Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the project was devoted to monitoring the prevalence of societal distress in the U.S. and in specific states. The goal was to provide the public and policymakers with accurate statistics about the prevalence of societal distress so that decisions and priorities could be informed by the best facts. The project examined societal distress in five domains — food security, housing, health, education and income — and worked to make the information available to the public and policymakers. The goal was to clarify how many Americans experience hunger, precarious housing or homelessness, inadequate health and health care, inferior education and inadequate income/poverty. The project released data for the overall U.S. population and for important subgroups, such as children, minorities, and older adults. Analyses were also conducted for specific states of importance to the funder: Michigan, Mississippi, and New Mexico.
As part of this project, the following issue briefs address the prevalence of societal distress in the U.S. and in the states of Michigan, Mississippi, and New Mexico and cover five domains - food security, housing, health, education, and income.