ucan) was established as a result of the compassion to care for Civil War orphans within the congregation of St. Pauls German Evangelical Lutheran Church (known today as St. Pauls UCC, Chicago). Uhlich Children's Advantage Network has developed from a tradition of compassion, renewal, and innovation. Much more than an orphanage, today's Uhlich (pronounced as U-lick) offers a full array of acclaimed services through a network of community-based initiatives. These programs focus on out of home care, community collaboration, education and counseling, and include-but are not limited to-Residential and Foster Care, Independent Living, the Uhlich Academy, the Teen Parenting Services Network, Hands Without Guns, Vocational Services, and the STARS program.
The National Center for Children and Families (NCCF) is a private, nonprofit agency with an 89-year commitment to serving families in the national capital area. NCCF's residential programs serve homeless families, victims of domestic violence and vulnerable adolescents. Other programs include treatment foster care, social services for family reunification, parenting education, independent living, and stabilizing families in the community. For additional information, visit NCCF's Web site at www.nccf-cares.org.
A news conference unveiling the report card is also being presented today by Uhlich Children's Advantage Network in Chicago. (UCAN)
The survey was conducted for ucan by the nation's premier research organization on teenage attitudes and trends, Teenage Research Unlimited, in Northbrook, Ill. The survey carries a +/- 3% margin of sampling error.
A full copy of the Uhlich report card, including all grades and ancillary materials, can be found at: http://www.ucanchicago.org/reportcard. A teen/adult discussion guide is available at: http://www.ucanchicago.org/reportcard/Discussion.htm and at www.cwla.org. Interviews with Shay Bilchik and teenage focus group participants can be arranged by calling Joyce Johnson, Child Welfare League of America at 202-942-0244 or by e-mail at jjohnson@cwla.org.
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