Are you aware of any gang activity in your neighborhood?

Overall 11% say they are aware of gang activity. Awareness levels rise to 14% in Gainesville area neighborhoods.

White respondents are more likely to be aware of gang activity it seems. While 13% of white respondents say they are aware of gang activity, the number falls to 11% among Blacks and 5% among Latinos.

Do you feel your children are safe when they go out of the home to play or visit friends?

Most parents feel their children are safe playing outside the home, but there are differences. Latino parents are twice as likely to say no, they feel their children are not safe, than White or Black parents. Lower income parents are also more likely to express these concerns.

Parents feel safest when their children go out in North Hall. 11% of parents there express worry about their children’s safety at play, compared to 16% in South Hall and 27% in Gainesville neighborhoods.

Has your child ever been hit or abused by a bully?

The percentage of parents reporting bullying has dropped dramatically since 2003, when 28% of parents answered yes to this question. The yes response in 2007 falls to 9.5%.

It is curious that those from middle-income homes (earning $50,000 to $74,999) and those respondents who are obese are more likely to report bullying of a child. Among those at the highest income levels, the rate of bullying is very low - 2%.

Rates of reported bullying are low across the board - in elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. There do appear to be more concerns about bullying at the high school level, however, where the rate of reported bullying rises to 17%. East Hall High School and Middle School appear to be places where bullying is most likely to be reported.

Do you worry that your child/children are using tobacco products? Do you worry your child/children are using drugs or alcohol?

Most parents—83% of them—say they do not worry about these things. It is interesting, however, that fathers answering these questions are more likely to express worries than the mothers in the study. Men smoke and drink more than women, and it may be that fathers worry more about encouraging these practices in their children.

Have you or other members of your family ever talked to your child/children about what you expect them to do when it comes to sex?

Fewer parents have talked to their children about sexual behavior. Overall the rate of parents who have falls to 53%. At the middle school and high school levels, the percent of parents who have talked to their children about sexual behavior is 85%.

How confident are you that your child/children are prepared to resist negative peer pressure and avoid risky or dangerous behavior when you are not around?

About three-fourths of parents (77%) say they believe their children are prepared to withstand peer pressure. The confidence level is weaker in some key areas, however.

Among lower income and Latino parents, the confidence rate slips to 64%. This finding would prompt one to assume the lesser educated parents are also less confident, but that is not the case. Among those with a high school or less education, the confidence rate in their children’s readiness to deal with negative peer pressure is higher (72%) than those with postgraduate degrees (64%).

One might also expect to see a higher level of confidence among parents who participate in religious services regularly, but that is not the case. Among those who attend services regularly, 75% say they are confident in their children’s resolve. Compare this with those who attend religious services only occasionally, where the confidence level is 89%. The rate of confidence does fall to 62% among those who never participate in religious services, however.

How much time do your child/children spend watching TV, playing video games or surfing the Internet for fun?

Most parents report their children get less than two hours of screen time in a typical day, with one to two hours being the most frequent response.

Here is a comparison between child and adult screen use. It is interesting that parents report their children watch somewhat less screen entertainment than they do overall.

Children from homes where parents have a lower level of education do watch more on-screen entertainment. For example, in homes where parents have a high school only or less education, 43% of children watch more than 2 hours. In homes of parents with college degrees, 32% of children watch two or more hours. In homes of parents with postgraduate degrees, the two-hour or more rate falls to 14%.

In your opinion, how trustworthy are police and law enforcement officials who serve your community?

When a similar question was asked in 2003, only 30% of Latinos responding expressed complete confidence in the police. In the 2007 study, the percent of Latinos saying the police are completely trustworthy rises to 55%. Trust is also higher among Black respondents. In 2003, only 18% expressed complete confidence in police, but those saying now that police are completely trustworthy is 44%. These seem like encouraging results.

How confident are you that you would be treated fairly by the judicial system if you were accused of a crime?

As in previous studies, trust in the judicial system is lower, especially among ethnic populations and low income respondents. In 2003, for example, 23% of Latino respondents said they had complete confidence they would be treated fairly. In this 2007 study, 25% of Latinos express complete trust in the courts.

There does seem to be an increase in confidence in the Black community, however. In 2003 the response from Black adults was just 18% expressing complete confidence in the judicial system. Those expressing complete confidence today are 28%, not a large increase, but a meaningful one.