For the first time since 1997, the Wisconsin Family Council has released its tally of Wisconsin Cultural Indicators. It "provides an overview of important indicators that impact Wisconsin’s best natural resource: her traditional families," said CEO Julaine Appling, in a news release.
"When Wisconsin’s families are healthy, Wisconsin is healthy," she added. "When our state’s families are weak and struggling, you can be sure that will be reflected in the overall health of the state." The document offers no conclusions, but instead states "the numbers speak for themselves."
Some of the statistics included in the report:
• While the population in Wisconsin has increased to 5.6 million, the birth rate has fallen steadily since 1960. Births to unmarried mothers have increased significantly over the past 25 years. In 2006, 1 out of every 3 babies born in Wisconsin was to an unmarried mother.
• In 2007, there were 11 abortions performed in Wisconsin for every 100 live births.
• Marriage rates in Wisconsin have fallen 20 percent since 1995 and 32 percent since 1985.
• In a 2004-05 government survey, Wisconsin had the highest percentage of individuals in the U.S. who reported alcohol dependency or abuse problems within the past year.
• Currently, the adult prison population in Wisconsin is over 22,000 inmates. Between 2000 and 2005, there was a 66.7 percent increase in the adult prison population.
• Since 1997, there has been an 84.7 percent increase in the amount of money individuals are wagering at casinos in Indian reservations in Wisconsin. In 2006, $16 billion was wagered at such casinos.
• In 2006, heart disease was the most prevalent cause of death in Wisconsin. Heart disease was the underlying cause of death for 24.8 percent of all deaths in Wisconsin.Cancer was the second most prevalent cause. In 2006, cancer was the leading underlying cause of death for 23.7 percent of all deaths in Wisconsin.
• The amount of births to unmarried mothers ages 18-24 has increased over fifteen-fold, from 3.6 percent in 1960 to 63.1 percent in 2005. The number of babies born to unmarried mothers in Wisconsin has more than doubled in the last 25 years. In 2006, 1 out of every 3 babies born in Wisconsin was to an unmarried mother.
• Since 1980, the marriage rate has decreased 34 percent in Wisconsin.
• In 2007, the divorce rate in Wisconsin was 2.9 divorces per 1,000 persons compared to the U.S. rate of 3.6 divorces per 1,000 persons. Although the divorce rate in Wisconsin is lower than the U.S. average, the divorce rate in Wisconsin has increased steadily since the enactment of no-fault divorce legislation in 1978. In 1960, the divorce rate was right at 1 divorce per 1,000 population. This rate increased to nearly 3 divorces per 1,000 population in 2007.
There is a lot of additional information in the 57 page report that was compiled by UW-Madison PhD student Darryn Beckstrom. It is available online as a PDF file at http://wifamilycouncil.org/materials/CI2008_complete.pdf.