Salvation Army State of the Nation
The Herald reports:
Child poverty is dwindling, more people are in jobs and people are drinking and gambling less, the Salvation Army says.
The army’s eighth annual “state of the nation” report says life is getting better on 14 out of 22 indicators of our social wellbeing. Only four indicators are getting worse and four others are inconclusive.
The indicators are:
- Crime – better
- Serious crime – unclear
- Imprisonment rate – better
- Reoffending – better
- Employment – better
- Unemployment – better
- Real incomes – better
- Benefit numbers – better
- Food parcels – better
- Drug crime – better
- Alcohol – better
- Gambling – better
- Housing shortage – worse
- Housing affordability – worse
- Household debt – no change
- Child poverty – better
- Children at risk – better
- Children & violence – worse
- Infant mortality – worse
- Teenage pregnancy – better
- Living costs and food poverty – better
As always there is room for improvement, but it is good to see most of the indicators heading in the right direction.