New National Poll Reveals Economic Abuse Defined Differently on Main Street than Wall Street

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I believe the research should have included at least 15% Hispanic respondents in order to mirror the breakdown of the current U.S. population according to the U.S. Census but interesting results nonetheless:

The Allstate Foundation responds with new financial curriculum for abuse survivors

NORTHBROOK, Ill., June 23 /PRNewswire/ — While 70 percent of Americans know people who are or have been victims of domestic violence, nearly the same percentage of Americans fail to see a connection between domestic violence and “economic abuse,” according to a new national poll released by The Allstate Foundation.

Economic abuse is a tactic commonly used by abusers to control their victims’ finances and prevent them from leaving a dangerous relationship. However, the survey also revealed nearly eight out of 10 Americans link economic abuse to Wall Street woes or irresponsible spending.

“Many people associate domestic violence with physical cuts and bruises, but bruises on your credit score and being cut off from access to money create lasting scars that make it hard, if not impossible, for abuse victims to recover,” said Jennifer Kuhn, manager of the Economics Against Abuse Program at The Allstate Foundation. “For victims of domestic violence, economic abuse is much more personal – and dangerous.”

To better educate Americans about this often overlooked aspect of domestic violence, The Allstate Foundation provides the following signs to recognize economic abuse:

  • Taking money, credit card or property from a partner without their permission
  • Racking up debt without a partner’s knowledge
  • Purposely ruining a partner’s credit score
  • Forbidding a partner from earning money or attending school
  • Being forced by a partner to hand over paychecks
  • Cancelling insurance or credit cards without the partner’s knowledge
  • Harassing a partner at work to negatively impact a job

“A downturn in the economy impacts us all, but it disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable members of society, including domestic violence survivors,” said Rene Renick, director of programs and operations at The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). “Now more than ever it’s important that domestic violence survivors build economic skills to overcome financial instability, a major barrier to escape and stay out of an abusive situation.”

The Allstate Foundation, in partnership with NNEDV, recently developed a Financial Empowerment Curriculum to help victims achieve financial independence. The Financial Empowerment Curriculum includes financial tools and information designed to enable survivors of domestic abuse to fully understand their financial circumstances, as well as engage in short-term and long-term planning (e.g., budgeting tools, step-by-step planners, tips, etc.) to accomplish their personal goals.

“Our goal is to raise awareness about how economic empowerment can lead to a safe and financially secure future,” said Kuhn. “With resources like the Financial Empowerment Curriculum, we’re providing tools to domestic violence survivors and others who may need financial guidance in these tough economic times.”

The user-friendly curriculum is available in a variety of formats, including hard copy, Spanish-language, DVD and downloadable versions at >www.ClickToEmpower.org. Also available are e-learning modules to help people of all incomes and earning power work toward long-term economic empowerment.

Other national survey findings include:

  • More than three-quarters of Americans (76 percent) believe the poor economy has made it more difficult for victims of domestic violence, and two-thirds (66 percent) believe it has caused an increase in domestic violence.
  • 44 percent say the most difficult barrier to leaving an abusive relationship is financial security.
  • Almost 60 percent of Americans don’t see a connection between harassing a partner at work and economic abuse, even if it may cost the victim their job and ultimately limiting income.

About the National Poll

The Allstate Foundation “Crisis: Economics and Domestic Violence” poll was a nationwide telephone survey of 708 Americans conducted in May 2009 by Murphy Marketing Research. The survey sample was generated by random digit dialing and represents a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points. The survey sample was designed to closely mirror the breakdown of the current U.S. population with 10 percent African-American and 10 percent Hispanic respondents. For the full survey results, please visit www.ClickToEmpower.org.

About The Allstate Foundation

Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation. Allstate and The Allstate Foundation sponsor community initiatives to promote “safe and vital communities”; “tolerance, inclusion, and diversity”; and “economic empowerment.” The Allstate Foundation believes in the financial potential of every individual and in helping America’s families achieve their American dream.

About the Economics Against Abuse Program

The Allstate Foundation Economics Against Abuse Program helps domestic violence survivors build their financial independence to get free and stay free from abuse. Seeing a significant gap in resources for programs designed to assist survivors with the economic challenges that they face, The Allstate Foundation took action and partnered with the National Network to End Domestic Violence to create a comprehensive program. Economics Against Abuseprovides resources, funds direct services and spreads the word on how to empower those touched by domestic and economic abuse. For more information and to find out how to help, visit www.ClickToEmpower.org.
Source: The Allstate Foundation

Hispanic population shows strong growth in the area

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The Hispanic population showed strong growth in southeast Minnesota in 2008, particularly in several rural counties.

The number of Hispanics in Dodge, Goodhue and Wabasha counties all grew by more than 10 percent between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers released in May.

Nonetheless, Hispanics still make up a small part of the overall population in those counties 4.3 percent in Dodge, 1.9 percent in Goodhue and 2.4 percent in Wabasha. The area county with the largest concentration of Hispanics is Mower County, where 3,192 Hispanics make up 8.4 percent of the population. Nationwide, Hispanics make up 14.7 percent of the population.

In Olmsted County, the Hispanic population grew by 4.5 percent, or 184 people, to 4,269 in the year before July 1, 2008. That was Olmsted’s fastest-growing ethnic group: whites grew by 1 percent, Asians by 1.4 percent and blacks by 3.4 percent.

The growth is evident in the increasing number of restaurants and grocery stores offering Latin American and Mexican products locally, said Graciela Porraz, a Mexican national who moved here in 2001. Porraz, a Spanish interpreter at Mayo Clinic, is active in the Alliance of Chicanos, Hispanics and Latin Americans in Rochester.

Many Hispanics come here for the quality medical care and school system, Porraz said. Some stay year-round, and others are migrant workers just coming in the summer.

“People coming from central Texas realize the health care system is not as nice (there), and people tell them they have to go to Minnesota if you want your kids to have good schooling,” Porraz said.

The schools also have noticed the influx of Hispanics. One indicator is that Spanish speakers are now the largest group receiving English Students of Other Languages services from the Rochester school district, overtaking Somali speakers last year, said Judy Auger, ESOL coordinator for the district.

“They’re coming for jobs that’s always what drives people who are leaving one town and moving to another,” Auger said, adding that even during the recession, it’s worse where newcomers come from than it is here.

While Hispanic newcomers by and large feel welcome here, the Hispanic population hasn’t blended closely with the local population, and has kept its distance, Porraz said.

The overall population of most southeastern Minnesota counties changed very little between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008. The only changes of more than 1 percent were in Olmsted County, up 1.6 percent; and Dodge County, up 1.4 percent.

Quote of the Day

stop comparing yourself to others

stop comparing yourself to others

Source: Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN  – Mike Klein

U.S. Hispanic Internet Audience Growth Outpaces Total U.S. Online Population by 50 Percent

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U.S. Hispanic Internet Audience Growth Outpaces Total U.S. Online Population by 50 Percent

Hispanic Internet Population Reaches Record Number in February 2009

The U.S. Hispanic online population reached a record 20.3 million visitors in February 2009, representing 11 percent of the total U.S. online market, according to a recent study released by ComScore Media Matrix. During the past year, the growth of the U.S Hispanic Internet audience outpaced that of the total U.S. online population in terms of number of visitors, time spent and pages consumed, as Hispanic online adoption and engagement accelerated.

Hispanic Online Audience Growing Faster than Total U.S. Internet Market

The U.S. Hispanic online population reached 20.3 million visitors in February 2009, an increase of 6 percent from the previous year. Hispanic Internet users also exhibited a surge in online engagement, including strong increases in time spent and pages consumed. The total amount of time spent online by Hispanics increased 6.9 percent in 2009 (3.9 times faster than the total U.S. online population), while total pages consumed grew 6 percent (3.6 times faster than the total U.S. population).

Growth in Internet Usage: U.S. Hispanic Internet Population vs. Total U.S. Internet Population
February 2009 vs. February 2008
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix

Percent Change
Feb-2009 vs. Feb-2008

Total U.S. Internet AudienceTotal U.S. Hispanic Internet Audience
Total Unique Visitors3.9%5.8%
Total Minutes1.4%6.9%
Average Minutes per Usage Day4.4%7.7%
Total Pages Viewed1.3%6.0%
Total Visits-1.8%5.4%
Average Visits per Usage Day1.1%6.1%

U.S. Hispanics are Heavy Online Entertainment Consumers

Though they represent 11 percent of the total U.S. online audience, Hispanics account for just 9 percent of total time spent online. To understand where Hispanics are most likely to consume content online, the study looked at the site categories where they spent an above average share of their online time.

The top ranked category was Community – Teens, where U.S. Hispanics accounted for 18 percent of total time spent in the category, followed by Gaming Information at 13 percent. Other entertainment- and leisure-related categories were heavily represented on the list, including Radio (13 percent), Multimedia (12 percent), Discussion/Chat, Instant Messengers (11 percent) and Music (11 percent).

U.S. Hispanics’ Share of Total Time Spent in Online Site Categories

February 2009

Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix

U.S. Hispanics’ Share of  Time Spent Within Site Category
Community – Teens18%
Gaming Information13%
Entertainment – Radio13%
Entertainment – Multimedia12%
Services – Discussion/Chat11%
Services – Instant Messengers11%
Community – Lifestyles11%
Entertainment – Music11%
Retail – Computer Software11%
Retail – Music11%

Source: comScore Media Metrix

Funny thought of the day

Marketing Humor

Marketing Humor