What are the greatest issues facing the Black community? These resources highlight research on rural America, and provide insights into the policy options states have undertaken to address the challenges facing rural communities. Overall, 42% say this is a major problem and an additional 45% say it is a minor problem. Similarly, while 58% of adults in rural areas say access to high-speed internet is a problem for them – including 24% who say it is a major problem – smaller shares of urban (43%) and suburban (36%) residents say this is a problem where they live. In many cases, the racial gap persists across community types. About a third (34%) say they expect the availability of jobs where they live to be better 10 years from now, 20% say it will be worse and 45% say it will stay about the same. There are also socio-economic divides on several of these problems. Next: 5. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, By Kim Parker, Juliana Menasce Horowitz, Anna Brown, Richard Fry, D’Vera Cohn and Ruth Igielnik. Similarly, those who describe themselves as upper class express less concern about drug addiction than do those who describe themselves as middle or lower class. Concerns about this issue don’t vary widely between whites and nonwhites, nor do they differ markedly by age. These gaps hold up – for the most part – across community types, although the class differences are not evident among rural residents. Roughly one-in-four (23%) say this is not a problem in their community. One-in-five rural residents say crime is a major problem in their community. Racism flares up quite a bit lately, especially in terms of people of color, in what might be anything from simple misunderstandings to true corruption. Today, there is the battle against ISIS and other terrorists as well as issues with many of our allies; for instance, the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel as well as the unrest in Syria. Other issues are new trends as society begins to adapt to a faster pace of life. The National Network of Runaway and Youth Services, an organization of approximately 1,000 community based youth-serving agencies, reported that in 1985 60 percent of the 300 shelter programs served had seen higher proportions of youth with multiple problems than before. Roughly one-in-five across community types say they expect the job situation to get worse where they live. Add in the problems with violence against women and the backlash against men, even those who do not deserve it, and you have a discussion just waiting to happen. Concerns about this issue don’t vary widely between whites and … Youth unemployment is a major problem in many countries. Perceptions about local job conditions differ not only by community type but also by key demographic characteristics. To identify the most pressing and serious public health issues facing America today, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data and information on health problems and concerns from the … With the Ebola outbreak that threatens to sweep the world, which is added into the humanitarian problems, foreign relations are definitely a must-address issue that is facing our nation today. Urban, suburban and rural communities in the U.S. face a host of problems today. These patterns are consistent among urban, suburban and rural residents. The problem is getting better, but the slow pace has many frustrated. When it comes to access to health care, two-thirds of rural residents say this is either a major or minor problem where they live. Those who cross the border legally are welcome, but those who choose to come across illegally are often stuck in a kind of limbo in which nobody wins. In fact, fully 50% of lower-class adults say drug addiction is a major problem where they live. Student loan debt has become one of the worst financial nightmares for many, and at the same time, the education they receive is sorely lacking when compared to the rest of the world. The political spectrum is blazing with solutions to the problem, from building fences around the country to simply allowing an easier way for those immigrants to come here legally. Views of problems facing urban, suburban and rural communities, Sharp socio-economic divide on concerns about drug addiction, Rural residents more likely to say availability of jobs is a major problem where they live, Wide racial gaps on a range of community problems, 5. Concern over racism is roughly comparable in urban and rural communities – 21% of urban residents and 17% of rural residents say this is a major problem. In the United States, youth employment has gone down in the past five years, but it is still at 11.1 percent, while the overall unemployment rate is just 5.5 percent. 10 Community Problems and 10 Solutions. For example, 32% of adults without a bachelor’s degree say poverty is a major problem where they live, compared with 24% of those who have a four-year college degree or more. On views about crime and access to doctors, less educated adults express higher levels of concern than those with a bachelor’s or higher degree in urban, suburban and rural areas. There are still issues with employment today, as companies try to cut costs and downsize their employee pool, and hard-working and qualified employees find it difficult to get a job in any profession, even those in which they are highly proficient. By comparison, roughly the same share of suburbanites (64%) say this is not a problem where they live. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 USA Overall, 42% say this is a major problem and an additional 45% say it is a minor problem. Our freedoms are a hot-button issue these days, especially in regards to two points: the second amendment which allows the right to carry weapons, and the issues of gay marriage and whether it should be allowed. Assessment Primer: Analyzing the Community, Identifying Problems and Setting Goals is provided by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America and the National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute.This helpful primer is designed to provide clear guidelines for anti-drug coalitions in defining their communities and assessing the real needs within them.