SO. GOOD AFTERNOON, AND WELCOME
TO THE. TO THIS HEARING OF THE
SELECT COMMITTEE ON HAPPINESS
AND PUBLIC POLICY OUTCOMES.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE
TODAY, ESPECIALLY OUR PANELISTS.
MANY OF WHOM DROVE FOR HOURS OR
EVEN FLEW TO BE HERE. OTHERS ARE
JOINING US VIRTUALLY, FROM
THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY. THE
GOAL OF THIS COMMITTEE'S HEARING
IS TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT
FACTORS INFLUENCING HAPPINESS
ACROSS DIFFERENT AGE
DEMOGRAPHICS IN CALIFORNIA, AND
EXPLORE DIFFERENT PUBLIC POLICY
RECOMMENDATIONS DESIGNED TO
ADDRESS BARRIERS TO HAPPINESS.
FOR YEARS, EXPERTS, SOME OF WHOM
WILL BE TESTIFYING HERE TODAY,
HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT HAPPINESS
LEVELS VARY WIDELY ACROSS
DIFFERENT AGE DEMOGRAPHICS.
THEIR RESEARCH SHOWED THAT YOUTH
AND SENIORS SEEMED HAPPIER THAN
FOLKS WHO ARE MIDDLE AGED. BUT
TODAY, EXPERTS HAVE NOTED AN
ALARMING AND DRAMATIC DROP IN
YOUTH HAPPINESS, ONE WE AS
LEGISLATORS SHOULD BE AWARE OF
AND TAKING SERIOUSLY. THIS IS A
DROP THAT HAS A POTENTIAL TO
IMPACT OTHER AGE GROUPS AS WELL.
TODAY, WE WILL HEAR FROM A VERY
IMPRESSIVE GROUP OF PANELISTS
WORKING IN ACADEMIA, RESEARCH,
ADVOCACY, AND PUBLIC POLICY
BEFORE TURNING THIS OVER TO MY
COLLEAGUE, I WANT TO GO OVER
SOME RULES FOR THIS HEARING. WE
WILL HAVE THREE PANELISTS WITH
EACH PANELIST ALLOTTED ABOUT
FIVE MINUTES FOR THEIR
PRESENTATIONS. PLEASE TRY TO
STAY WITHIN YOUR TIME LIMIT
AFTER EACH PRESENTER IS FINISHED
WITH THEIR PRESENTATION. THE
COMMITTEE MEMBERS MAY ASK
QUESTIONS. AFTER OUR THIRD PANEL
CONCLUDES, WE WILL PROVIDE
OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN PUBLIC
COMMENT, PLEASE NOTE THAT EACH
PERSON WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR
THEIR REMARKS. ALL PUBLIC
COMMENT WILL BE IN PERSON. NOW,
I'D LIKE TO GIVE MY COLLEAGUES
AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY A FEW
WORDS, FROM SANTA CLARITA, SANTA
CLARITA VALLEY, ASSEMBLY MEMBER
SCHIAVO. HELLO. THANK YOU. I
KNOW IT'S ALWAYS A MYSTERY, SO I
VERY, VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE AT
OUR SECOND SELECT COMMITTEE
HEARING. AND, I DON'T THIS IS AN
ISSUE THAT IS PARTICULARLY, VERY
CLOSE TO MY HEART AND, SOMETHING
THAT I'VE TALKED WITH MY
DAUGHTER A LOT, WHO'S 11 AND IN
SIXTH GRADE ABOUT HOW SHE'S
SEEING THE IMPACTS OF MENTAL
HEALTH IN HER, HER CLASS AMONGST
STUDENTS AND I THINK I MENTIONED
AT THE LAST HEARING THAT, I
ASKED HER HOW MANY KIDS THAT SHE
THOUGHT WERE KIND OF STRUGGLING
WITH MENTAL HEALTH IN HER CLASS,
AND SHE WENT DOWN A VERY LONG
LIST OF KIDS WHO WERE DEPRESSED,
SUICIDAL, CUTTING THEMSELVES,
AND IT WAS REALLY HEARTBREAKING,
AND SO I'M DOING A LITTLE BIT IN
THIS SPACE. I HAVE A HOMEWORK
BILL THAT WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE
SOME OF THAT STRESS OFF KIDS
LIVES, AS A PART OF THE
SOLUTION. BUT VERY EXCITED TO
HEAR FROM PANELISTS TODAY AND
APPRECIATE EVERYONE TRAVELING TO
BE HERE, TO SHARE WHAT YOU'VE
LEARNED, WHAT YOU SEE, AND
HOPEFULLY, SOME CLEAR SOLUTIONS
THAT WE CAN START REALLY MOVING
AT THE POLICY LEVEL IN
SACRAMENTO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN KIDS AND YOUTH LIVES, BECAUSE
WE KNOW THIS IS A CRISIS THAT IS
NOT NECESSARILY NEW, BUT, BUT
NEWLY GETTING THE ATTENTION THAT
IT DESERVES, I THINK, AND
HOPEFULLY, SOMETHING THAT WE CAN
MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON AND
REALLY MAKE CHANGE. SO, SO THANK
YOU FOR, FOR LEADING THIS CHARGE
OF THIS COMMITTEE, WHICH IS BEEN
PHENOMENAL. AND LOOK FORWARD TO
HEARING THE TESTIMONY TODAY.
THANK YOU. THANKS SO MUCH.
APPRECIATE IT. AND AS OTHER
MEMBERS COME IN, WE'LL ASK THEM
IF THEY'D LIKE TO SAY A FEW
WORDS AS WELL. SO LET'S GET
STARTED WITH OUR FIRST PANEL
WHICH WILL BE TAKING A LOOK AT
HAPPINESS AND YOUTH AND YOUNG
ADULTS. OUR FIRST PANELIST IS
JOHN DANEV. PROFESSOR OF
ECONOMICS AND DIRECTOR OF
WELL-BEING RESEARCH CENTER AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. HE IS
ALSO AN EDITOR OF THE WORLD
HAPPINESS REPORT AND CO-FOUNDER
OF THE WORLD WELL-BEING
MOVEMENT. DOCTOR NAVAB, THANK
YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. CAN
YOU ALL HEAR ME? PERFECT WELL,
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE
KIND INVITATION, BUT ESPECIALLY
I WANT TO APPLAUD, SPEAKER
EMERITUS RENDON AND MEMBERS OF
THE COMMITTEE FOR, FIRST OF ALL,
SETTING UP THIS COMMITTEE, AND
PUTTING A FOCUS ON WELL-BEING
AND HOW WELL-BEING MATTERS CAN
PERHAPS BE PUT AT THE HEART OF
PUBLIC POLICY. THE UNITED STATES
IS LAGGING ON THIS FRONT
RELATIVE TO SOME OTHER COUNTRIES
, AND IT'S WONDERFUL AND
HEARTENING TO SEE THIS
PIONEERING EXAMPLE OF THIS
COMMITTEE, WHICH WILL THEN
HOPEFULLY INSPIRE, OTHER STATES
AND WHO KNOWS, EVEN THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT, IF WE CAN HAVE THE
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, IN THE SPACE
OF A HANDFUL OF MINUTES, WHAT
I'M HOPING TO DO IS TO, FIRST OF
ALL, REMIND US OF HOW WE VERY
BRIEFLY DEFINE WELL-BEING AND
HOW WE MEASURE IT, WHICH WILL
THEN UNDERPIN ALSO THE DATA, THE
DESCRIPTIVE DATA I'LL BE SHARING
AROUND CALIFORNIA THAT WE'VE
DONE FOR YOU, WHICH WILL BE
BUILDING ON, GALLUP SURVEYS THAT
WERE DONE AND A VERY RICH DATA
SET INDEED. AND THEN FINALLY
CONCLUDE WITH RECENT TRENDS IN
YOUTH WELL-BEING AS WE'VE
REPORTED ON THEM IN THE WORLD
HAPPINESS REPORT. AND DEEP DIVE
A LITTLE BIT FOR YOU TODAY, NEXT
SLIDE PLEASE, SO FIRST OF ALL,
WHAT IS WELL-BEING? WELL, IT IS
CERTAINLY NOT A NEW CONCEPT
HAPPINESS, WELL-BEING. AND WHAT
CONSTITUTES A GOOD LIFE IS
SOMETHING THAT IS VERY OLD
INDEED. THE FIRST FORMAL STUDIES
WERE PROBABLY ARISTOTLE, WELL
OVER 2000 YEARS AGO. AND
PHILOSOPHERS EVER SINCE HAVE
BEEN DEBATING THIS SUMMUM BONUM,
THE ULTIMATE GOOD, AS IT'S OFTEN
CALLED, I THINK ONE DEFINITION
THAT WE CAN PROBABLY RELY ON
FOR, ESPECIALLY FOR POLICY
PURPOSES, IS IT'S ULTIMATELY HOW
ABOUT HOW WE ARE DOING AS
INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES AND
CRITICALLY, HOW THAT MAKES US
FEEL ABOUT THE WAY OUR LIVES ARE
GOING. SO IN ESSENCE, IT'S
QUALITY OF LIFE AS PEOPLE
EXPERIENCE IT, WHAT'S REALLY
EXCITING IS THAT IN THE LAST TWO
DECADES, SO. WELL, SINCE
ARISTOTLE OR EVEN THE PURSUIT OF
HAPPINESS AND THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE, THERE'S NOW AN
ABUNDANCE, AN EXPLOSION OF DATA
AROUND THE DATA OVER THE LAST 2
OR 3 DECADES HAVE DEVELOPED AN
ENTIRE EMPIRICAL SCIENCE OF
WELL-BEING. SO I AGAIN APPLAUD
ALL OF YOU, BECAUSE YOUR TIME
MIGHT BE THE RIGHT TIME TO START
THINKING ABOUT THIS PROPERLY,
BECAUSE WE COULD WELL BE THE
RIGHT TIME TO START THINKING
ABOUT THESE WELL-BEING METRICS
AND APPLYING WELL-BEING SCIENCE
TO POLICY. THE OUTCOME THAT THE
FOUNDERS AND MANY OTHERS HAVE
ULTIMATELY ENVISIONED AS THE
KPI, IF YOU WILL, FOR
POLICYMAKERS OR ITS NORTH STAR.
AND IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT
ALL POLICY AREAS, WHETHER IT'S
SCHOOLING, EDUCATION, MOBILITY,
POLICING, YOU NAME IT, ALL OF
THESE TRADITIONAL DOMAINS
ULTIMATELY FEED INTO QUALITY OF
LIFE AS PEOPLE EXPERIENCE IT. SO
THESE DATA THAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO
SEE SERVE THIS PURPOSE OF A
NORTH STAR, A KPI FOR POLICY.
VERY WELL, I THINK SO. THANK
YOU, HOW DO WE MEASURE
WELL-BEING? WELL, THERE'S NO WAY
AROUND IT. ULTIMATELY, YOU DO
HAVE TO ASK PEOPLE WHETHER THEIR
LIVES ARE GOOD. AND THAT'S
EXACTLY WHAT WE DO IN THE WORLD.
HAPPINESS REPORT. AND ALSO THE
DATA YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE RELY ON
ALL ONE SINGLE QUESTION. AND
IT'S SOMETHING VERY BASIC. WE
CALL IT OUR WORKHORSE. IT'S
ESSENTIALLY LIFE SATISFACTION OR
SATISFACTION WITH LIFE AS PEOPLE
RATE IT ON A SCALE FROM 0 TO 10.
IN PARTICULAR, THE DATA YOU'RE
ABOUT TO SEE FOR CALIFORNIA RELY
ON A VARIANT WHICH IS CALLED THE
CANTRELL LADDER OF LIFE. FOR THE
AFICIONADOS IN THE ROOM, IT'S
ESSENTIALLY ASKING, IMAGINE A
LETTER WHERE THE BEST POSSIBLE
LIFE FOR YOU IS A TEN, AND THE
WORST POSSIBLE LIFE IS A ZERO.
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU STAND
TODAY? IT'S ESSENTIALLY LIFE
SATISFACTION OR LIFE EVALUATIONS
ON A SCALE FROM 0 TO 10. THANK
YOU, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON THE
SCREEN RIGHT NOW IS THE ACTUAL
DISTRIBUTION TO THAT ANSWER.
SORRY THE ANSWER, THE
DISTRIBUTION OF THE ANSWERS TO
THAT QUESTION, POLLS BY GALLUP
AS PART OF THE US POLL OR KNOWN
IN ACADEMIC WORLD AS A DAILY
POLL FOR OVER 215,000
CALIFORNIANS, US THIS IS YOUR
DISTRIBUTION. SO WHILE THE
AVERAGE IS SORT OF 7.9 OR 7.09
OUT OF TEN, WHICH IS SLIGHTLY
ABOVE THE US AVERAGE, THE
AVERAGE HIDES A WIDE
DISTRIBUTION. SO YES, THERE'S
ABOUT 20% OF PEOPLE WHO WILL
RATE THEIR QUALITATIVE LIVES 8
OR 8, SORRY, 9 OR 10. THERE WILL
ALSO BE ABOUT 20% OF PEOPLE WHO
RATE THE QUALITY OF THEIR LIVES
AS FIVE, 43210 OUT OF TEN, WHEN
WE DIG INTO WHO SITS WITHIN
THESE, THIS LONG TAIL OF ILL
BEING AND HAPPINESS, IT'S MOSTLY
MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS, ABJECT
POVERTY AND THOSE KIND OF
SITUATIONS THAT OBVIOUSLY NEED
MUCH MORE ATTENTION. IF YOU CAN
JUST GO BACK TO THE SLIDE I WAS
ON, I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT
THE GALLUP DATA OF THE US POLL
IS LIKELY THE, AS FAR AS I CAN
TELL, THE RICHEST DATA SET, BUT
IT IS IT DID STOP IN 2018. THERE
ARE MORE RECENT DATA SETS. THERE
ARE LESS RICH IN NATURE, SO THEY
DON'T ALLOW THE SLICING AND
DICING AND THE MAPPING THAT
YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE. BUT EVERY
INDICATOR IS THAT THE AVERAGE
WELL-BEING IN CALIFORNIA TODAY
WILL BE SLIGHTLY LOWER, AND
PROBABLY JUST BELOW SEVEN OUT OF
TEN, AS THE US AS A WHOLE HAS
MOVED IN THAT DIRECTION. SO ONE
OBVIOUS RECOMMENDATION TO THIS
COMMITTEE THAT I'M HOPING WILL
BE TAKEN ON, OR AN OUTPUT WOULD
BE TO INVEST IN METRICS OF
WELL-BEING AND A SORT OF SPEAKS
FOR ITSELF, AND THAT CAN BE DONE
AS PART OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS
OR BY PARTNERING WITH GALLUP FOR
EXAMPLE, AND BUILDING ON THEIR
WONDERFUL DATA. WHAT YOU'RE
SEEING NOW IS NOT JUST THE
DISTRIBUTION, BUT THE
DISTRIBUTION SPREAD AROUND
CALIFORNIA AS MEASURED BY COUNTY
. SO I THINK AND I HOPE THIS IS
EXCITING TO YOU BECAUSE, YOU
KNOW, THESE PLACES BETTER THAN
ANYONE. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE
IS THE GEOGRAPHICAL MAPPING AND
THE AVERAGE LEVEL OF WELL-BEING
PER COUNTY MAPPED BY THAT IN
THAT HEAT MAP, WITH DARKER
COLORS BEING HIGHER LEVELS OF
LICENSE FACTION AND LIGHTER,
LESS, FIRST THING TO NOTE IS
THERE'S A LOT OF VARIATION
BETWEEN COUNTIES IN CALIFORNIA,
AND IT RUNS FROM 6.5 TO 7.9,
JUST AS A POINT OF REFERENCE,
THE HAPPIEST COUNTY IN
CALIFORNIA WOULD ESSENTIALLY SIT
AT THE VERY TOP OF THE WORLD
HAPPINESS REPORT NEXT TO FINLAND
AND DENMARK. WHEREAS THE LOWEST
WELL-BEING COUNTY WOULD BE
PLACED 30 OR 30 FIFTH. SO HUGE
VARIATION WITHIN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. BUT YOU'LL SEE
THERE'S ALSO VARIATION WITHIN
CITIES, IF I CAN GO TO THE NEXT
SLIDE, PLEASE, HERE IS IF YOU
CAN READ AND I'M HAPPY TO SHARE
AND DISTRIBUTE IS THE ACTUAL
RANKING, IF YOU WILL, A WORLD
HAPPINESS REPORT FOR CALIFORNIA
ALONE, WHERE THE ONE CAVEAT TO
NOTE IS THAT ALPINE COUNTY NEEDS
TO BE DISCOUNTED BECAUSE THERE
WERE ONLY 12 RESPONDENTS. IT'S A
VERY SPARSELY POPULATED, PLACE,
BUT THE 12 RESPONDENTS DO SEEM
TO BE VERY HAPPY. BUT IF YOU
TAKE THAT OUT OF CONTEXT, THEN
YOU FIND ESSENTIALLY MARIN
COUNTY AT THE VERY TOP, AND A
NUMBER OF THE OTHERS THAT YOU
WOULD HAVE PROBABLY EXPECTED TO
BE THERE AS WELL. AND LIKEWISE,
AT THE BOTTOM. SO THIS BEGS THE
QUESTION, OKAY, SO QUALITY OF
LIFE AS PEOPLE EXPERIENCE IT
AROUND THESE COUNTIES IS VERY
DIFFERENT. WHY MIGHT THAT BE THE
CASE? AND YOU CAN PROBABLY THINK
OF A NUMBER OF GOOD REASONS WHY
THAT ARE ALL POLICY RELEVANT. SO
AGAIN, IF I MAY EMPHASIZE, WHAT
YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS
ESSENTIALLY THE NUMBER THAT
SHOULD BE YOUR KPI OR NORTH STAR
AND THEN REVERSE ENGINEER FROM
THERE TO SEE WHICH DEPARTMENTS
NEED TO KICK INTO ACTION,
WHETHER IT'S HOUSING, HEALTH,
EDUCATION, MOBILITY, ETC. THAT
COULD BE DRIVING UP THE OVERALL
QUALITY OF LIFE. SO THIS IS WHY
THIS COMMITTEE IS SO IMPORTANT.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, FOR THE
AFICIONADOS IN THE ROOM. AND
REALLY BECAUSE I HAVE TO IS
WHILE OUR WORKHORSE IS LIFE
SATISFACTION. REALLY YOU COULD
ALSO MEASURE WELL-BEING THROUGH
ACTUAL AFFECTIVE MEASURES LIKE
HAPPINESS. THE TITLE OF THIS
COMMITTEE OR ENJOYMENT OR ALSO
THE ABSENCE OF OR EXPERIENCE OF
NEGATIVE EMOTIONS LIKE STRESS
AND WORRY. AND I'LL SHOW YOU
SOME DATA ON THAT LATER ON.
WHAT'S NICE FOR US THAT THERE'S
A ROBUSTNESS HERE, THERE'S SORT
OF EXTERNAL VALIDITY IN THE
SENSE THAT THE MAP IS VERY
SIMILAR, WHETHER YOU'RE LOOKING
AT LIFE EVALUATIONS OR AFFECTIVE
MEASURES. SO FOR EXAMPLE, IN
MARIN COUNTY, YOU WILL ALSO
EXPERIENCE MOST YOU'LL SEE
PEOPLE EXPERIENCE MOST POSITIVE
EMOTIONS AND VICE VERSA.
OBVIOUSLY ON THE NEGATIVE
EMOTION SIDE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE,
THANKS TO A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN
BLUE ZONES AND GALLUP, WE'VE
BEEN ABLE TO WORK AND ANALYZE
DATA AT THE ZIP CODE LEVEL. SO
I'VE JUST SHOWN OFF THE DATA AT
COUNTY LEVEL. WE CAN DIG DEEPER
THANKS TO GALLUP'S RICHNESS AND
VASTNESS OF THE DATA SET THEY'VE
COMPILED. IT ALLOWS US TO DIG
DEEPER WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE
IS SAN JOSE CITY BY ZIP CODE AND
SOMEWHAT SURPRISINGLY, PERHAPS
TO MOST, IS THAT THE WELL-BEING
INEQUALITIES YOU'RE SEEING THERE
ARE AS VAST AS YOU HAVE ACROSS
THE ENTIRE STATE. SO WITHIN THE
SPACE, LIKE SAN JOSE, AND IT'S
NOT JUST LIMITED TO SAN JOSE,
YOU'LL SEE IT IN OTHER MAJOR
CITIES AS WELL. YOU'LL SEE
DIFFERENCES OF MORE THAN A POINT
ON A SCALE FROM 0 TO 10, WHICH
IS A LOT. SO HERE AGAIN, YOU'LL
SEE SORT OF SIX AND A HALF TO
SEVEN AND A HALF AVERAGE LIFE
SATISFACTION BETWEEN ZIP CODES
WITH THE INNER CITY LOWER HAPPY,
LESS HAPPY AND THE LEAFY, MORE
WEALTHY SUBURBS ON THE HIGHER
END OF LIFE SATISFACTION. SO
THESE DATA CAN REALLY SERVE AND
INFORM EVIDENCE BASED POLICY
MAKING AT CITY LEVEL, AT STATE
LEVEL, AT FEDERAL LEVEL. AND IF
THIS IF THE DATA IS RICH ENOUGH,
YOU CAN REALLY WORK ON EVEN A
GEOGRAPHICAL, PAIN POINTS, EVEN
IF YOU WILL, ALL RIGHT. NEXT
SLIDE PLEASE, ONTO THE FINAL
ELEMENT OF THE PRESENTATION. I
THINK REALLY THE TOPIC OF TODAY,
AND I HOPE THAT THIS WILL THEN
ALSO HELP INTRODUCE THE OTHER
EXPERTS THAT WILL JOIN US, TODAY
, AS THE WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT
AND ITS 12 EDITION FOCUS IN ON
AGE COHORTS AND IN PARTICULAR
THE TEAM, MY TEAM AT OXFORD AND
MYSELF, WE WORKED ON YOUTH AND
ADOLESCENT WELL-BEING, TRIED TO
GET THE BEST DATA OUT THERE ON
IT. FIRST OF ALL, YOU SHOULD
NOTE THERE'S VERY LITTLE DATA ON
YOUTH IN ADOLESCENCE. MOST OF
THE DATA SETS START 18 PLUS,
INCLUDING THE GENERAL US GENERAL
SOCIAL SURVEY AND OTHERS. SO
THERE'S A LACK OF DATA, BUT
WHATEVER DATA WE DID HAVE, IT
WASN'T LOOKING PRETTY. AND SO
THE US GOT A STARRING ROLE IN
THIS YEAR'S WORLD HAPPINESS
REPORT FOR BAD REASONS. IT'S
BECAUSE IT'S REALLY THE YOUTH IN
AMERICA THAT IS OFF A CLIFF, AND
THAT'S DRIVEN DOWN. THE OVERALL
RANKING OF THE UNITED STATES IN
TERMS OF WELL-BEING IN A GLOBAL
CONTEXT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NEXT
SLIDE. THANK YOU. SO WHAT YOU'RE
SEEING HERE IS FOR THE FIRST
TIME, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS LOOKING
AT THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE, IN
TERMS OF THE EXPERIENCE OF
QUALITY OF LIFE, PEOPLE TELL US
BUT SPLIT BY AGE. AND SO HERE
THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE IF
YOU'RE BELOW 30, ARE NOT IN THE
UNITED STATES, I'M AFRAID IT'S
THE US HAS DROPPED TO PLACE
62ND. I THINK, BETWEEN PERU AND
GUATEMALA. IF YOU LOOK AT
AVERAGE LIFE SATISFACTION, BELOW
, BELOW 30. NOW, IF YOU THAT IS
NOT A THAT IS NOT A UNIVERSAL
TREND IN THE UNITED STATES.
BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK, FOR
EXAMPLE, AT AT PEOPLE AGED 60
AND ABOVE, THE US STILL VERY,
VERY MUCH RANKS HIGH. THE US IS
VERY MUCH AT THE TOP IN FACT,
IT'S NUMBER TEN IN TERMS OF LIFE
SATISFACTION. WHEN YOU CONSIDER
PEOPLE THAT ARE 60 AND ABOVE.
AND SO IT'S REALLY INTERESTING
TO SEE THAT. I'VE SHOWN YOU
DISTRIBUTIONAL HETEROGENEITY.
I'VE SHOWN YOU GEOGRAPHICAL
DISPARITIES. BUT THERE IS ALSO
AN INTERGENERATIONAL DISPARITY
GROWING IN THE UNITED STATES,
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. IF WE LOOK
JUST AT THE CALIFORNIA DATA,
WHICH IS THESE 215,000 PLUS
SURVEY RESPONDENTS, THAT WE HAVE
DATA, SURVEY RESPONSES FROM
THANKS TO GALLUP. AND WE THEN
SPLIT THEM BY AGE COHORTS, WHAT
YOU FIND IS WHAT YOU'RE SEEING
ON THE SCREEN. AND THIS MAY NOT
STRIKE NORMAL PEOPLE AS ODD, BUT
IT CERTAINLY DOES EXPERTS. AND
THAT IS BECAUSE NORMALLY YOU'D
EXPECT A U-SHAPE. SO AROUND THE
WORLD, ONE OF THE MOST, MOST
ROBUST REPLICATED STUDIES IN
TERMS OF WELL-BEING SCIENCE IS A
TRADITIONAL U-SHAPED
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGE AND
WELL-BEING. WELL, THAT U-SHAPED,
THE FIRST LAG OF IT AT LEAST,
HAS DISAPPEARED IN THE CONTEXT
OF NORTH AMERICA. AND YOU CAN
TELL IT IN THE CALIFORNIA DATA
AS WELL. NOT ONLY HAS IT
DISAPPEARED, BUT I THINK YOU'RE
GOING TO BE HEARING FROM MY
COLLEAGUE DANNY BLANCHFLOWER,
WHO'S DONE MORE, WHO HAS MORE,
WHO'S WORKED ON MORE RECENT
DATA. I THINK AT THIS POINT, THE
FIRST TWO BARS THAT YOU'RE
SEEING THERE ARE ACTUALLY BELOW
THE MIDLIFE CRISIS. SO IT'S NOT
THAT YOUTH ARE EXPERIENCING
MIDLIFE CRISIS TODAY. THEY'RE
BELOW, THE MIDLIFE POINT AT THIS
POINT. AND SO IT'S A VERY
AWKWARD SITUATION. AND AS YOU'LL
SEE ON THE NEXT SLIDE, IT'S A
GRADUAL DECLINE THAT'S BEEN
HAPPENING FOR OVER A DECADE AND
A HALF, WHERE ALL AMERICANS HAVE
SEEN A GRADUAL DECLINE. BUT
YOUTH HAVE STARTED DECLINING AT
AN ACCELERATING PACE. AND SO
REALLY AROUND 20 1617, WHAT IS,
ACADEMICALLY SPEAKING, VERY ODD
IS THAT CROSSOVER WHERE YOUTH
NOW START LOWER THAN ADULTS. SO
PEOPLE ABOVE 25 ARE HAPPIER THAN
PEOPLE BELOW 25. AND THAT IS NOT
MEANT TO BE, FROM HISTORICAL
DATA. AND THIS IS AWKWARD AND
OBVIOUSLY BEGS EXPLANATION AND
ACTION. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. TO
PROVIDE SOME MORE CONTEXT TO
THIS TREND, AND I THINK IT IS
IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT WHAT
YOU'RE SEEING IN THE UNITED
STATES IS NOT NECESSARILY A
UNIVERSAL GIVEN, COULD ALSO BE
SEEN AS A HOPEFUL MESSAGE THERE,
IN THE SENSE THAT, YES, IN
WESTERN EUROPE AND BRITAIN, YOU
ALSO SEE A GRADUAL DECLINE IN
YOUTH WELL-BEING, ALTHOUGH LESS,
LESS FAST, LESS ACCELERATED. BUT
YOU SEE OTHER PLACES AROUND THE
WORLD AND IN PARTICULAR CENTRAL
AND EASTERN EUROPE WHERE IT'S
BEEN GOING UP. BUT IMPORTANT TO
REMEMBER, OF COURSE, THEY START
FROM MUCH LOWER. SO ESSENTIALLY
THIS IS A GLOBAL CONVERGENCE. IF
YOU WILL, IN YOUTH WELL-BEING.
BUT STRIKINGLY, THIS YEAR AND
THE PAST, AMERICAN YOUTH IS
LOWER THAN IS WESTERN EUROPE OR
EVEN CENTRAL AND EASTERN
EUROPEAN YOUTH. AND THAT IS
LIKELY TO CONTINUE UNLESS
SOMETHING HAPPENS. NEXT SLIDE.
IF WE LOOK AT IT FROM DIFFERENT
ANGLES OF WELL-BEING, JUST TO
MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE'RE
SHOWING IS NOT JUST LIMITED TO
LIFE SATISFACTION, I'M SHOWING
YOU NOW A WORRY, WHICH HAS NO
PUN INTENDED, A WORRYING TREND
IN THAT NORTH AMERICA, THE LEVEL
OF WORRY NOW RISES TO, I THINK,
WELL OVER 50, AROUND 50% OF
YOUTH BEING WORRIED ON A DAY TO
DAY BASIS. THAT HAS TREND HAS
BEEN INCREASING AND INCREASING
AT A FASTER PACE THAN ELSEWHERE
IN THE WORLD. NEXT SLIDE. IF YOU
LOOK AT STRESS, IT'S EVEN MORE
WORRYINGLY PERHAPS HAS BEEN
RISING EVEN FASTER AND IS NOW AT
EVEN HIGHER LEVELS FOR YOUTH IN
AMERICA THAN IT IS ELSEWHERE.
AND RELATIVELY SPEAKING, TO THE
PAST, NEXT SLIDE. IF YOU LOOK AT
SADNESS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY
SAD, IS THAT NOW YOUTH IN
AMERICA, ABOUT 20 OR 30, IF I
READ CORRECTLY FROM A DISTANCE I
THINK IS 30. NOW FEEL SAD ON A
DAY TO DAY BASIS. AGAIN, A BIG
INCREASE OVER THE LAST 3 OR 4
YEARS, PICKED UP IN PART BY OR
EXACERBATED IN PART BY COVID.
BUT PEOPLE HAVEN'T COME BACK TO
THE LEVELS THEY WERE BEFORE
COVID. AND LIKE IN OTHER PLACES
AROUND THE WORLD, FINALLY RESTED
YESTERDAY IS A MEASURE OF, IF
YOU WILL, MORE PHYSICAL
WELL-BEING AND AN INDICATOR OF A
PROXY FOR IT. AND WHAT YOU SEE
HERE IS PARTICULARLY DISTURBING,
WHICH IS WHY I REALLY WANTED TO
INCLUDE IT. IT MIGHT LINK TO
SOCIAL MEDIA, WHICH IS, UNLIKE
OTHER PLACES, WESTERN EUROPE AND
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE. YOU
SEE THAT, ONLY IN 50% OF CASES
YOUTH DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS, AS
ESSENTIALLY FATIGUED, NOT
RESTED, AND THAT IS PARTICULARLY
DISTURBING AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT
HAS NO IMMEDIATE HEALTH
CONSEQUENCES. NEXT SLIDE. SO ALL
OF THESE THINGS MATTER IN AND OF
THEMSELVES BECAUSE WELL-BEING IS
AN ULTIMATE OUTCOME. SO THE FACT
THAT THEY'RE FEELING UNHAPPY IS
SOMETHING THAT NEEDS ACTION. BUT
FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE MORE
INSTRUMENTALIST IN NATURE, IT
ALSO MATTERS BECAUSE A DECLINE
IN WELL-BEING AMONGST YOUTH OR
GENERALLY HAS BEHAVIORAL
OUTCOMES AS A RESULT. AND WE
HAVE A LOT OF EVIDENCE ON THIS
FRONT AROUND THESE DOWNSTREAM
CONSEQUENCES. AND THEY HAVE TO
DO WITH HEALTH AND LONGEVITY.
THEY HAVE TO DO WITH, SAY,
FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING. THEY
HAVE TO DO WITH PRO-SOCIAL
BEHAVIORS. AND ON THE NEXT
SLIDE, PLEASE, I'M SHOWING YOU
ONE STUDY, AND I'LL CONCLUDE
WITH THAT WHERE WE ALSO SHOW
THAT A LOW LEVELS OF WELL-BEING,
WHETHER MEASURED THROUGH LIFE
SATISFACTION OR AFFECTIVE
MEASURES, ARE PREDICTIVE OF
LATER LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES AND
EVEN INCOME. IN OTHER WORDS,
PRODUCTIVITY AS MEASURED THROUGH
INCOME, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS
STUDY WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED IN
ACADEMIA. WAS PUBLISHED IN THE
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND IS THAT
ESSENTIALLY SHOWS USING 15,000
AMERICAN YOUTH, PART OF THE
NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL NATIONAL
LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF ADOLESCENT
HEALTH RUN OUT OF UNC CHAPEL
HILL. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS
A PANEL STUDY WHERE WE HAVE
YOUTH'S WELL-BEING AT, SAY, IN
THIS CASE, 19 OR 20 OR 22 YEARS
OF AGE. AND THEN THEIR EARNINGS
OF THE SAME YOUTH ABOUT A DECADE
LATER. SO CLASSIC PANEL STUDY
WHERE WE FOLLOW AND TRACK PEOPLE
OVER TIME. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING
HERE IS THAT LOW LEVELS OF
WELL-BEING OR VARIATION IN
WELL-BEING AT AGE 20, LATE
ADOLESCENCE IS HIGHLY PREDICTIVE
OF THEIR EARNINGS, IF YOU WILL.
LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES AND
PRODUCTIVITY. ABOUT A DECADE
LATER, THIS IS IN THE THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
DESPITE THIS BEING A VERY OLD
STUDY, THE DATA IS ABOUT 15
YEARS OLD, IF NOT MORE, AND WHAT
YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS ALREADY
ABOUT TEN $12,000 DIFFERENCE IN
TERMS OF PREDICTIVE POWER. NOW
AND I'LL FINISH ON THIS STRIKING
AND RELEVANT TO THE DECLINING
TREND IN WELL-BEING FOR YOUTH,
THE EFFECT IS MOSTLY DRIVEN BY
LBEING. SO IT'S PEOPLE THAT ARE
NOT FEELING GOOD AS YOUTH AND
ADOLESCENCE. THEY ARE THE ONES
WHO END UP DOING THE WORST,
LATER ON IN TERMS OF LATER
EARNINGS AND OBVIOUSLY AS A
PROXY FOR LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES.
SO THIS IS VERY POWERFUL. AND IT
SHOWS THAT THERE ARE REAL
ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES TO A
REDUCTION IN WELL-BEING. AND ALL
THE MORE ALARM BELLS GOING OFF
AND CALLS FOR ACTION. THANK YOU.
NEXT SLIDE. THANK YOU. THANKS
VERY MUCH. I'D ASK MY
COLLEAGUES. I ASK THEM FIRST. I
ASK MY COLLEAGUES IF THEY HAVE
ANY QUESTIONS. DO YOU? I KNOW
YOU MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE
SLIDES, THAT YOU COULD LOOK FOR
LIKE WHERE HOUSING NEEDS ARE AND
THINGS LIKE THAT. ARE THERE
STUDIES THAT KIND OF HELP WITH
THE OVERLAP OF HAPPINESS LEVELS,
INCOME LEVELS, HOUSING
INSECURITY, FOOD INSECURITY, ALL
OF THE THINGS THAT ADD TO THE
STRESS OF LIFE. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S
A REALLY GOOD QUESTION AND AN
ESSENTIAL ONE TO THEN ACTUALLY
DERIVE POLICY BASED OFF THESE
DATA. SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOUR STATE
OFFICIAL STATISTICS, BUT
ESPECIALLY THIS RICH GALLUP
SURVEY, THEY DIDN'T JUST ASK THE
LICENSE ACTION QUESTION. OF
THESE 215,000 CALIFORNIANS, THEY
ASKED ABOUT 30, 40, 50 OTHER
QUESTIONS THAT RELATE TO HOUSING
INCOME, AND A WHOLE HOST OF
OTHER THINGS THAT COULD BE THAT
ARE REALLY PART AND PARCEL OF
THE DIFFERENT TRADITIONAL POLICY
AREAS. SO, YES, ESSENTIALLY YOU
START FROM ASKING PEOPLE HOW
THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR LIFE AND
THEN LOOK FOR DIFFERENCES OR
WHAT MIGHT HELP EXPLAIN
DIFFERENCES BY LOOKING AT
TRADITIONAL POLICY LEVERS,
WHETHER IT'S HOUSING, MOBILITY,
EDUCATION, HEALTH, ETC. AND SO
THE DATA ARE THERE AND SO IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH BLUSENS, WE'VE
ACTUALLY DONE THIS FOR SAN JOSE
CITY AND A FEW OTHER PLACES. AND
THEN YOU SEE WHAT TENDS TO
EXPLAIN VARIATION IN A PLACE
LIKE SAN JOSE HEALTH AND HEALTH.
HEALTH STATUS. SO DO YOU FEEL
LIKE YOUR HEALTH IS IN A GOOD
PLACE FOR YOUR AGE LEVEL? OR IT
COULD BE HOUSING, ACCESS TO
HOUSING, QUALITY HOUSING? AND
ARE YOU PROUD OF THE COMMUNITY
YOU'RE PART OF? SO THESE KIND OF
ELEMENTS START PLAYING A BIG
ROLE IN EXPLAINING VARIATION
BETWEEN LICENSE FACTIONS. SO
WHAT'S REALLY NICE IS WE
ESSENTIALLY START FROM ASKING
PEOPLE WHETHER THEY'RE HAPPY AND
THEN TRY AND REVERSE ENGINEER,
PUT THE SCIENCE TO WORK AND MAKE
IT RELEVANT TO POLICY AND POLICY
ACTIONABLE. AND WHAT ARE, SOME
OF THE, YOU KNOW, THOSE I THINK
CAN BE SEEN AS MORE ADULT TYPE
ISSUES, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
TRENDS IN TERMS OF WHAT SEEMED
TO BE CAUSING THIS FOR YOUTH OR
YOUNGER PEOPLE? SO PEOPLE WILL
IMMEDIATELY START THINKING OF
SOCIAL MEDIA, SMARTPHONES. BUT I
THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE
THAT, AS YOU SAW FROM THE WORLD
HAPPINESS REPORT DATA, THERE'S A
GRADUAL THERE'S A GRADUAL
DECLINE FOR ALL OF AMERICANS. SO
THAT'S DRIVEN BY POLARIZATION,
INCOME INEQUALITY, HIS
DIFFICULTY WITH ACCESS TO HEALTH
CARE, ETC. HOUSING THE USUAL.
BUT YOU ALSO SEE AN ACCELERATION
OF THE DROP FOR YOUTH. SO IN
ADDITION TO THE AFOREMENTIONED I
THINK FOR YOUTH, YOU NOW ALSO
HAVE STUDENT DEBT INSECURITY OR
UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURE
LABOR MARKET FOR EXAMPLE, IF I
WERE TO NOW HAVE TO CHOOSE MY
STUDIES, IT'S VERY WORRYING IN
THE SENSE THAT CHATGPT MAY WELL
HAVE CAUGHT UP IN 2 OR 3 YEARS
OF MY SKILL SET, MIGHT WELL BE
OBSOLETE BY THE TIME I FINISH
SCHOOL. AND THEN THERE IS INDEED
SOCIAL MEDIA. SOMETHING THAT
YOUTH TAKE A LOT MORE PART IN.
HAD THE GREAT PRIVILEGE OF
INTERACTING WITH THE US SURGEON
GENERAL RECENTLY, HE NOTED THAT
ON AVERAGE, YOUTH NOW SPENT 4.5
HOURS A DAY ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
FROM WHAT YOU'VE SEEN FROM THE
DISTRIBUTION, THAT'S THE
AVERAGE. THAT PROBABLY HIDES
PEOPLE FROM ALMOST NOTHING TO
MAYBE SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE
HOURS. PROBABLY PLAYS INTO THE
FATIGUE AS WELL. SO SOCIAL MEDIA
CERTAINLY DOES HAVE AN IMPORTANT
ROLE TO PLAY. I KNOW MY
COLLEAGUES AND IN PARTICULAR
JONATHAN HADE WITH THE ANXIOUS
GENERATION BOOK, IS OBVIOUSLY
DOING VERY WELL, SO THERE'S
DEFINITELY SOMETHING ABOUT THAT
ACCELERATION THAT MIGHT HAVE
SOMETHING TO DO WITH OR
CORRELATED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO PUSH BACK A
LITTLE BIT ON THE MORE DRACONIAN
TYPE OF INTERVENTIONS THAT
SOMEBODY LIKE JONATHAN HAIDT IS
SUGGESTING, BECAUSE THEY WOULD
SUGGEST NØ SOCIAL MEDIA BELOW
16. THOSE SMARTPHONES ON THE
SCHOOL, SCHOOL, ETC. I THINK
THERE MIGHT BE WAYS OF
HARNESSING SOCIAL MEDIA IN A WAY
THAT ONE PUTS THE SOCIAL BACK
INTO SOCIAL MEDIA BY HARNESSING
THESE ALGORITHMS TO NUDGE
TOWARDS ACTUAL SOCIAL
CONNECTIONS AND PEOPLE THAT YOU
ACTUALLY HAVE THAT ARE IN YOUR
VICINITY AND ENVIRONMENT AND
CONNECT SOCIAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
ALSO WITH THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE
SOCIAL. THE OTHER THING THAT I
THINK WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT
TO LOOK AT IN TERMS OF SOCIAL
MEDIA AS SORT OF AN INTERMEDIATE
STEP, IS ESSENTIALLY GO AGAINST
DOOMSCROLLING, AS KIDS WOULD
CALL IT. AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE,
THE ALGORITHMS ARE DESIGNED TO
BEFORE YOU EVEN HAVE THE
FASTNESS FACE TO SWAP TO
SOMETHING ELSE TO ALREADY FEED
YOU WITH A DIFFERENT VIDEO. SO
CLEARLY THERE MIGHT BE WAYS OF
PUTTING GUARDRAILS IN PLACE
WHERE AFTER THE 100TH VIDEO THAT
YOU'VE WATCHED, YOU'RE BEING
ASKED, DO YOU REALLY WANT TO
STILL CONTINUE? OR AND IF SO,
YES, BY ALL MEANS. BUT IF NOT,
NO. SO GIVING KIDS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GET OFF OF THE
OTHERWISE VERY CLEVERLY DESIGNED
ALGORITHMS. SO THAT'S THAT'S
IMPORTANT. SO I THINK THERE'S
INTERMEDIATE STEPS THAT ARE IN
COLLABORATION WITH SOCIAL SOCIAL
MEDIA PROVIDERS BEFORE MAYBE THE
MORE DRACONIAN INTERVENTIONS
NEED TO TAKE PLACE, VIVEK
MURTHY, THE US SURGEON GENERAL,
MADE AN EXTRAORDINARY ANALOGY
HERE. SOCIAL MEDIA IS HERE TO
STAY. IT'S A BIT LIKE CARS. WHEN
THEY WERE INTRODUCED, WHEN CARS
WERE INTRODUCED, THERE WERE NO
AIRBAGS, THERE WERE NO SEATBELTS
. AND IT'S A BIT THE SAME RIGHT
NOW WITH SOCIAL MEDIA. SO IT'S
ABOUT WORKING WITH THESE
COMPANIES AND MAKING SURE THE
RIGHT GUARDRAILS ARE IN PLACE.
AT THE MOMENT IT'S A BIT LIKE
DRIVING WITHOUT SEATBELTS AND
AIRBAGS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
YEAH, AND APOLOGIES, I, I
ARRIVED A LITTLE LATE. IF SO, IF
I MISSED THIS, DOES YOUR DATA IS
ARE WE SEEING, LIKE, THE EFFECTS
OF COVID ON YOUTH? AND IS THIS
PART OF OR A FACTOR, THE
ISOLATION, MAYBE A HIGHER LEVEL
OF ANXIETY AND CHILDREN OR KIDS
THAT NEVER HAD THIS BEFORE?
YEAH, IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION,
AND SO FIRST OF ALL, THE GRADUAL
DECLINE IN WELL-BEING FOR
AMERICANS MORE GENERALLY AND FOR
YOUTH PREDATES COVID. SO IT'S
VERY CLEAR THAT WE'RE TALKING
2015, 1617 WHEN THE ACCELERATION
DECLINE STARTED. NOW, THIS IS
EXACERBATED BY COVID, BUT
STRIKINGLY, AS YOU WILL HAVE
SEEN IN SOME OF THE GRAPHS, IT
HASN'T RECOVERED, NOT EVEN HALF
TO WHERE IT WAS AT PRE-COVID.
AND AMERICAN CONTEXT. SO, FOR
EXAMPLE, RESTED YESTERDAY. THE
FATIGUE QUESTION OR THE ONE
AROUND SADNESS AND WORRY, YOU
SEE, IS NOWHERE NEAR WHERE IT
WAS AT THE START OF COVID. SO IT
HAS EXACERBATED A CERTAIN
DECLINE. AND PEOPLE, YOUTH
ESPECIALLY, HAVE NOT RECOVERED
FROM IT. AND I FEEL, YOU KNOW,
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT YOUTH NOT
FEELING RESTED, I FEEL LIKE I
THINK BACK ABOUT MY OWN
CHILDREN. THEY WERE VERY BUSY
AND I'M SOMETIMES EVEN WONDERING
IF MAYBE I OVERSCHEDULED THEM
WITH THINGS THAT THEY WANTED TO
DO. AND I WONDER IF, YOU KNOW,
PARENTS BEING BUSIER, BEING ABLE
TO WORK FROM HOME AT NIGHT, JUST
MAYBE, YOU KNOW, NOT AS MUCH
SOCIAL INTERACTION AS A FAMILY
UNIT BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS SO
BUSY. IF THAT'S A SMALL
COMPONENT, IT'S A VERY GOOD
OBSERVATION. AND I SHOULD
PERHAPS ADD IT INTO THE MIX. SO
WHILE THERE'S A NUMBER OF
GENERAL CAUSES, PERHAPS FOR WHY
THERE'S A GRADUAL DECLINE FOR
AMERICANS, FOR YOUTH, THERE'S A
NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS.
STUDENT DEBT, UNCERTAINTY ABOUT
THE FUTURE, SOCIAL MEDIA. THE
ONE I SHOULD HAVE ADDED IS
EXACTLY THE ONE YOU'RE
HIGHLIGHTING IS THERE'S PERHAPS
ALSO MORE EXPECTATIONS, ON THEM,
THAN THERE ARE FOR OTHERS. THAT
BEING SAID, AS YOU HIGHLIGHT
YOURSELF, IT MIGHT BE AN ELEMENT
. MAYBE NOT. NOT THE MOST
IMPORTANT, BUT CERTAINLY ONE
THAT MATTERS. THANK YOU, THANK
YOU, JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS
BEFORE WE GO TO OUR NEXT
PANELISTS, YOU TALKED ABOUT
INVESTING IN METRICS. THE STATE
DOING THAT. WHAT WHAT DOES THAT
LOOK LIKE? WHAT WHAT SHOULD WE
BE DOING? WELL, IT'S A VERY
SIMPLE IDEA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
GALLUP OR ANOTHER PROVIDER. BUT
GALLUP HAS CERTAINLY THE MOST
CREDIBILITY ON THIS FRONT AND
THE MOST HISTORICAL DATA. OR AS
PART OF YOUR OFFICIAL
STATISTICS, WHICH I'M SURE YOU
HAVE JUST LIKE IN THE UNITED
KINGDOM, WE'VE GOT THE OFFICE
FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS. IT
WOULD BE VIRTUALLY COSTLESS TO,
AT THE VERY LEAST, INTEGRATE THE
OVERARCHING THE WORKHORSE IN THE
FIELD OF WELL-BEING SCIENCE,
WHICH WOULD BE ON A SCALE FROM 0
TO 10. HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU
WITH YOUR LIFE THESE DAYS? AND
MAKE THAT A MORE OF A KPI
ALONGSIDE GDP OR INCOME OR
WHATEVER IS TYPICALLY USED, SO
THAT WOULD BE VIRTUALLY
COSTLESS, AND SHOULD BE IN
THERE. YOU HAVE NATIONALLY A
NUMBER OF DATA SETS, THE US
GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY, BUT
THAT'S JUST A US REPRESENTATIVE
SURVEY THAT'S REALLY SMALL. ONLY
HAPPENS ONCE A YEAR AND HAS THE
LIFE SATISFACTION QUESTION. BUT
IT'S ONLY A FEW THOUSAND
AMERICANS ON YEARLY BASIS. SO
IT'S GOOD FOR US. STATISTICS
GENERALLY COMPARED TO THE REST
OF THE WORLD, BUT WOULDN'T DO
ANYTHING FOR YOU IN TERMS OF
UNDERPINNING POLICY IN THE STATE
OF CALIFORNIA. SO THERE IS, I
THINK THERE IS ONE OTHER, BY THE
CDC, THERE'S THE BEHAVIORAL RISK
FACTOR SURVEILLANCE SURVEY,
BRFSS, AS WE CALL IT, BRFSS. AND
THEY HAVE ALSO A LARGE SAMPLE.
AND BUT THEY NOW HAVE IN 2022,
THEY NOW HAVE ALSO MEASURED LIFE
SATISFACTION ACROSS THE UNITED
STATES. SO THERE MIGHT BE DATA
FOR PROVIDED THEY GIVE YOU SORT
OF LOCATION ELEMENTS IN THE DATA
. THERE MIGHT BE DATA FOR
CALIFORNIA THERE TOO. BUT AGAIN,
I WOULD OWN UP TO IT. SO FOR ME
IT'S CLEAR THE MOST OBVIOUS
OUTCOME OF THIS COMMITTEE WITH
FIRST AND FOREMOST BE MEASURE
WHAT YOU TREASURE, BECAUSE WHAT
YOU MEASURE THEN ULTIMATELY GETS
TREASURED AND SO THAT WOULD BE,
I THINK AN OBVIOUS OUTCOME OF
THIS COMMITTEE IS TO MAKE SURE
THAT'S PART OF THE OFFICE FOR
NATIONAL STATISTICS THAT YOU
HAVE HERE, THAT THAT THAT GETS
IN EITHER OUTSOURCED OR IN-HOUSE
, JUST JUST FOR YOUR
INFORMATION, THE UK OFFICE FOR
NATIONAL STATISTICS SINCE 2012,
THEY HAVE A CAMERON, PUT THAT TO
WORK. THEY'VE GOT FOUR ITEMS
THEY CALL THE, WHICH WE CALL THE
ONS FOR ONE IS LIFE
SATISFACTION. YOU WILL HAVE
GUESSED IT. THEN. ALSO MEASURE
HOW HAPPY WERE YOU YESTERDAY,
WHICH IS WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH
REASON. BY THE WAY, WHY WE SAY
TALK ABOUT YESTERDAY IS TO TRY
AND GET RID OF THE DATA FACTOR.
MORNING. MIDDAY, EVENING EFFECT,
THEY ALSO ASK ABOUT WORRY AND
THEY ASK ABOUT PURPOSE. OR
ACTUALLY, TO BE MORE PRECISE, DO
YOU FIND LIFE WORTHWHILE AND SO
AS THOSE FOUR ITEMS. SO THOSE
CAPTURE YOUR EVALUATIVE
WELL-BEING, LIFE SATISFACTION,
IT MEASURES AFFECTIVE
WELL-BEING, HAPPINESS AND WORRY.
AND IT MEASURES ARISTOTLE'S
EUDAIMONIC WELL-BEING, FINDING
LIFE WORTHWHILE, PURPOSE AND
MEANING. AND THOSE ARE THOSE
FOUR TOGETHER WOULD BE
BRILLIANT. SO THE OECD ACTUALLY
PUSHES THIS TO ALL OF YOUR
STATISTICAL AGENCIES. BUT THIS
WOULD BE COMING IN THAT
RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE COMING
AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, NOT THE
STATE LEVEL. SO MY
RECOMMENDATION TO YOU WOULD BE
VERY SIMPLE, ESSENTIALLY CO-OPT
THE ONS FOR SUPPORTED BY WHICH
THE OECD ALSO PROMOTES AND MAKE
SURE THAT GETS PART OF THE
NATIONAL STATISTICS AND THEN
THINGS WILL FLOW FROM THERE.
HELPFUL. ONE LAST QUESTION, AND
I KNOW YOU'RE SOCIAL SCIENTISTS.
YOU DEAL WITH DATA AND SAMPLE
SIZES AND ALL THOSE TYPES OF
THINGS. BUT JUST SO I HATE TO
ASK YOU AN ANECDOTAL QUESTION,
BUT ON THE WALK OVER HERE, YOU
TALKED ABOUT YOU TEACH AT
OXFORD, BUT YOU'VE BEEN AT UCLA
AND LIVING IN VENICE FOR THE
PAST TERM. WHAT WHAT HAVE YOU
SEEN? WHAT OBSERVATIONS HAVE YOU
HAD OF SORT OF THE AMERICAN
LIFE, THAT. THAT HAVE AN IMPACT
ON MAYBE ARE REFLECTED IN THE
DATA? SORRY. YEAH. HOW MUCH TIME
DO WE HAVE, THERE'S ONE THAT
STANDS OUT. THERE'S THE OBVIOUS
ONES THAT YOU CAN TALK ABOUT IN
THE AMERICAN CONTEXT, I'M SORRY
TO SAY, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY
HEALTH CARE, HEALTH ACCESS, THIS
MORNING, THE UBER RIDE ACROSS TO
THE LAX AIRPORT, LADY WAS
UNHAPPY IN HER JOB, HAD TO STAY
BECAUSE OTHERWISE SHE'D BE OUT
OF OUT OF OUT OF HEALTH CARE. SO
THOSE ARE YOUR TRADITIONAL ONES,
IN INCOME INEQUALITY IS HUGE,
ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF LÀ
RACIAL SEGREGATION. HUGE. ALSO,
SOMETHING I'VE OBSERVED. BUT THE
THING THAT I THINK YOU MAY NOT
HAVE BEEN THINKING OF IS SORT OF
SOCIAL CAPITAL TRUST, I FIND
THAT WHEN YOU DRIVE AROUND HERE
WITH EVERY, MARKETING
ADVERTISEMENT IS ABOUT. HAD AN
ACCIDENT. CALL MY LAWYER, AND SO
THAT ELEMENT OF ESSENTIALLY
UNDERMINING TRUSTS MEANS THAT IF
YOU INTERACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE,
THE SLIGHTEST THING THAT COULD
GO WRONG, IT COULD END UP IN A
QUAGMIRE. AND THEN THE END OF
LIFE AS YOU, AS YOU, AS YOU KNOW
IT. AND SO THAT, I THINK, IS
STARTING TO THAT LEGALISTIC
ELEMENT TO IT, WHICH YOU HAVE
MUCH LESS IN CONTINENTAL EUROPE
ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY LET ALONE
IN LATIN AMERICA AND OTHER
PLACES THAT I THINK IS SLOWLY
BEEN ERODING THE SOCIAL CAPITAL
YOU'VE GOT IN SOCIETY. SO
MEASURES AROUND, SOCIAL SUPPORT,
TRUSTING EACH OTHER, TRUSTING IN
INSTITUTIONS THAT HAS BEEN
ERODING. AND I THINK IT'S HARD
TO PUT YOUR FINGERS ON THIS, BUT
I THINK YOU ALL FEEL IT. THE
POLARIZATION IS AN ELEMENT OF
IT. BUT I SENSE THAT WHEN
INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE OR WHEN
I SEE PEOPLE INTERACTING, THAT
THEY'RE SORT OF LIKE EACH TO HIS
OWN TYPE ELEMENT. AND THAT IS
REALLY A SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS,
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I'M HAPPY TO
FINISH ON THIS. THE WORLD
HAPPINESS REPORT SHOWS VERY
CLEARLY OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
YES, GDP PER CAPITA MATTERS IN
EXPLAINING VARIATION OF
WELL-BEING ACROSS THE WORLD.
YES, HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY
MATTERS. BUT THE THIRD BIG THING
UP THERE WITH THE FIRST TWO IS
SOCIAL SUPPORT. YOU HAVE FRIENDS
TO RELY ON, DO YOU GIVE DO YOU
VOLUNTEER? DO YOU TRUST OTHERS,
AND DO YOU TRUST THE STATE? AND
WE MENTIONED RIGHT AT THE END OF
THE PRESS BRIEFING AND AGAIN,
I'LL FINISH ON THIS. THERE'S A
VERY QUIRKY LITTLE STUDY THAT'S
BEEN REPLICATED OVER AND OVER IN
SOCIAL SCIENCES, WHICH CAPTURES
THIS BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
IT'S CALLED THE WALLET DROP
EXPERIMENT. YOU MAY OR MAY NOT
HAVE HEARD OF IT. IT'S
ESSENTIALLY AN ACTUAL EXPERIMENT
, AND ALSO ONE THAT'S DONE IN A
SORT OF A IN A VIRTUAL SENSE.
BUT THE ACTUAL EXPERIMENT IS
DROPPING WALLETS WITH MONEY AND
ID CARDS SOMEWHERE, AND THEN
SEEING HOW MANY OUT OF 100
ACTUALLY COME BACK. AND IT'S A
WONDERFUL PROXY TO GET A SENSE
FOR. DO PEOPLE BELIEVE AND TRUST
EACH OTHER? AND DO THEY TRUST
THE STATE IN THIS CASE, OFTEN
POLICE OFFICERS TO ACTUALLY THEN
ALSO RETURN THE WALLET TO THE
RIGHTFUL OWNER? WHAT YOU'RE
FINDING IS THERE'S ALMOST A ONE
FOR ONE MATCH BETWEEN THE
COUNTRY RANKING IN THE WORLD
HAPPINESS REPORT, WHICH IS BASED
OFF THESE LIFE SATISFACTIONS AND
ESSENTIALLY THE DEGREE TO WHICH
THERE'S THAT SORT OF SOCIAL
TRUST, THAT SOCIAL CAPITAL IN
SOCIETY, THAT WHEN A WALLET GETS
LOST, PEOPLE ARE KEEN AND EAGER
TO RETURN IT AND BELIEVE THAT
THE POLICE OFFICERS WILL
ACTUALLY DO IT SO THAT THAT
SOCIAL SUPPORT LIKE THAT IS SO
PRECIOUS. IT'S EASY TO LOSE,
HARD TO REGAIN, AND THAT I SENSE
HAVING DONE A BIG CHUNK OF MY
GRAD STUDIES ON THE EAST COAST
OF THE UNITED STATES, THERE'S
LESS OF IT TODAY THAN THERE WAS
15, 20 YEARS AGO WHEN I DID MY
GRAD STUDIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE. AND ALSO,
I'VE BEEN ADMIRING YOUR WORK FOR
A LONG TIME, SO I REALLY
APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. THANK
YOU AND ALL YOU DO. THANK YOU.
SPEAKER. RANDOM OUR NEXT
PANELIST, DOCTOR MARTHA
DOMINGUEZ BRINKLEY, DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM INNOVATION
EVALUATION OF FIRST FIVE
CALIFORNIA. DOCTOR DOMINGUEZ
BRINKLEY, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US TODAY. THANK YOU. BUENOS
TARDES. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK
YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE. THERE WE
GO. WE CAN SKIP THAT SLIDE
BECAUSE A LITTLE BIT OF MY
CREDENTIALS CERTIFIED BY
LACTATION CONSULTANT AND A
CERTIFIED EDUCATOR AS WELL. JUST
SO FOR REFERENCE, JUST A PERM OF
REFERENCE. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE
YOU CONTEXT. WE DO KNOW THAT IN
CALIFORNIA, FIRST FIVE FOCUSES
ON STRONGER START FROM 0 TO 5
SPECIFICALLY, BUT WE HAVE ALSO
BEEN RECOGNIZING THAT
CALIFORNIANS WITH REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH EDUCATION AND PUBLIC
HEALTH WORK, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
HAVING BABIES LESS, AND THAT HAS
BEEN DECLINING OVER TIME. NEXT
SLIDE. ANOTHER POINT OF
REFERENCE IS JUST A NUMBER OF
CHILDREN HERE IN CALIFORNIA, 0
TO 5, SPECIFICALLY 0 TO 2, 3 TO
5. AND THE DIFFERENT RACE AND
ETHNICITY BREAKDOWNS, MORE AND
MORE, WE ARE GETTING MORE
CULTURALLY AWARE AND CONGRUENT
AND ALLOWING FOLKS TO
SELF-IDENTIFY. SO WE WILL BE
HAVING BETTER DATA AS WE
PROGRESS. THAT WAS SOME WORK
THAT WE GOT HERE IN CALIFORNIA
THROUGH OUR CENSUS WORK, THAT
PEOPLE ARE SELF-IDENTIFYING AND
TWO OR MORE RACES OR ARE BEING
SELF-IDENTIFIED. SO JUST TO GIVE
A CONTEXT OF HOW MANY CHILDREN
WE HAVE HERE IN CALIFORNIA. NEXT
SLIDE. THIS SLIDE IS ALSO REALLY
IMPORTANT. AND IT'S INTERESTING.
MAINLY IT COMES FROM OUR
PARTNERS AT UCLA. THE CALIFORNIA
HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY, WHO
MULTIPLE STATE AGENCIES FUND
ACROSS DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES
. BUT THE REASON WHY I WANTED TO
BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION IS,
PREGNANCY PLANNING HAS ALSO
GOTTEN BETTER. SO THAT MEANS
THAT WOMEN ARE BECOMING MORE
SELF AWARE OF REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH, BUT ALSO PRENATAL CARE
AND STRESSORS ARE REALLY
IMPORTANT, WE'RE LEARNING THAT
AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN, ASIAN
WOMEN AND LATINO WOMEN ARE
PLANNING THEIR PREGNANCIES MORE,
MORE IN TUNE TO THEIR TIMING OF
AGE. AND JUST WITH FAMILY
ENVIRONMENT, WITH WHITE WOMEN,
IT'S BEEN A LITTLE STEADY, AS
YOU CAN SEE ON THE DATA. SORRY
FOR THOSE DATA TO BE PRETTY
SHORT, BUT HOPEFULLY KATIE CAN
SHARE THAT DECK WITH YOU ALL
NEXT SLIDE. COUPLE OF JUST
RESEARCH POINTS THAT I THINK
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT, WHY WE ARE FOCUSING
SO MUCH ON EARLY CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT AND WHY IT PREDICTS
LONG LIFELONG HEALTH, HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING, AS MY, AS WE WERE
TALKING A FEW MINUTES AGO ABOUT
WELL-BEING WITH THE DIFFERENT
FACTORS. RIGHT. BUT THE REASON
IS THERE'S SO MANY POWERFUL
PREDICTORS, NON-COGNITIVE SKILLS
ARE MEASURE OF CHILDHOOD
BEHAVIOR AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT SOCIAL
MALADJUSTMENT ARE ALSO POWERFUL
PREDICTORS THAT LEAD TO
UNSATISFIED ADULT OR SATISFIED
ADULTS. SO THAT'S WHY WE ARE
HEAVILY FOCUSED ON EARLY
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT. WE ALSO
KNOW THAT STRUCTURAL EQUATION
AND THE MODELS THAT RECEIVED A
CHILDREN'S PERCEPTIONS OF FAMILY
DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
PREDICTS ON THEIR SATISFACTION
AT THE AGE OF 38. THAT IS VERY
TELLING, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT EVEN
40, AS I INDICATED EARLIER,
PRENATAL STRESSFUL EVENTS ARE
REALLY IMPORTANT, AS WE ALL KNOW
THAT WHEN WOMEN CARRY A CHILD,
THEY'RE ALREADY CARRYING THEIR
GRANDCHILDREN, RIGHT? SO THAT'S
JUST SOMETHING FOR US TO BE IN
MIND. WE ALSO THINK ABOUT A
LIFELONG, BUT WE HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT THE INTERGENERATIONAL.
AFTER THE, JUST NOT JUST THE
CHILD THAT IS BEING BURIED, BUT
THE CHILD THAT IS COMING
THEREAFTER. THE PERVASIVE AND
PERSISTENT ADVERSE EFFECTS OF
CHILD MALTREATMENT, BOTH WITHIN
AND ACROSS DOMAINS ARE REALLY,
REALLY IMPORTANT. THERE'S BEEN
SOME STUDIES ABOUT THE LEVEL OF
ANGER IN ADULTS, AND IT REALLY
HAS INDICATED THAT SOME OF THE
PREDICTORS HAVE BEEN
MALTREATMENT LEVELS OF
SELF-ESTEEM, AUTONOMY, PURPOSE
IN LIFE, PERCEIVED OF,
CONSTRAINTS. THE MORE THAT
PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY'RE HAPPY
AND SATISFIED, THEY'RE BECOME
MORE PRODUCTIVE ADULTS. AND THAT
ALSO HAS AN ECONOMIC FACTOR. AS
OUR PREVIOUS, COLLEAGUE WAS
SHARING. NEXT SLIDE. ACS, I'M
SURE YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD AT
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AT
FIRST FIVE, WE ARE HEAVILY
FOCUSED ON THIS. WHY? BECAUSE
THEY'RE FACTORS THAT HAVE, RISKS
, BUT ALSO THAT CAN BECOME
PROTECTIVE FACTORS LATER IN LIFE
. WE ARE LOOKING AT ABUSE,
NEGLECT, HOUSEHOLD CHALLENGES
AND OTHER FORMS OF ADVERSITY.
WE'RE TRYING TO REALLY
UNDERSTAND, TO ENSURE THAT
CHILDREN HAVE A SAFE, STABLE AND
NURTURING ENVIRONMENTS AND
RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THEIR HOME
AND WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY. NEXT
SLIDE. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER
CONTEXT FROM THE OFFICE OF
SURGEON GENERAL IN CALIFORNIA.
THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB IN
COLLECTING SOME DATA ON RACE AND
ETHNICITY. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, A
LOT OF THE, THE ACE SCORES THAT
ARE HIGHER ARE HAVE A HIGHER
RISK OF ACES AND THEREFORE ARE
MORE PREDICTORS THAT WE HAVE TO
MITIGATE THE RISK FACTORS, BUT
ALSO INCREASE THEIR PROTECTIVE
FACTORS. NEXT SLIDE, CALIFORNIA
FIRST FIVE CALIFORNIA IS FOCUSED
ON THE FIRST TWO BUBBLES AND
PARTICULARLY MAINLY ON THE
BECAUSE WE DO KNOW THERE'S BEEN
A LOT OF RESEARCH ON ACES, THAT
THERE HAS LONG TERM EFFECTS. BUT
ALSO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE STRENGTHEN THOSE SAFE AND
NURTURING ENVIRONMENTS SO WE CAN
MITIGATE THOSE RISKS. SO THAT IS
REALLY AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE
WORK THAT WE DO. AND ULTIMATELY
TO HAVE OPTIMAL DEVELOPMENTAL
AND EXPERIENCES, WHETHER IF IT'S
THROUGH READING, THROUGH FATHER
INVOLVEMENT, THROUGH NURTURING
OF A MOTHER, REALLY TO ENSURE
THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO
RESOURCES. CAL WORKS OR EVEN
WILK OR EVEN MEDI-CAL, MAKING
SURE THAT WE DO THOSE WARM
REFERRALS SO PEOPLE CAN FEEL
MORE COMFORT AND THEY HAVE THAT
NURTURING EXPERIENCE ALONG THE
WAY. AND NURTURING CAN BE
DEFINED IN DIFFERENT WAYS BY
PEOPLE, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE
TRYING TO BE AS CULTURALLY
COMPETENT TO THEM, BECAUSE
ULTIMATELY HAPPY
KIDS AND HAPPY ADULTS, WHICH
EQUAL COMMUNITIES AND REALLY
ARE, CONTRIBUTORS TO SOCIETY.
AND I THINK COLLECTIVELY,
EVERYONE WANTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO
SOCIETY IN ONE SHAPE OR ANOTHER.
NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS A MORE OF
THE IMPACTS OF THE EARLY
CHILDHOOD INVESTMENTS.
ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE SAYING
HERE IS PREVENTION EFFORTS WORK
FOR EVERY OUNCE OF PREVENTION.
THERE'S SOME COST SAVINGS ON THE
RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WHETHER
WE'RE LOOKING AT HIGHER QUALITY
CHILD CARE, EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT
PRENATAL HOME VISITING. WE'RE
LOOKING AT SMOKING CESSATION,
ENHANCED PRENATAL CARE THROUGH
MEDI-CAL. WE'RE REALIZING THAT
THERE IS SOME TRUE COST
EFFECTIVE. AND THERE'S IT'S
REALLY, SAVING TAX DOLLARS ALONG
THE WAY. SO IT'S REALLY TO GIVE,
YOU KNOW, THAT LASTING EFFECTS
OF LIFELONG INTERGENERATIONAL
IMPACTS, BUT ALSO THE HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING OF INDIVIDUALS AND
FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES AND
PROVEN POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AND
SERVICES, WE KNOW THAT COULD BE
VERY EFFECTIVE, NEXT SLIDE. I
HAD A VIDEO HERE, BUT I WILL LET
KATIE SHARE THAT WITH YOU. IT'S
REALLY ONE OF OUR ADS THAT
REALLY JUST TALKS ABOUT HOW WE
CAN ARM CHILDREN AT A VERY YOUNG
AGE AND REALLY EMBRACE THEM WITH
ALL THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND
SERVICES. AND THE MORE THAT WE
EMBRACE THEM AND, AND REALLY
NURTURE THEM, THE BETTER THEY
WILL BECOME AS THEY BECOME
ADULTS. AND THEN FOR THEIR
GENERATIONS TO COME AS WELL.
NEXT SLIDE. AND THIS IS REALLY
MORE OF A JUST A REFOCUS, IN
TERMS OF WHAT FIRST FIVE IS
DOING, OUR NORTH STAR STATEMENT
IS, IS SOMEWHAT CHALLENGING. AND
IT'S REALLY AN, WE ALSO HAVE
THIS AUDACIOUS GOAL THAT IN A
GENERATION THAT ALL CHILDREN 0
TO 5 WILL HAVE A SAFE, STABLE
AND NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS AND
ENVIRONMENTS NECESSARY TO
ACHIEVE HEALTH, HEALTHY
DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'RE DOING
THAT THROUGH TRAUMA INFORMED
HEALING CENTER, CULTURALLY
RESPONSIVE SYSTEMS TO PROMOTE
THIS. THE FACTORS THAT I JUST
OUTLINED, SHORTLY AGO, THAT IS
ALL I HAVE TODAY. I'M HAPPY TO
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY
HAVE. THANK YOU. THAT'S A LOT.
THAT'S GREAT QUESTIONS. SO THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. I
ACTUALLY GOT MY START IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, JUST AS THE
SPEAKER EMERITUS DID, AND REALLY
LEARNED AT THE TIME THERE WAS A
LOT OF NEW BRAIN RESEARCH COMING
OUT TALKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT
FACTORS THAT IMPACT EARLY
CHILDHOOD BRAIN DEVELOPMENT.
AND, AND IT REALLY IMPRINTED
VERY EARLY IN MY CAREER. HOW
IMPORTANT SUPPORT IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD YEARS IS SO CRITICAL,
AND I GUESS I'M CURIOUS, ARE
THERE THINGS THAT YOU'VE SEEN? I
KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT, A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF COVID
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M STILL TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT, BECAUSE SOME OF
WHAT I HEAR IS THAT A LOT OF
WHAT WE'RE SEEING AROUND OUR
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IS A RESULT
OF COVID, BUT THEN ALSO I'VE
BEEN HEARING, MORE RECENTLY THAT
IT'S THAT THERE WAS A REALLY A
DECLINE BEFORE COVID AND COVID,
EXACERBATED IT OR ILLUMINATED IT
MORE. BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE
WERE SEEING THAT TREND START
EVEN BEFORE COVID HAPPENED, AND
SO I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOU HAVE
BEEN SEEING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD,
EITHER PRE COVID OR, OR AS A
RESULT OF COVID AND HOW THAT'S
BEEN IMPACTING KIDS, BECAUSE I
KNOW THOSE YOUNGER YEARS. I
MEAN, LUCKILY MY DAUGHTER WAS
OLD ENOUGH TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND
WHAT WAS GOING ON. I DON'T KNOW
HOW MANY KIDS ARE, YOU KNOW, ANY
OF US COULD REALLY UNDERSTAND
THE IMPACT OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC,
BUT, BUT I COULD NOT IMAGINE,
YOU KNOW, THE I TRIED TO THINK
ABOUT THE KINDERGARTEN KIDS ON
ZOOM TRYING TO GO THROUGH SCHOOL
ON ZOOM AS A KINDERGARTNER JUST
SEEMED WILD TO ME, AND SO, YOU
KNOW, I'D BE CURIOUS TO HEAR
WHAT WHAT YOU'VE SEEN AND
LEARNED FROM THAT. YEAH. BASED
ON THE DATA THAT WE HAVE SEEN,
IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. BUT
WE DO KNOW THAT COVID JUST
MAGNIFIED TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL,
ESPECIALLY FROM 0 TO 5, BECAUSE
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
IS SO CRITICAL. THEY DO NEED
THAT SOCIAL INTERACTION. THÀNH
THERE IS A LOT OF SOME AND
SPECIFIC COUNTIES, CHILD CARE
CENTERS WERE CLOSED AND AS A
RESULT OF THAT, THEY HAD TO STAY
AT HOME. PARENTS HAD TO ADJUST
TO THAT WORK SCHEDULE AND THAT
NEW NORMALIZATION WITHIN COVID.
AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THAT
HAPPENED IN PHASES RIGHT FROM
THE BEGINNING TO THE END. BUT
THE SOCIALIZATION, WE DID SEE A
DECLINE ON THAT. SO THAT IS
SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN
IMPACTFUL, ESPECIALLY FOR THE
FOR THE BABIES. AND YOU PROBABLY
HAVE HEARD SOME OF OUR ADVOCATES
OR PARTNERS CALL THEM COVID
BABIES, BECAUSE SOME OF THOSE
COVID BABIES DIDN'T HAVE THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE THAT
SOCIALIZATION AND THAT EMOTIONAL
SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY. AND ALSO
PARENTS TOO, RIGHT? WE THE
PARENTS NEED THE BREAK, OR
CAREGIVERS NEED THAT BREAK FROM
THAT, FROM THE CHILD OR JUST TO
INTERACT. I KNOW MYSELF AS A AS
A WORKING MOTHER, AND IN MY
HOUSEHOLD, I HAVE A 11 YEAR OLD
THAT SHE ADJUSTED TO, AND I ALSO
REALIZED THAT THE TEACHERS HAD
TO ADJUST. SO I THINK IT IT IS A
TRAUMA, PERIOD. AND WE CAN'T
IGNORE IT, BUT THERE'S
OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO TAKE
SOME LEARNINGS FROM THAT AND
MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS. I THINK
CALIFORNIA IS PRETTY RESILIENT
IN TERMS OF THE RESOURCES AND
SERVICES THEY HAVE, ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT COMES TO EARLY CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT'S AN AREA
THAT WE DEFINITELY NEED TO
CONTINUE TO SUPPORT. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT,
YOU'RE RIGHT. WE HAVE BEEN
RESILIENT, AT OTHER TIMES. I RAN
FOR OFFICE BECAUSE OF CUTS TO
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN
2010, 2011. WE MAY BE AT A TIME
IN OUR STATE'S HISTORY WHERE WE
SEE THOSE SAME DYNAMICS
HAPPENING AGAIN. ANY ADVICE FOR
THOSE WORKING ON THE BUDGET
CAUTIONARY TALES? IT'S HARD TO
PRIORITIZE. DIFFERENT PROGRAMS
OR DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF. BUT
YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON ON WHAT
WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT? I THINK
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF
US TO BE MINDFUL THAT EVEN
THOUGH WE'RE FOCUSING ON 0 TO 5,
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT
INTERSECTIONALITIES OF THE
DIFFERENT AREAS AND THE TOPICS
AND THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE DO
AND THE INTERGENERATIONAL
IMPACTS THAT WILL HAVE NOT JUST
FOR THE IMMEDIATE CHILD BUT FOR
THEIR CHILDREN AS WELL, WITH
TRAUMA, WITH ACES, WE'RE
LEARNING THAT THAT HAS NOT IS
NOT JUST A LIFELONG, BUT IT'S AN
INTERGENERATIONAL JOURNAL. SO
ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO, YOU
KNOW, PROTECT AND PROVIDE THOSE
SAFEGUARDS FOR THAT EARLY
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, IT'S
REALLY CRITICAL, YOU KNOW, THE
MORE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT
THOSE SAFETY NETS TO ENSURE THAT
THOSE RESOURCES ARE INTACT OR
ARE PROTECTED, I THINK THAT'S AN
AREA WHERE WE WOULD WANT TO BE A
CHAMPION AT. THANK YOU, THANK
YOU. APPRECIATE APPRECIATE YOU
BEING HERE. I WILL SAY, AS MISS
SHABO WAS TALKING ABOUT OUR
COMMON BACKGROUND IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. CHEN, WHAT
WAS INTERESTING ABOUT
PARTICULARLY SOME OF THE MORE
COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMS LIKE
FEDERALLY FUNDED HEAD START, FOR
EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU GET HERE AND
YOU START SEEING GAPS IN
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, WHETHER
IT'S MENTAL HEALTH OR WE WERE
JUST TALKING ABOUT HEALTH CARE
FOR ALL IT FELT LIKE WHEN I WAS
IN HEAD, WHEN I WAS IN HEAD
START, WE HAD THAT. WHEN YOU'RE
IN, MENTAL HEALTH, WE HAVE THAT
DENTAL, WE HAVE THAT. WHAT WAS
INTERESTING ABOUT COMING HERE
WAS A LOT OF MY REPUBLICAN
COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE MILITARY
BACKGROUNDS WERE VERY USED TO
THAT AS WELL. I REMEMBER MY
EARLY PROGRAMS OR MY EARLY BILLS
GETTING SUPPORT OF REPUBLICANS
BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN BECAUSE
THEY HAD SEEN ON MILITARY BASES
THE IMPACT OF PROGRAMS, NOT ONLY
EC PROGRAMS, BUT THE
COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES THAT WE
PROVIDE. SO OBVIOUSLY, THANK YOU
FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS AT FIRST
FIVE. AND WE WILL REMEMBER THIS
IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO WHILE WE
WORK ON THE BUDGET. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR FINAL
PANELIST FOR PANEL ONE IS DOCTOR
AMANDA GEIER, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
FOR THE UC DAVIS CENTER FOR MIND
AND BRAIN. AND DOCTOR GEIER,
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
THANK YOU. I AM. SO THANK YOU SO
MUCH. GOOD AFTERNOON. IT'S GREAT
TO BE HERE, IT'S ACTUALLY, QUITE
INTERESTING TO HEAR. I ALSO GOT
MY START IN EARLY, CHILDHOOD
SORT OF EDUCATION, WORKING WITH
ED ZIEGLER, BACK, WHO WAS ONE OF
THE, FOUNDING PEOPLE OF HEAD
START, SO IT'S, IT'S FUN TO BE
IN THIS COMPANY. SO I, I'M A
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGIST, AND
SO I'VE WORKED FOR, INITIAL PART
OF MY TRAINING IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD, AND IN THE LAST 20
YEARS, I'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON
ADOLESCENCE, I'M BOTH A
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGIST AS
WELL AS A COGNITIVE
NEUROSCIENTIST. SO I'VE BEEN
ABLE TO KIND OF MARRY MY
BACKGROUND AND UNDERSTANDING
CHILDREN'S CONTEXTS WITH HOW
CHILDREN'S BIOLOGY KIND OF,
INTERACTS WITH THOSE SETTINGS.
AND A LOT OF MY WORK HAS BEEN
FOCUSED ON HOW BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
AND SOCIAL EXPERIENCES ARE
LINKED WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
AND WELL-BEING, PARTICULARLY IN
YOUTH AND ACROSS THE WORK I'VE
SEEN AND OTHER WORK OUT THERE,
ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL
THINGS WE SEE IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT. THAT SOCIAL
CONNECTION IS A FUNDAMENTAL
HUMAN NEED. SO WHEN THREATENED
DUE TO LONELINESS OR SOCIAL
REJECTION, YOUTH ARE AT RISK FOR
POOR MENTAL HEALTH INDICATORS.
THERE'S YOUTH WHO HAVE SOCIAL
CONNECTION. WE SEE SHOW LESS
DISTRESS, BETTER WELL-BEING AND
SOCIAL. CONNECTION IS THEREFORE
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO FOSTER.
ALSO, BECAUSE THE BRAIN WE HAVE
NOW LEARNED, CONTINUES TO
DEVELOP INTO EARLY ADULTHOOD.
RIGHT. SO FOR A VERY LONG TIME,
WE THOUGHT EVERYTHING KIND OF
ENDED DEVELOPING IN THE INSIDE
OUR HEADS. BY THE AGE OF FIVE,
WE NOW HAVE SEEN ADOLESCENTS AS
A SECOND PERIOD OF GROWTH,
RIGHT. SECOND TO THAT OF EARLY
DEVELOPMENT. AND SO BECAUSE OF
THAT FEATURE, OF HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT, THAT WE ALSO HAVE
LEARNED THAT THAT'S ANOTHER TIME
WHEN THE SYSTEM, THE DEVELOPING
PERSON IS OPEN TO THE INFLUENCES
OF EXTERNAL EXPERIENCES. RIGHT?
SO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE
THOSE INITIAL CAREGIVER SUPPORTS
AND EXPERIENCES EARLY ON. WE
HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY WHERE
WE ALSO NEED TO BE INVESTING IN
THOSE KINDS OF SOCIAL SUPPORTS
FOR YOUTH. SO FINDINGS FROM MY
RESEARCH HAVE SHOWN THAT
ADOLESCENTS ARE VERY MUCH
ORIENTED TOWARDS SOCIAL
INTERACTIONS WITH THEIR PEERS.
THIS IS DEVELOPMENTALLY SALIENT
AND RELEVANT. THIS IS ONE OF THE
SORT OF SOCIAL DEMANDS THAT
BECOMES PLACED ON ADOLESCENCE.
IT'S ONE OF THE EARLY SOCIAL
DEMANDS. IS THE CAREGIVER
RELATIONSHIP SHIP THAT NEVER
GOES AWAY. THAT STILL IS REALLY
IMPORTANT IN ADOLESCENCE, BUT
PEERS BECOME MORE MAGNIFIED AT
THAT TIME. ADOLESCENTS AND YOUTH
ARE STILL ARE ALSO VERY MUCH,
SENSITIVE BECAUSE OF THAT SORT
OF DEVELOPMENTALLY ALMOST
PROGRAMED SHIFT TO SOCIAL
FEEDBACK, TO PEER OPINIONS. AND
I HAVE ACTUALLY FOUND
ASSOCIATIONS WITH BRAIN
SENSITIVITIES TO THOSE KINDS OF
CUES IN THE ENVIRONMENT,
INFORMATION THAT KIDS ARE
RESPONDING TO, IN RELATIONSHIP
TO HOW THEIR BRAINS ARE
PROCESSING THAT INFORMATION IN
RELATIONSHIP TO MENTAL HEALTH
INDICATORS AND FAMILY FACTORS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YOUTH WITHOUT
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, IN SOME OF
MY WORK HAVE SHOWN HEIGHTENED
BRAIN RESPONSES IN A REGION THAT
PROCESSES, PROCESSES, REWARDS.
SO LIKE A SMILING FACE,
ACCEPTANCE FROM PEERS. SO I FIND
SUPPORT FOR ENGAGEMENT OF THAT
BRAIN AREA. WHEN I TELL KIDS IN
MY LAB THAT PEERS HAVE PICKED
THEM, THAT THEY LIKE THEM. I'VE
ALSO FOUND THAT KIDS WITH
ANXIETY DISORDERS SHOW
HEIGHTENED RESPONSE IN A BRAIN
REGION THAT PROCESSES THREATS.
SO WHEN THEY THINK THAT THEY
MIGHT BE REJECTED SO THAT IS A
VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ANXIETY
, ESPECIALLY SOCIAL ANXIETY. YOU
THINK THAT THIS MIGHT HAPPEN. WE
SEE THIS ENGAGED, ENGAGEMENT OF
THE AMYGDALA, THAT THREAT, PART
OF THE PROCESSING, PART OF THE
BRAIN. WE ALSO SEE HEIGHTENED
ENGAGEMENT OF THAT AREA WHEN
KIDS ALSO ARE TOLD, YOU KNOW,
THESE KIDS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN
INTERACTING WITH YOU. THEY
HAVEN'T PICKED YOU. THINGS LIKE
THAT. THIRD, I HAVE FOUND
SUPPORT FOR, SUPPORTIVE
PARENTING. FEELING CONNECTED TO
ONE'S FAMILY ARE VERY MUCH FOUND
TO ALSO AFFECT YOUTH'S BRAIN
SENSITIVITIES TO PEER REJECTION,
SO FINDING SUPPORT FOR BUFFERING
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THESE KINDS
OF SOCIAL STRESSORS AND
SOMETHING LIKE DEPRESSION IN
KIDS. AND SO I SEE THIS WORK AS
VERY RELEVANT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
INSOFAR AS OUR MEASURES THAT I
CAN DO IN OUR LAB, YOU KNOW,
TRYING TO, SIMULATE SOCIAL
CONNECTION, SOCIAL REJECTION,
THEY KIND OF SERVE AS THIS PROXY
FOR KIDS EXPERIENCES WITH SOCIAL
MEDIA. RIGHT, HOWEVER, IT'S
EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT TO
DIRECTLY ASSESS THIS, HOW KIDS
BRAINS ARE RESPONDING TO SOCIAL
MEDIA, IN REAL TIME, USING
ACTUAL CONTENT, AND HOW THAT
MIGHT THEN BE LINKED TO THEIR
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. SO
MUCH MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED ON
THAT. AND THERE ARE SOME
ROADBLOCKS IN TERMS OF THAT
AREA, WHICH I'LL SHARE IN A
MINUTE, SO THIS THEN BRINGS ME
TO ANOTHER COMPONENT. SO I
SHARED A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT I'VE
FOUND IN MY RESEARCH, RECENTLY I
SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE
NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE,
CONSENSUS COMMITTEE, REPORT ON
THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND
ADOLESCENT HEALTH. I BROUGHT A
COPY OF IT HERE. IF YOU WOULD
LIKE A PHYSICAL COPY. AND BASED
ON THAT REPORT, YOU KNOW, I'D
LIKE TO BRING ATTENTION TO
ISSUES THAT COULD BE ADDRESSED
IN THE PURSUIT OF SUPPORTING
HAPPINESS IN YOUTH IN THE
CONTEXT OF THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA
USE. SO WE KNOW CLEARLY, CHILD
AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH IS
SUFFERING. WE ALSO KNOW SOCIAL
MEDIA IS ENTRENCHED IN THEIR
DAILY LIVES. RIGHT, BOTH THINGS
ARE TRUE, RIGHT. AND WHAT HAS
BEEN SUGGESTED REALLY IS THAT
THERE'S THIS CAUSAL LINK.
HOWEVER, AFTER OUR VERY THOROUGH
REPORT OF THE LITERATURE AND SO
ON AND SO FORTH, WE DON'T FIND
OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE FOR THAT
CAUSAL LINK. AND PART OF THAT
RELATES TO THE TYPE OF RESEARCH,
THAT'S BEEN CONDUCTED TO DATE
AND WHAT KIND OF DATA WE HAVE
ACCESS TO, SO WITH THAT, I THINK
THAT WE ARE NOW AT THIS POINT
WHERE WE WANT TO START THINKING
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAVE WE
LEARNED FROM THE EXISTING
LITERATURE ON THE WAY THAT THERE
IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN SOCIAL
MEDIA, USE AND CHILDREN'S
WELL-BEING, THAT WE CAN THEN
TRANSLATE INTO SOME ACTIONABLE
KINDS OF, STRATEGIES TO BETTER
SUPPORT KIDS AND SUPPORT
EVIDENCE BASED TYPES OF
POLICIES. SO FIRST, ONE OF OUR
MAIN TAKEAWAYS IS THAT WE REALLY
DO NEED SOME SUSTAINED,
INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH
INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE ABLE TO
DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT
THAT YOUTH ARE DOING WITH THEIR
SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THESE
PLATFORMS AND NOT SIMPLY THROUGH
INDICATORS SUCH AS HOW MUCH
TIME, HOW MUCH TIME THEY'RE JUST
GENERALLY ON THEIR PHONE, BUT
MORE DETAILS ABOUT HOW THEY'RE
USING IT, WHY THEY'RE USING IT,
WHAT THEY'RE USING IT FOR.
RIGHT. AS A PARENT, I CERTAINLY
GET A LOT OF, SAD FACTION JUST
BEING ABLE TO TEXT AND
COMMUNICATE WITH MY WITH MY
CHILDREN, WITH MY, MY OWN
ADOLESCENTS. AND SO HOW, YOU
KNOW, HOW CAN WE, KIND OF THINK
THINK THROUGH WHAT ARE THE THESE
KINDS OF POSITIVE THINGS AND
WHAT ARE THEY USING THEM FOR
THAT ARE BENEFITING THEM IN
TERMS OF THEIR, THEIR MENTAL
HEALTH, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT
WE COME ACROSS IS THAT COMPANIES
THAT PROVIDE SOCIAL MEDIA
PLATFORMS HAVE VOLUMES AND
VOLUMES AND VOLUMES OF DATA, ON
USER INTERACTIONS, USER PLATFORM
INTERACTIONS. BUT THAT'S NOT
SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC.
GENERALLY RIGHT. SO WE AS
RESEARCHERS HAVE A HUGE
DIFFICULTY TRYING TO ACCESS THIS
KIND OF INFORMATION. THAT WOULD
BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO JUST
DO WITHIN MY OWN KIND OF LAB. SO
I THINK SOME FOCUS IN IN
INVESTMENT ON WAYS IN WHICH WE
CAN, PERHAPS ACCESS SOME OF THAT
REALLY IMPORTANT DATA TO HELP US
DRAW BETTER LINKS IS GOING TO BE
REALLY CRITICAL, WE ALSO NEED,
AS ANOTHER TAKEAWAY FROM OUR
REPORT, REGULATION MONITORING,
REPORTING OF THE INDUSTRY
STANDARDS OF PRODUCT SAFETY, AND
SO JUST AS DONE WITH OTHER
PRODUCTS AND, AND CONTEXTS, YOU
KNOW, THAT THAT ARE IN USE
LIVES, VEHICLES, CHILD CARE,
SCHOOLS, WE NEED THOSE SAME
KINDS OF SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO, TO
BETTER MONITOR WHAT'S GOING ON
AND, AND ENFORCE RULES. SO WE
REALLY NEED SOME OBJECTIVE AND
ROBUST KINDS OF RULES THAT ARE
GOING TO HELP ENFORCE THOSE
INDUSTRY STANDARDS, AND
OBJECTIVE RULES THAT REALLY HELP
TO PROHIBIT IT. THE MOST
DANGEROUS KINDS OF ACTIVITIES
THAT WE'RE SEEING SOME KIDS
GETTING INVOLVED IN, AND THEN
FINALLY, I WOULD JUST CLOSE WITH
WE NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT ARE THE
ACTIVITIES AND CONTEXTS THAT WE
CAN PROVIDE TO YOUTH THAT WILL
SUPPORT THEIR HAPPINESS,
ESPECIALLY WHEN ADDICTIVE USE OR
HARMFUL CONTENT ARE SORT OF
DISPLACING THEIR TIME, FROM AWAY
FROM THESE OTHER IMPORTANT
BEHAVIORS AND ACTIVITIES THAT WE
KNOW BENEFIT YOUTH. RIGHT. SO
RATHER THAN ORIENTING IT
TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, HAVING
INFORMING KIDS, DON'T DO THIS.
DON'T DO THAT. LET'S FIGURE OUT
WAYS TO SORT OF SHIFT THEIR
THEIR TIME AND ATTENTION AND
FOCUS INTO THINGS THAT ARE GOING
TO SUPPORT THEM IN REALLY
PRODUCTIVE KINDS OF WAYS, SO I
THINK IT'LL BE VERY IMPORTANT TO
FIGURE OUT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN
DRAW YOUTH TOWARDS THESE
HAPPINESS, PROMOTING KINDS OF
AND DEVELOPMENTAL RELEVANT TYPES
OF ACTIVITIES, WHICH MAY INCLUDE
SOCIAL MEDIA, INSOFAR AS IT DOES
PROVIDE A VEHICLE FOR SOCIAL
CONNECTION, AND CONTRIBUTION, TO
OTHERS. AND SO FORTH. SOME OF
THE WAYS IN WHICH WE MIGHT ALSO
THINK ABOUT DOING THAT RELATE TO
SUPPORTING THAT ACCESS THAT KIDS
NEED TO MENTAL HEALTH. AND THEN
FINALLY THINKING ABOUT
PARTICULAR EARLY IN ADOLESCENCE,
HOW CAN WE ENGAGE OR LEVERAGE
THE POWER THAT PEERS ACTUALLY
HAVE ON THEIR LIVES FOR GOOD?
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP? CREATE
ENVIRONMENTS WITHIN SCHOOLS AND
SO FORTH, WHERE PEERS ARE KIND
OF SETTING THE NORMS? PEERS ARE,
YOU KNOW, KIND OF SAYING, HEY,
LET'S NOT ENGAGE IN THIS KIND OF
USE Þ LET'S NOT FOCUS ON THIS
KIND OF, CONTEXT. WE REALLY WANT
TO THINK ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH WE
CAN APPEAL TO WHERE ADOLESCENTS
ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY, YOU KNOW,
THEY HAVE STRONG NEED FOR
RESPECT AND CONTRIBUTION, THÀNH
AND AUTONOMY IN THEIR LIVES, AND
SO THEY'RE ALSO, AS I SAID, VERY
SENSITIVE TO THEIR PEERS. SO
WHAT COULD WE DO ABOUT
LEVERAGING THOSE AROUND THEM
THAT THEY ARE PARTICULARLY, IN
TUNE WITH TO HELP SUPPORT THAT
GOAL OF, OF HAPPINESS, SO I'M
GOING TO END THERE, AND OPEN FOR
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. GREAT.
THANK YOU. QUESTIONS. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE
KIND OF SEPARATING OUT CHILDHOOD
AND ACKNOWLEDGING THAT
ADOLESCENCE, EXTENDS FOR A
LITTLE WHILE AND STILL NEEDS
SOME SUPPORT. AND I THINK, YOU
KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
WHEN I WORKED FOR A TRIBAL HEAD
START PROGRAM, THAT BLEW ME AWAY
AND I WAS JUST OUT OF COLLEGE,
SO I HAD NOT HAD A KID YET, BUT,
YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE SUPPORT
THAT IT PROVIDED PARENTS AROUND,
YOU KNOW, PARENTING STRATEGIES
AND, AND HELPING TO PARENTS TO
UNDERSTAND KIND OF DEVELOPMENTAL
STAGES AND WHAT'S APPROPRIATE
AND WHAT'S NOT. AND ALL OF THOSE
PIECES, I THINK IT'S REALLY,
REALLY LACKING FOR PARENTS. AND
I JUST, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME
IN MY LIFE, I WAS LIKE, WE
SHOULD JUST REQUIRE PARENTING
CLASSES FOR EVERY PARENT
BECAUSE, YES, BECAUSE THIS IS
INFORMATION THAT EVERYBODY
NEEDS. AND, AND AS MY DAUGHTER
IS TRANSITIONING INTO
ADOLESCENCE, I'VE GOTTEN SOME
RECENT ADVICE AND, AND JUST, YOU
KNOW, LITTLE THINGS OF THINKING
OF YOURSELF AS A COACH, RIGHT?
THAT THEY NEED COACHING AT THIS
STAGE AND AGE. AND IT'S, YOU
KNOW, YOU'RE TRYING TO SUPPORT
AND EDUCATE THEM WAS REALLY
HELPFUL. BUT, YOU KNOW, BUT I
WONDER IF YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK
ON KIND OF LIKE HOW WHERE ARE
THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPENING?
RIGHT WHERE THERE ARE THESE
KINDS OF SUPPORTS OR ARE WE
DOING IT RIGHT ANYWHERE? I WANT
TO HEAR YOUR ANSWER, BUT THAT'S
ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF ME
BEING A HEAD START AND SAYING,
WHY DOESN'T EVERYBODY HAVE THIS?
YEAH, WE HAD PARENTING CLASSES.
YEAH, THAT WAS A HUGE PART OF
THE PROGRAM, RIGHT? RIGHT RIGHT,
I THINK THAT WE NEED PERHAPS WE
NEED TO REVISIT THIS DURING THE
ADOLESCENT PERIOD. RIGHT. WE,
THERE'S NOT AS MUCH AVAILABLE,
IN TERMS OF SUPPORTS FOR
PARENTING, ADOLESCENCE. AND I
THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ARE
THE STATE OF THE SCIENCE HAS
EVOLVED AND CHANGED DRAMATICALLY
WITH THE ADVENT OF, OF LOOKING
AT THE BRAIN. RIGHT. SO WE NOW
UNDERSTAND A NEW COMPONENT
THAT'S SHAPING DEVELOPMENT AND
OUTCOMES. SO WE BOTH HAVE TO
CONSIDER THESE SORT OF
BIOLOGICAL CHANGES. BUT NOT JUST
AS THAT CHANGE, BUT THOSE SOCIAL
DEMANDS CHANGE. RIGHT. AND SO
THE PEER CONTEXT CHANGES. AND I
THINK THAT WHAT CAN HAPPEN IS WE
HAVE TRAINED IMPORTANT,
CRITICAL, NECESSARY TRAINING IN
EARLY CHILDHOOD. AND THEN THE
CHILD GROWS UP AND CHANGES THEIR
CONTEXT CHANGES AND WE NEED TO
ALSO ADDRESS THAT. RIGHT? I ALSO
THINK WE CAN LEARN FROM, YOU
KNOW, SOMEWHAT FROM WHAT WE'VE
BEEN STUDYING IN ADOLESCENCE AND
ALMOST BRING IT BACK A BIT TO
SAY LIKE, OH, HEY, WE'VE BEEN
SEEING THAT THERE ARE THESE
PATTERNS IN ADOLESCENCE THAT IF
WE WERE TO LOOK AT THOSE THINGS
EARLIER THAT WE NEVER KNEW
ABOUT, WE COULD ALSO FIND SOME
NEW TARGETS OF INTERVENTION
EARLY ON THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY
HELP US OFFSET THOSE LATER
MANIFESTATIONS OF THEM IN
ADOLESCENCE. SO I SEE THESE
PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT AS AS
MUTUALLY INFORMING EACH OTHER
WITH THIS RECOGNITION THAT, YOU
KNOW, I THINK WE DO NEED TO
INVEST SOME FOCUS IN SUPPORTING
PARENTS IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME,
CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, ADOLESCENTS,
YOU KNOW, YOU GO THROUGH THOSE
WELL VISITS UP TO A CERTAIN AGE
AND THEN YOU DON'T YOU MIGHT NOT
NECESSARILY, INTERFACE WITH A
PEDIATRICIAN'S OFFICE UNLESS
THERE'S A PROBLEM. RIGHT, SO
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE HAVE
TO TRY TO THINK ABOUT IS WHERE
ARE KIDS? WHERE ARE THE KIDS?
AND HOW CAN WE AND THE AND THEIR
PARENTS AND HOW CAN WE DELIVER
INFORMATION WITH THEM OR ENGAGE
THEM IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF
ACTIVITIES? SO WHETHER IT'S
THROUGH MEDICAL OFFICES, WHAT
COULD WE DO THERE, SCREEN FOR
SOCIAL MEDIA USE POSSIBLY. YOU
KNOW, THAT COULD BE A QUICK
THING. AND THEN KIND OF WE
SCREEN FOR DEPRESSION AND
SUICIDALITY IN MEDICAL, VISITS.
RIGHT. SO WE COULD DO SOMETHING
SIMILAR WITH SOMETHING LIKE
SOCIAL MEDIA USE, JUST TO GET
KIND OF A GLOBAL PICTURE OF IT.
THE OTHER HUGE CONTEXT
OBVIOUSLY, IS SCHOOL. SO KIDS
ARE AT SCHOOLS AND WE HAVE A
NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS HERE
ABOUT, TEACHER TRAINING,
OFFERING SUPPORTS FROM SCHOOLS
AND SO FORTH. SCHOOLS, THOUGH,
ARE VERY BURDENED WITH A LOT OF
THINGS. AND SO I THINK WE ALSO
HAVE TO THINK VERY CREATIVELY,
YOU KNOW, WHAT THINGS CAN WE
DOVETAIL WITH EACH OTHER? WHAT
THINGS CAN MAYBE HAVE A DUAL
PURPOSE WITHIN SCHOOLS, THERE,
YOU KNOW, I RECENTLY SAW SOME,
NEWS ARTICLES ON POUCHES THAT
HAVE BEEN PURCHASED IN SCHOOL
DISTRICTS IN OTHER STATES WHERE
KIDS COME IN AND PUT THEIR
PHONES IN AND THEN THEY CAN'T
ACCESS. THIS IS A VERY, YOU
KNOW, SORT OF DIVISIVE KIND OF,
POSITION, AND I LIKE TO THINK
INSTEAD ABOUT LIKE, WELL, WHAT
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR CHILDREN
TO KIND OF NOT, NOT PERHAPS USE
THEIR PHONES IN SCHOOL AND SO
FORTH. SELF-REGULATION. RIGHT.
SELF-REGULATION IS ONE OF THOSE
CRITICAL KEY THINGS THAT
CHILDREN NEED IN ORDER TO, STAY
FOCUSED ON THE GOALS IN FRONT OF
THEM THAT THEY HAVE TO THAT THEY
HAVE TO GET THROUGH. SO, SCHOOLS
, I THINK, IS AN AREA WHERE WE
COULD THINK THROUGH SOME NEW
POLICY CHANGES AROUND THE ISSUES
OF SOCIAL, MEDIA. AND IT'S
TRICKY BECAUSE THINGS ARE GOING
ON IN SCHOOLS THAT THE ADULTS IN
THE ROOM ARE NOT SEEING. RIGHT.
AND THEY'RE AFFECTING KIDS VERY
INTENSELY, AND SO, YOU KNOW,
THINKING ABOUT THAT. BUT AGAIN,
I WOULD I THINK I WANT TO
CHALLENGE US TO THINK ABOUT
LIKE, WHAT COULD WE DO WITH THAT
POWER OF PEERS? RIGHT HOW CAN WE
CREATE NORMS IN SCHOOLS THAT
DON'T ALLOW THIS? THERE'S A VERY
FASCINATING RANDOMIZED
CONTROLLED TRIAL ABOUT USING THE
POWER OF PEERS TO MITIGATE AND
REDUCE BULLYING IN SCHOOLS, SO
THAT COULD BE A VERY SIMILAR
KIND OF MODEL THAT WE COULD
THINK ABOUT, AS A WAY TO, TO
WORK WITHIN THE SCHOOL SETTING
AS WELL. YEAH. I MEAN, I, YOU
KNOW, MY DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL
ACTUALLY, THEY, I CAN'T REMEMBER
I THINK IT WAS AT THE PTA
MEETING. THEY WOULD, THEY HAD
THOSE SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH
WORKER COME AND DO SOME KIND OF
PARENTING CLASSES LESSONS AS
PART OF THE PTA MEETING. AND I
THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY SMART
TO, YOU KNOW, MEET PARENTS WHERE
THEY'RE AT, PROVIDE A RESOURCE
THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE
COULD BENEFIT FROM, AND IS
EXISTING SCHOOL STAFF THAT'S
GOING TO BE THERE ANYWAY. IT
CERTAINLY IT'S TAKING UP, YOU
KNOW, SOME OF THEIR TIME AND
PREPARATION AND ALL OF THAT. BUT
BUT REALLY KIND OF MORE
MANAGEABLE APPROACH, I THINK,
THAN SOME OF THE OTHER ONES
WHERE YOU HAVE TO REALLY WRANGLE
PEOPLE IN AND FIND FUNDING AND,
AND PROGRAMS FOR IT. SO SO MAYBE
SOME CREATIVE THINGS THAT COULD
BE DONE THERE. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. GREAT, GREAT
QUESTIONS. GREAT FEEDBACK I
APPRECIATE IT. I, A NUMBER OF
THOUGHTS, NO, NO, NO FURTHER
QUESTIONS, BUT A NUMBER OF
THOUGHTS. WHEN I WAS WORKING IN
THE NONPROFIT SECTOR, I ALWAYS
FELT LIKE I WAS RUNNING EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND PROGRAMS
AND SENIOR PROGRAMS. AND THERE
WAS THIS VAST VOID IN BETWEEN.
YEAH, THAT'S DOING A DISSERVICE
TO OUR COMMUNITY. I REMEMBER
ANOTHER INSTANCE WHEN I HAD A
FRIEND IN GRAD SCHOOL WHO
STUDIED, SHE STUDIED THE CONTENT
CONTENT OF SOMETHING LIKE 5000
FILMS, TO FIND OUT SORT OF HER.
SHE WAS TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF
POPULAR CULTURE, IMPRESSIONS OF
GENERATIONS. AND I REMEMBER HER.
I SAID, WHAT WAS YOUR
CONCLUSION? AND SHE SUMMED IT UP
IN A SENTENCE. SHE SAID, WE
ADORE BABIES, WE REVERE OLD
PEOPLE, AND WE HATE TEENAGERS.
AND I THINK AS A SOCIETY, I
THINK WE'VE, EITHER VACILLATE
BETWEEN HATING TEENAGERS TO
IGNORING THEM TO A LARGE EXTENT.
AND I THINK WE HAVE WE'RE PAYING
THE PRICE TO A LARGE EXTENT.
YEAH. I THINK THAT IT'S WORTH
RETHINKING OUR MINDSET ABOUT
THAT. AND YOU KNOW, SORT OF
THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS IT THAT
ADOLESCENTS, RESPOND REALLY WELL
TO? WHAT DO THEY NEED? BECAUSE
WE'RE ACTUALLY MISSING OUT ON A
VERY IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO
SOCIETY. THEY CAN THERE'S SO
MUCH THAT THEY CAN DO AND
CONTRIBUTE. AND THEN THAT'S JUST
A GREAT FEEDBACK CYCLE, BECAUSE
IF WE ENGAGE, YOU KNOW, THAT
THAT BODY OF YOUTH IN PRO-SOCIAL
KINDS OF BEHAVIORS, COMMUNITY
SERVICE THINGS, THINGS WHERE
THEY'RE FEELING LIKE THEY'RE
CONTRIBUTING SOMETHING TO
OTHERS, THAT THEN MAKES THEM
FEEL BETTER. RIGHT? AND SO I
THINK BUILDING THAT IN SOMEHOW,
BECAUSE THAT'S THE THING IS WE
REALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON WHAT ARE
THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS, WHAT
RESONATES FOR THEM, WHERE
THEY'RE AT AND WHO THEY, YOU
KNOW, KIND OF ARE WATCHING AND
TAKING CUES FROM, TO, TO
LEVERAGE THOSE CONTEXTS AS WELL
TO SHAPE WHAT THEY'RE ENGAGING
IN. YEAH THANK YOU, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU. THANKS SO MUCH. OUR,
NOW MOVING ON TO, PANEL TWO,
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO OUR
SECOND PANEL, WHICH IS ONLY ONE
PERSON FOCUSING ON HAPPINESS IN
MIDLIFE. OUR PANELISTS FOR THIS
PORTION IS DOCTOR DAVID
BLANCHFLOWER, PROFESSOR OF
ECONOMICS AT DARTMOUTH AT
DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY. PROFESSOR
BLANCHFLOWER, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US TODAY. AND HE IS
REMOTE. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES
GOOD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
THAT. I'M GOING TO BROADEN THE
DISCUSSION AND DEPRESS YOU MORE.
I THINK I'M GOING TO START WITH
THREE THOUGHTS. THE FIRST IS
THAT, I'M A PROFESSOR AT
DARTMOUTH. WE HAVE A NEW
PRESIDENT WHO HAS ACTUALLY
DECLARED IN HER INAUGURAL
ADDRESS, WHAT WE NEED TO WORRY
ABOUT IS THE WELL-BEING OF OUR
STUDENTS. AND I'M GOING TO TALK
MORE ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE IN A
SENSE, THE DISCUSSION HERE HAS
BEEN ABOUT SCHOOL KIDS, BUT I'M
GOING TO BROADEN IT AND TALK
ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT'S NOT
JUST SCHOOL KIDS, THE GROUP THAT
I PARTICULARLY CARE ABOUT ARE
DARTMOUTH UNDERGRADUATES. IN
FACT, IF I WAS TO WORRY ABOUT
ONE PARTICULAR GROUP RIGHT NOW,
IT WOULD BE 22 YEAR OLD WOMEN.
AND WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A
SECOND, SO THAT'S THE FIRST
THING. THE SECOND THING IS THAT
IT SEEMS TO ME I'M A LABOR
ECONOMIST, AND ONE OF THE MAJOR
ISSUES WE'RE GOING TO HAVE HERE
IS WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS ISSUE,
WHICH I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT,
WHICH IS ABOUT THE YOUNG. AND
I'M JUST GOING TO HOLD UP A
BOOK. I FIRST STARTED AS AN
ACADEMIC DOCTOR. BLANCHFLOWER
I'M SO SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU,
BUT YOU ARE REALLY LOW VOLUME
HERE AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IT NEEDS
TO BE TURNED UP ON YOUR END. IF
YOU'RE ABLE TO TURN UP YOUR
VOLUME A LITTLE BIT. BECAUSE WE
WANT TO HEAR EVERYTHING THAT YOU
HAVE TO SAY. OKAY, I WILL TRY,
OKAY. CAN YOU DO IT AT YOUR END?
CAN YOU? I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO
THAT. CAN YOU HEAR ME? IF I
SHOUT LOUDLY? THAT'S A LITTLE
BETTER, IT MAY LOOK LIKE. IS
THAT WORK? IS THAT WORK? NO NO,
THAT'S I THINK WORSE. I DON'T
HAVE A MEANS OF, TURNING UP YOUR
VOLUME. I DON'T THINK I'M
AFRAID. I MEAN, OKAY, I'LL. I'LL
TRY MY SOUND. IS THAT ANY
BETTER? THAT IS BETTER. OKAY,
LET'S TRY THAT. OKAY? OKAY.
THANK YOU. SURE. SO I'M GOING TO
SET THIS ALL IN CONTEXT, SO I
STARTED OUT THINKING ABOUT THIS
IN THE EARLY 1980S, WHICH WAS
ACTUALLY A THING CALLED THE
YOUTH LABOR MARKET PROBLEM, AND
IN A WAY, IT'S ABOUT A NATURE OF
THAT PROBLEM. AND I PARTICULARLY
AM CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN TO THIS GROUP OF
YOUNG. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, WE
CARE ABOUT THEIR PSYCHOLOGY, BUT
THE BACKGROUND TO THIS AS WELL
IS THAT I'M NOW THE ADVICE TO
THE UNITED NATIONS, WHO'S
ACTUALLY TRYING TO THINK ABOUT
EXACTLY THIS ISSUE ACROSS EVERY
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. AND WE'RE
GOING TO GET TO TALK ABOUT THAT
IN A MINUTE. AND WE HAD THOUGHT
THAT WHAT WE WERE GOING TO SEE
ACROSS COUNTRIES AROUND THE
WORLD WAS SOMETHING VERY
DIFFERENT TO WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN
THE UNITED STATES. AND THAT
TURNS OUT TO BE UNTRUE. AND IT
ACTUALLY CONTRADICTS QUITE A LOT
OF THINGS THAT PROFESSOR DE
NG¯ÜI HAS SAID, AND YOU'LL SEE
WHY I THINK THAT. SO THE
QUESTION WE'RE GOING TO GET TO
IS WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY? AND
PARTICULARLY AND I THOUGHT IT
WAS VERY INTERESTING. AMANDA GÂY
WAS SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT AND I
THOUGHT THE WHOLE THING ABOUT
THE RESEARCH WAS REALLY
INTERESTING, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE
OF ALL OF THIS AND WHY I HELD MY
WHILE, I HAD MY BOOK UP, IS WE
HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM THAT I'M
GOING TO TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT,
AND WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT
TO DO ABOUT IT. SO WE'RE HAVING
ACTUALLY WE'RE HAVING A BIG
CONFERENCE AT DARTMOUTH IN THE
FALL, FUNDED BY THE UNITED
NATIONS, TRYING TO THINK ABOUT
HIM. AND YOU MIGHT THINK,
CALIFORNIA BEING PART OF THIS,
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT
THIS PROBLEM THAT I'M GOING TO
TALK TO YOU ABOUT, WHICH IS A
PROBLEM OF A PROBLEM THAT REALLY
HAS, COME TO THE FORE VERY
RECENTLY, AND I CAN SET THIS UP.
SO THERE'S A DOZEN PAPERS HERE.
IT'S NOT THAT I'M TRYING TO
ADVERTISE. I'VE WORKED ON THESE
THINGS FOR A REALLY LONG TIME,
AND IN SOME SENSE, I WANT TO
TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'VE MISSED AND
WHAT WE'VE SEEN AND WHAT WE'VE
MISSED. SO I'VE WRITTEN ENDLESS
PAPERS ABOUT, A WELL-BEING
CRISIS, ABOUT THE FACT THAT, YOU
SEE, EVEN IN 2004, I WROTE ABOUT
IT IN 2008, I WROTE ABOUT IT,
ABOUT THE WELL-BEING IS
U-SHAPED. SO IT MEANS THAT THE
YOUNG ARE ESPECIALLY HAPPY. THE
MIDDLE AGED ARE UNHAPPY. AND
THEN AND THEN HAPPINESS RISES
FROM 50, SO THAT'S A U-SHAPED IN
AGE. AND THAT'S EXISTED REALLY
IN THE DATA FROM THE 70S,
REALLY, TO ABOUT 2015 OR SO. AND
THEN THE WORLD CHANGED. I'M
GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. THE
SECOND THING IS THAT YOU CAN SEE
DATA THAT'S U-SHAPED IN
HAPPINESS, AND IT'S HUMP SHAPED
IN UNHAPPINESS. SO YOU CAN THINK
OF A HUMP SHAPE IN UNHAPPINESS.
THE LEAST HAPPY PEOPLE ARE IN
THEIR 50S. THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE,
SORRY, THE LEAST HAPPY IN THEIR
50S. AGAIN, EVERYTHING PRETTY
MUCH GOES THROUGH UNEMPLOYED
PEOPLE HAVE LOW LEVELS OF THEIR
PARTICULARLY HAVE LOW LEVELS OF
HAPPINESS, AND THEY HAVE HIGH
LEVELS OF UNHAPPINESS. AND SO
THERE'S BEEN QUITE A DEBATE
ABOUT THAT. AND I'VE WRITTEN PAPERS, AS YOU
SEE HERE, PAPERS ABOUT, IN FACT,
A PAPER CALLED UTOPIA. I FIND
HAPPINESS IS U-SHAPED IN 145
COUNTRIES. I HAVE A PAPER ABOUT
THE UK, ABOUT THE UNHAPPINESS
FUNCTION THAT SHOWS THAT THAT'S
PRETTY MUCH PRESENT EVERYWHERE.
AND THEN AND THEN THINGS CHANGE,
AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
THAT IN A MINUTE. THE REASON
THAT EVERYBODY WAS THERE WAS TWO
THINGS PEOPLE WERE FOCUSED ON.
THEY WERE FOCUSED ON THIS HUMP
SHAPING AGE, PARTICULARLY
BECAUSE CASE AND DEATON TALKED
ABOUT WHAT THEY CALLED DEATHS OF
DESPAIR AND WHAT YOU SAW IN
THESE DATA. I'M GOING TO TALK
ABOUT IT MORE IN A SECOND. WHAT
YOU SAW IN THESE DATA WAS
ESPECIALLY THE UNHAPPINESS OF
PRIME AGE LESS EDUCATED WHITES.
YOU MIGHT EVEN THINK GROUPS OF
PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WHO'VE
BEEN LEFT BEHIND, PERHAPS IN
BRITAIN, VOTED FOR BREXIT, IN
THE US VOTED FOR TRUMP. THIS
GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO'S WHOSE
WELL-BEING DETERIORATED AND WE
SEE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF
THAT IN, DEATHS FROM OPIOID
OVERDOSES, SUICIDE AND COCAINE
OVERDOSES, HEROIN OVERDOSES,
DEATHS FROM, FROM DRINKING. AND
SO THAT DATA THAT THAT REALLY
WAS THE SORT OF PREEMINENT THING
THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT THREW
AROUND IN 2015 OR SO. I ALSO
SPENT SOME TIME AS A PAPER WITH
DONALD FEHR, WHERE I STARTED TO
THINK ABOUT, WELL, THIS WAS A
PHENOMENON PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT,
ABOUT WHITES. BUT ACTUALLY THERE
WAS ANOTHER GROUP THAT WE REALLY
SHOULDN'T HAVE IGNORED, AND THAT
WAS A GROUP OF NATIVE AMERICANS.
AND SO I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT THAT,
AND WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU THAT
IN A SECOND. SO THAT SO IN A
SENSE, THE EYES OF RESEARCHERS
WAS FOCUSED ON THIS HUMP SHAPE,
WAS FOCUSED ON THIS GROUP OF
DISADVANTAGED FOLKS. AND THEN
WHAT HAPPENED IS WE GOT
DEFLECTED AGAIN, BECAUSE COVID
CAME ALONG AND THE ASSUMPTION IN
ALL OF THIS WAS THERE WAS
SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT COVID,
AND WE SHOULD FOCUS ON COVID AND
SEE PATTERNS IN THE DATA
RELATING TO COVID, AND IN A
SENSE THAT WAS OUR FOCUS. BUT I
HEARD A LITTLE EARLIER, I THINK
A COUPLE OF PEOPLE SAID THAT
ACTUALLY THAT DISTRACTED US FROM
WHAT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING OUT
THERE IN THE WORLD. AND I AND
I'VE WRITTEN A WHOLE SERIES OF
PAPERS NOW, YOU CAN SEE ONE WITH
ONE JUST OUT THIS WEEK ABOUT
GLOBAL DECLINE IN THE MENTAL
HEALTH OF THE YOUNG. A PAPER OUT
A COUPLE OF WEEKS EARLIER ABOUT
THE FACT THE GLOBAL
DISAPPEARANCE OF THE HUMP SHAPE.
AND PERHAPS I SHOULD QUICKLY
JUST TALK ABOUT THAT SECOND
PAPER THERE AND WE'LL TALK MORE
ABOUT IT. BUT I TRIED TO THINK
ABOUT IF THIS IS ABOUT PEOPLE
BEING BULLIED, AND WE'VE HAD
CONVERSATIONS HERE WITH, WITH,
WITH, WITH PEOPLE ON THIS
COMMITTEE, WELL, WHAT IF THERE
WAS CYBER BULLYING GOING ON?
WHAT WOULD THE CONSEQUENCES BE?
SO ACTUALLY, I WENT AND WROTE A
PAPER ABOUT THAT. I MEAN, I'VE
WORKED FOREVER IN THE UK ON A
SET OF DATA CALLED THE NATIONAL
CHILD DEVELOPMENT STUDY, AND WE
FOLLOWED PEOPLE FOR 65 YEARS.
AND THIS PAPER IS ABOUT, WELL,
WHAT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, PERHAPS,
IF THERE WAS BULLYING. AND SO
THIS PAPER LOOKS AT DATA WHEN
CHILDREN WERE SEVEN AND THEIR
PARENTS REPORTED THAT THEY WERE
BULLIED AT SEVEN. I'M HAPPY TO
TALK ABOUT IT MORE LATER, BUT
WHAT I CAN SHOW YOU IS THAT HAS
EFFECTS ON EVERYTHING. 50 YEARS
LATER, EVEN INCLUDING WHETHER
THE RESPONDENTS ACTUALLY ALIVE
OR NOT. AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT
THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCE ACES.
SO THIS IS KIND OF WHERE WHERE
I'M GOING TO GET TO, AND I'M
GOING TO START TO SORT OF MOVE
FORWARD AND SUGGEST YOU PERHAPS
IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE,
PLEASE, SO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M
NOT GOING TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME
ON IT, BUT I SO I HAVE NOW BEEN
WORKING WITH JONATHAN HITE AND
JEAN TWENGE ABOUT THIS ISSUE,
WHICH IS ABOUT THE GLOBAL LOSS
OF THE U-SHAPED CURVE OF
HAPPINESS AND WHAT'S HAPPENED.
SO FOR PEOPLE, PLEASE, THIS IS
OUT YESTERDAY. IT'S ON JOHN
HITE'S WEBSITE. AND WITH JUST
THE THREE OF US ARE VERY MUCH
FORMULATING A TEAM TO TRY AND
THINK ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND BE
ACTUALLY REALLY ONE OF THE BIG
ISSUES YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ME
SAY IS THIS APPEARS UNLIKE WE
THOUGHT WITH THE UN, BECAUSE WE
THOUGHT IN THE UN WE WERE GOING
TO LOOK AROUND THE WORLD AND SEE
STRUCTURES THAT TOLD US HOW TO
AVOID THIS DECLINING WELL-BEING
OF THE YOUNG. AND WE WERE GOING
TO FIND WAYS TO THINK ABOUT SORT
OF SOLVING IT. AND BASICALLY
WE'VE HAD TO HAVE A COMPLETE
RETHINK, BECAUSE EVERYWHERE IN
THE WORLD WE LOOK AND EVERYWHERE
IN THE WORLD THE UN LOOKS, WE
BASICALLY HAVE THE SAME THING.
SO I'M GOING TO IF WE COULD
PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT TO THE
NEXT SLIDE. I'VE NOT GOT A LOT
OF SLIDES, BUT I'VE GOT A LOT TO
TALK ABOUT. SO THIS SO THESE SO
ACTUALLY, I DON'T BELIEVE I
ACTUALLY DON'T THINK THAT THAT
THE GLOBAL THAT THE, THAT THE
GALLUP WORLD POLL ACTUALLY TELLS
US MUCH OF ANYTHING BECAUSE IT
CONTRADICTS ALMOST EVERYTHING
THAT WE KNOW IN OTHER SETS OF
DATA. SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE
KNOW IS ACTUALLY IN THE US,
THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GOOD
DATA, OF RECENT TIMES, AND
INCLUDING A LOT OF DATA ON
CALIFORNIA VÀ. SO I'M GOING TO
GIVE YOU DATA ON CALIFORNIA. AND
THE GREAT BENEFIT, UNLIKE THE
DATA THAT WAS SHOWN EARLIER FOR
THE UNITED STATES, UP TO 2018,
THIS IS DATA UP TO 2023. AND
SOME OF IT'S EVEN FOR 2024. AND
I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU DATA FOR
CALIFORNIA AND SHOW YOU THAT
BASICALLY THE PATTERNS THAT YOU
OBSERVE FOR THE US AND
CALIFORNIA ARE EXACTLY THE SAME
AS I SEE IN YEMEN, PERU, INDIA,
PAKISTAN AND BANGLADESH. SO
LET'S LET ME JUST EXPLAIN THIS
TO FOLKS. AND THEN WE CAN THINK
ABOUT AND I ESPECIALLY WANT TO
WORRY ABOUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT
THIS. I DON'T WANT TO WORRY
ABOUT CAUSALITY. I DON'T THINK
THAT'S RELEVANT AT THIS MOMENT.
WE NEED TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT TO
DO ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE WHATEVER
THE CAUSALITY IS, WE HAVE A
PROBLEM. SO LET ME SHOW YOU
WHERE WE WERE. SO THIS IS THIS
IS 10 MILLION PEOPLE TAKEN.
WE'RE LOOKING AT 10 MILLION
PEOPLE TAKEN FROM A THING CALLED
THE BRFSS THAT PROFESSOR DENAULT
TALKED ABOUT. AND THESE ARE
THINGS THAT I'VE WORKED ON,
WHICH IS ACTUALLY NOT JUST ABOUT
THE WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE. IT'S
ACTUALLY ABOUT THE ILL BEING OF
THE FEW. IT'S ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS
TO PEOPLE WHO ARE THE MOST
VULNERABLE. SO LET ME JUST GET
PEOPLE TO HAVE IT IN THEIR
HEADS. I'VE WRITTEN A SERIES OF
PAPERS ABOUT IT. AND HERE'S THE
QUESTION. THE QUESTION THAT'S
ASKED IS NOW THINKING ABOUT YOUR
PAST MENTAL HEALTH, WHICH
INCLUDES STRESS AND DEPRESSION
AND PROBLEMS OF EMOTIONS. FOR
HOW MANY OF THE LAST 30 DAYS WAS
YOUR MENTAL HEALTH? NOT GOOD.
THIS IS THE PEOPLE WHO SAY ALL
30 OF THE LAST 30 DAYS OF MY
LIFE WERE BAD MENTAL HEALTH
DAYS. SO SAY IT AGAIN. EVERY DAY
OF MY LIFE IS A BAD MENTAL
HEALTH DAY. THIS IS A VERY
SERIOUS PROBLEM. SO IF YOU LOOK
HERE, THIS IS THE STORY THAT
EVERYBODY HAD FOCUSED ON. SO THE
PURPLE LINE IS WHAT HAPPENED TO
THE ILL BEING OF PRIME AGE, LESS
EDUCATED WHITES. IT TURNS OUT
THAT THAT DEATHS OF DESPAIR,
THAT BASICALLY CASE AND DEATON
TALKED ABOUT WAS ABOUT WHITES
PRINCIPALLY. SO YOU SEE THAT
LINE, THAT PURPLE LINE RISES
SINCE 1993. AND IN FACT, IN THE
UNITED STATES AS A WHOLE, AND IN
CALIFORNIA, DESPAIR MIGHT, BY MY
MEASURE, DESPAIR RISES. THE
GREEN LINE IS ACTUALLY NEGATIVE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THIS IS SO AT THE
BEGINNING IS SEE, AROUND 5% OF
NATIVES SAY THAT THEY'RE IN
DESPAIR EVERY DAY OF THEIR
LIVES. BY 2022, WE'RE LOOKING AT
NUMBERS OF THE ORDERS OF 10 OR
11. BUT HERE'S THE BIG STORY.
AND THE AND THE BLUE LINE IS
OTHER MINORITIES. SO BLACKS,
HISPANICS, ASIANS DOESN'T IT'S
NOT TRUE FOR THEM. BUT HERE'S
THE TWO LINES THAT I WANT FOLKS
TO CARE ABOUT. THE ORANGE LINE
IS YOUNG PEOPLE IS YOUNG MEN
UNDER 25, AND THE BLUE LINE IS
YOUNG WOMEN UNDER 25. AND HERE'S
BASICALLY THE PHENOMENON THAT WE
HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT HEIGHT
AND TWANGY. AND I HAVE BEEN
BATTERING ON ABOUT. SO IF WE
LOOK HERE, YOU CAN SEE THAT FROM
AROUND 2014 OR SO. AND AND
HEIGHTEN AND TOÀN YOU'VE TALKED
A LOT ABOUT CELL PHONES AND
INTERNET USAGE AND SO ON, REALLY
STARTING AROUND 2011. SO WHAT
YOU SEE HERE IN THESE DATA IS
THAT THE WELL-BEING OF YOUNG
WOMEN STARTS TO RISE HERE
DRAMATICALLY. NOT TRUE OF OTHER
GROUPS. IT'S TRUE OF YOUNG MEN.
BUT BY 2023, JUST SO EVERYONE
HAVE IT IN THEIR HEADS, BY 2023,
11% OF WOMEN YOUNG WOMEN BETWEEN
THE AGES OF 18 AND 24 SAY THAT
EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES IS A
BAD MENTAL HEALTH DAY, ABOUT 7%
OF YOUNG MEN. SO TO HAVE IN YOUR
HEAD, THIS IS THIS IS A REALLY
BIG DEAL, AND OBVIOUSLY I WAS
TRYING TO THINK ABOUT, WELL,
WHAT WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES
OF THIS? SO COULD I GO TO THE
NEXT SLIDE? AND THIS IS REALLY,
IN A SENSE, HOW MY TALK FITS IN
TO EVERYBODY. SO LET ME JUST
THIS IS A BIT NOISY BUT IGNORE
THE NOISE. AND THEN THERE WAS A
QUESTION ASKED AND I CAN ANSWER
THIS QUESTION I CAN ANSWER YOU A
QUESTION ABOUT COVID. SO THE RED
LINE THIS IS TAKE THIS BRFSS
MEASURE, TAKE THE DISTRESS AND
DESPAIR AND JUST PLOT THE RED
LINE BY AGE. AND WHAT YOU SEE IS
IT RISES THE TRADITION. THIS IS
FROM 2014 TO 16. AND IT'S TRUE
EARLIER THIS THING RISES, IT
PEAKS AROUND 51 AND THEN
DECLINES DOWN IN THE 70TH.
THERE'S THE HUMP SHAPE IN AGE.
WELL, WHAT WHAT I MISSED AND
WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE MISSED WAS
ACTUALLY THE MOVE AMONGST THE
YOUNG IS DRAMATICALLY UPWARDS.
SO FIRST OF ALL LET'S FOCUS ON
THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. PART OF IT.
THE RIGHT HAND SIDE PART HASN'T
REALLY MOVED FROM 50 DOWN TO 75.
THAT FUNCTION IS BASICALLY AS IT
WAS. THE PRIME AGE CLEARLY HAVE
HIGH LEVELS OF DISTRESS AND AS
PEOPLE GET OLDER THEN IT
DECLINES. BUT WHAT WE SEE IS
THAT THIS LEFT HAND SIDE HAS
SIMPLY LIFTED. THE LEFT HAND
SIDE OF THE FUNCTION HAS LIFTED
UP AS THE ILL BEING OF THE YOUNG
INCREASES. I PUT TWO LINES IN
THERE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION IS
THIS ABOUT COVID? AND THE ANSWER
IS IT ISN'T. SO THE GREEN LINE
HERE, THIS GREEN LINE IS BASED.
SO I JUST MERGED SOME YEARS
TOGETHER, SO THIS IS THIS IS
ABOUT IT'S ABOUT A MILLION
OBSERVATIONS IN THE GREEN LINE.
SO THIS GREEN LINE IS 2017 TO
2019. AND THEN THE BLUE LINE IS
2020 TO 2022. SO INDUBITABLY BE
THE MOVE OF THIS FUNCTION. THE
CHANGE IN THE IF YOU LIKE, THE
REMOVING THE COLLAPSE OF THE
HUMP SHAPE HAS ACTUALLY PRECEDED
COVID, THERE'S ACTUALLY QUITE A
LOT WE'VE WRITTEN ABOUT IF YOU
THINK OF THINGS LIKE PSA TEST
SCORES AND SO ON. ACTUALLY, THE
DECLINE IN THOSE TEST SCORES,
PREDATED PREDATED COVID. CAN WE
GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? SO THEN
THE QUESTION THÀNH, I WANT TO
TRY AND THINK A BIT MORE ABOUT.
AND I'VE ONLY GOT A COUPLE OF
SLIDES, BUT I'VE GOT A LOT MORE
TO TALK ABOUT. SO THERE IS
ACTUALLY I MEAN I WOULD
RECOMMEND NOT GOING TO THE TO
THE GALLUP DAILY TRACKER, WHICH
STOPPED IN 2018. I WOULD
RECOMMEND YOU LOOKED AT TWO SETS
OF DATA. THE FIRST IS ACTUALLY
FROM BRFSS, WHERE WE HAVE
250,000 PEOPLE FROM CALIFORNIA
IN THE DATA FILE, AND OBVIOUSLY
WE CAN DO MORE WORK AND HAVEN'T
DONE. I MEAN, I JUST DID THIS
PRETTY QUICKLY JUST TO SEE. SO I
HAD ENOUGH HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO
SHOW YOU THIS. BUT HERE'S THE
DATA FOR CALIFORNIA. THIS IS
1993 TO 2012, WHICH IS THE BLUE
LINE AND SHOWS EXACTLY
CONSISTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE IN
THE IN THE US AS A WHOLE. YOU
HAVE THAT HUMP SHAPED FUNCTION
AND, AND WE CAN SHOW YOU
ACTUALLY, I'LL GET TO IT IN A
SECOND. I CAN SHOW YOU
IDENTICALLY IN HAPPINESS, BUT
LET'S KEEP GOING. SO THEN
OBVIOUSLY WHAT YOU SEE IS THIS
FUNCTION LIFTS. AND IN FACT THE
MORE I IF I GO MORE RECENTLY THE
FUNCTION LIFTS UP AND MORE OR
LESS IN THE END, WHAT YOU'RE
GOING TO SEE IN A SECOND IS THAT
THIS FUNCTION MORE OR LESS NOW
FROM 2020 ONWARDS, MENTAL
ILLNESS, MENTAL ILL HEALTH
DECLINES IN AGE WITH A SLIGHT
HUMP AT THE BEGINNING AND
PARTICULARLY AROUND AGE 22. BUT
THIS FUNCTION HAS NOW HAS NOW
LIFTED UPWARD, IN THE DATA, WE
ACTUALLY HAVE WRITTEN QUITE A
LOT ABOUT THIS. THE DATA, IN
FACT, ALSO INCLUDES LIFE
SATISFACTION. AND YOU CAN SHOW
EXACTLY THE SAME PATTERNS HAPPEN
IN HAPPINESS. THE US IS GOOD ON
MEASURES LIKE THIS, WHICH ARE
MEASURES OF DESPAIR, BUT NOT SO
GOOD ON HAPPINESS. BUT WE DO
HAVE MEASURES AND IN FACT I SHOW
IN VARIOUS OF MY PAPERS THAT
ACTUALLY THAT EXACTLY THE SAME
PATTERN OCCURS. CAN EVERYONE
HEAR ME? STILL? WE'RE GOOD. WE
CAN HEAR ME RIGHT? YES, WE CAN
HEAR YOU. OKAY, OKAY. SO THAT'S
SO THERE'S THE FIRST PATTERN.
AND SO THIS PATTERN I SHOW YOU A
PATTERN HERE FOR THE UNITED
STATES. I'VE SHOWN YOU A PATTERN
FOR CALIFORNIA. SO THEN WE
THOUGHT, MY GOODNESS. WHAT ARE
WE. WHAT ARE. NO. LET'S GO BACK
TO THAT. I DON'T WANT THAT ONE
YET. CAN YOU GO BACK? SO WHAT WE
THOUGHT WAS, WELL, IS THAT
SPECIAL TO THE UNITED STATES? WE
CAN SHOW THAT FOR CALIFORNIA.
CAN SHOW IT FOR SOME OTHER BIG
STATES. IS THAT SPECIAL TO THE
UNITED STATES? SO WE WENT AND
STARTED TO WORK ON THE UK. AND
WE HAVE DATA EXACTLY LIKE THIS
FOR THE UK. I CAN SHOW YOU AN
IDENTICAL PATTERN FOR THE UK,
AND RESEARCHERS AROUND THE WORLD
HAVE NOW STARTED TO WORK ON
THESE KINDS OF DATA, AND NOW IN
VARIOUS OF MY PAPERS, I CAN SHOW
YOU EXACTLY THE SAME PATTERN OF
THIS OF THESE DATA IN NEW
ZEALAND, THE SAME PATTERN IN THE
NETHERLANDS. THIS PAPER IS NOW
SHOWING IT FOR AUSTRALIA. VÀ.
AND SO THE QUESTION SO THESE ARE
IF YOU LIKE, WE'VE SEEN IT
ESPECIALLY FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING
COUNTRIES. AND SO NOW WE'VE
STARTED TO TRY AND THINK ABOUT I
MEAN WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IN
THE REST OF THE WORLD. SO JUST
TO HAVE IN YOUR MIND. SO A LOT
OF THE COUNTRIES AND OBVIOUSLY
I'VE SHOWN YOU IN PAPERS THAT I
HAD BEFORE THAT I HAVE IT FOR
150 COUNTRIES, SO WE CAN STILL
WORK ON IT, BUT WE FOR 150
COUNTRIES, WE HAD THAT U-SHAPE
AND HUMP SHAPE. SO NOW WE'VE
STARTED TO SEE THAT THIS THING
HAS REALLY DISAPPEARED. THIS IS
ABOUT THE MIDLIFE CRISIS BEING
REPLACED BY A YOUTH CRISIS. AND
OBVIOUSLY THE PLEA I'M GOING TO
HAVE IS WHAT IN GOODNESS NAME
ARE WE GOING TO DO? WE CAN GO
STUDY IT FOR OUR HEART'S
CONTENT, BUT WE'VE NOW GOT THIS
INCREDIBLE PHENOMENON AROUND THE
WORLD. BUT LET ME KEEP GOING. SO
THEN THANK YOU, DOCTOR
BLANCHFLOWER. WE WANT TO MAKE
SURE WE HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS,
YOU WANT TO I NEED TO DO ONE
MORE THING, THOUGH. CAN I DO ONE
QUICK? THANK YOU. SO BASICALLY,
AROUND THE WORLD, I'LL STOP. BUT
AROUND THE WORLD, WE'VE NOW GONE
AND LOOKED AT WHAT'S HAPPENED
SINCE 2020. SO THE NEXT SLIDE,
NEXT SLIDE. BASICALLY THIS IS
FOR THE US AND CALIFORNIA. NOW
FROM 2020 ON. AND IL BEING
DECLINES IN AGE. THAT'S EXACTLY
I LITERALLY ONE MINUTE THERE'S
300,000 DATA POINTS. AND I WOULD
RECOMMEND YOU ACTUALLY GO AND
WORK ON THE CENSUS BUREAU
HOUSEHOLD PULSE SURVEYS. THERE'S
300,000 OBSERVATIONS FOR
CALIFORNIA. LAST POINT NEXT
SLIDE AND I'M DONE IF WE CAN
JUST GO THERE. SO NOW SO NOW
WE'VE BEEN DOING WORK FOR THE
UNITED NATIONS. AND NOW THAT
PATTERN I SHOW YOU FOR
CALIFORNIA, I CAN SHOW YOU
EXISTS IN 80 NOW IN 90 COUNTRIES
AROUND THE WORLD. SO THIS LOOKS
LIKE A GLOBAL PHENOMENON,
COLLAPSING WELL-BEING OF THE
YOUNG. IT'S ALL VERY WELL TO GO
AND STUDY IT. WE NEED TO KNOW
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW.
SO AT DARTMOUTH, WE HAVE
BASICALLY PROBABLY 11% OF OUR
YOUNG FEMALE STUDENTS ARE IN
DESPAIR. WHAT DO WE DO? AS AS I
THINK YOU WILL SEE ALSO YOU HAVE
IN CALIFORNIA, WHAT ARE WE GOING
TO DO ABOUT IT? SORRY, I HOPE I
CAN GO ON FOR TOO LONG. THANK
YOU. NO, THAT WAS THAT WAS
GREAT. WE'LL DO QUESTIONS. WELL,
WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE WE DO ABOUT
IT? WELL I THINK AT THE VERY
LEAST, WE HAVE TO GO AND THINK
ABOUT WHAT WORKS. I MEAN,
OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE ISSUES
WITHIN SCHOOLS, AND SOME OF YOU
HAVE OBVIOUSLY THOUGHT ABOUT
THAT AND HYDE AND OTHERS HAVE
THOUGHT ABOUT IT, BUT IT'S MUCH
HARDER, I THINK, AT DARTMOUTH
THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO THINK
ABOUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO
ABOUT OUR STUDENTS? WE CERTAINLY
CAN'T REMOVE CELL PHONES. WE
CERTAINLY CAN'T DO ANYTHING LIKE
THAT. SO WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO
DO IS WE'VE DECIDED WE'RE GOING
TO TRY AND THINK ABOUT A SENSE
OF COMMUNITY. WE'RE GOING TO TRY
AND THINK ABOUT SORT OF, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE BONDING TOGETHER,
BUT TRY AND STUDY WHAT IT IS
THAT HAS AN IMPACT. GIVE YOU AN
EXAMPLE WHAT WE FOUND. SO AT
DARTMOUTH, THERE ARE
FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES, AND
WE'VE DISCOVERED THAT, YOUNG
WOMEN ESPECIALLY ARE VERY HAVE
VERY IT HAS A REALLY BAD IMPACT
ON THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. APPLYING
FOR A TO GET INTO A SORORITY
TURNS OUT TO BE MUCH MORE
EXCLUSIVE THAN TO GET INTO A
FRATERNITY. AND BASICALLY YOU
DON'T GET IN. IT TURNS OUT THAT
HAS A VERY BIG IMPACT. BUT IN A
SENSE, I'M A LABOR ECONOMIST.
I'M A DATA GUY. AND IN A WAY, I
WAS WANTING AMANDA TO TALK A BIT
MORE ABOUT IT. WHAT ARE WE GOING
TO DO? I MEAN, I THINK WE HAVE
TO SORT OF THINK ABOUT THAT. I
MEAN, IN A SENSE, I WANT TO SAY
TO YOU, I THINK WHAT YOU SHOULD
TAKE FROM THIS, FROM THIS
HEARING IS NOT WE NEED TO GO
STUDY IT. I THINK WE KNOW THE
ANSWER TO IT. I THINK WE NEED TO
GO AND THINK ABOUT WHAT WORKS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, PROFESSOR GÂY
TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE
THINGS THEY UNDERSTAND. WHAT ARE
WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THE FACT
THAT 1 IN 10 OF THESE YOUNGSTERS
AND OBVIOUSLY WE SEPARATE FROM
THE SCHOOLS, IT'S EVEN WORSE, IT
ACTUALLY TURNS OUT, AMONGST 22
YEAR OLDS THAN IT IS AMONGST 15
YEAR OLDS, I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON
IT, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE DID IN
THIS YOUTH LABOR MARKET VOLUME
THAT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD, THE
ECONOMISTS, GOT TOGETHER IN THE
WORLD AND BASICALLY SAID, LET'S
GO THINK ABOUT WHAT WORKS. SO I
THINK YOU YOU SHOULD BE FUNDING
ALL SORTS OF SCHEMES AND TRY AND
THINK ABOUT WHAT WORKS. THANK
YOU. MORE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.
IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU TALK
ABOUT SCHOOL BECAUSE THAT'S A
PLACE THAT'S STRUCTURED, ONCE
YOU GET OUT OF SCHOOL, THERE ARE
LESS, FORMAL AVENUES FOR, FOR,
FOR STRUCTURE, SORT OF IN
SOCIETY ITSELF. AND DO YOU HAVE
A SENSE OF THAT? I MEAN, IS THAT
DO YOU THINK THAT'S PROBLEMATIC?
AND IS THAT A PLACE WE CAN WORK?
CAN I JUST RAISE SOMETHING? I
MEAN, WE ARE TRYING TO THINK
ABOUT, CERTAINLY AT DARTMOUTH, A
SENSE OF COMMUNITY. BUT BUT IN A
SENSE, LET ME JUST THROW A
PROBLEM TO YOU. SUPPOSING SO. SO
I'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON
SCHOOL CHILDREN AND SO ON. BUT
SUPPOSING THIS WAS TRUE. I MEAN,
ONE POSSIBILITY IS WHAT'S
HAPPENING AT DARTMOUTH IS A
PROBLEM. AND THE SORORITIES AND
THE FRATERNITIES AND ALL THE
INTERACTION THAT GOES ON AT
DARTMOUTH IS A PROBLEM. WE NEED
TO FIX THAT. BUT ANOTHER
POSSIBILITY IS THAT THIS
ACTUALLY OCCURRED AT HIGH
SCHOOL. THE BULLYING, THE CYBER
BULLYING, WHATEVER IT WAS
OCCURRED AT HIGH SCHOOL AND
DARTMOUTH INHERITED IT. I DON'T
KNOW WHETHER THAT'S TRUE OR NOT,
BUT OBVIOUSLY THE FIX IS GOING
TO BE SOMEWHAT IT'S GOING TO BE
SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT, RIGHT? SO I
MEAN, IF THE FIX WAS ALREADY IN
HIGH SCHOOL, WE COULD START TO
THINK ABOUT DOING THINGS TO GET
CELL PHONES. BUT NOW MY 22 YEAR
OLDS AT DARTMOUTH ARE FACING
THIS ISSUE. SO WE'RE VERY MUCH
TRYING TO THINK ABOUT COMMUNITY
AND WHAT WE CAN DO. AN EXAMPLE
THAT WE WERE GOING TO BUILD A
SET OF DORMS WAY AWAY FROM THE
CAMPUS, AND THE PRESIDENT
WITHIN, LIKE THREE WEEKS OF
BEING THERE, CANCELED THAT AND
SAID, WE'RE GOING TO BRING
EVERYBODY TO THE CAMPUS. WE'RE
GOING TO THINK ABOUT COMMUNITY,
AND WE'RE GOING TO THINK ABOUT
WE'RE BASICALLY STUDYING ALL
KINDS OF THINGS, INCLUDING
DIGITAL THINGS, TRYING TO THINK
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT? WHAT WILL
WORK FOR OUR STUDENTS. I MEAN,
THAT'S IN A SENSE, DARTMOUTH. WE
PUT IT WE PUT $500 MILLION INTO
JUST BUILD, JUST BRINGING THINGS
TO THE CAMPUS. BUT I JUST DON'T
THINK WE KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THAT.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY TIGHTS TALKED
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING
CHILDREN, ENGAGING PEOPLE,
TAKING THE CELL PHONE AWAY, BUT
WE HAVEN'T REALLY EVEN TODAY, WE
DIDN'T REALLY HAVE MUCH OF A
DEBATE. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO
ON THE CALIFORNIA STATE
CAMPUSES? WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO
DO AT BERKELEY? WHAT ARE YOU
GOING TO DO IN THESE PLACES?
BECAUSE, BECAUSE FOR ME, THERE
ARE GOING TO BE MENTAL HEALTH
CONSEQUENCES CLEARLY LIKELY TO
BE SUICIDE CONSEQUENCES. BUT FOR
A LABOR ECONOMIST, THESE FOLKS
ARE GOING TO MAKE IT VERY
DIFFICULT Ã TO MAKE THE
TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK,
BUT ALSO TO ESTABLISH, YOU KNOW,
TO, TO, TO ESTABLISH
RELATIONSHIPS AND MOVE AWAY FROM
HOME AND ALL OF THAT STUFF. AND
SO WE'RE WE'RE IN A SENSE, WE'RE
TEN YEARS IN AND WE'RE BEHIND
THE GAME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH, DOCTOR BLANCHFLOWER.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANKS
FOR YOUR WORK I APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU. OKAY. LET'S HAVE OUR
ENTIRE, WE'RE RUNNING A LITTLE
LATE, SO I WANTED TO SEE IF WE
CAN GET OUR ENTIRE LAST PANEL TO
ALL COME UP TOGETHER. AND THEN
WE COULD DO JUST ONE ROUND OF
QUESTIONS AT THE END. OUR NEXT
PANELIST ARE. OUR NEXT PANEL
WILL BE COMPRISED OF DOCTOR
SUSAN CHARLES, PROFESSOR OF
PSYCHOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGICAL
SCIENCE AT UC IRVINE, IT'LL ALSO
BE COMPRISED OF, SUSAN, SUSAN
DMORRIS, DIRECTOR OF THE
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF AGING
AND SCHOLAR AT THE STANFORD
SENSITIVITY. THANKS TO ALL THREE
OF YOU FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. THANK YOU, THANK YOU
FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY TO
DISCUSS HAPPINESS AMONG OLDER
ADULTS. WE ALL WANT TO BE HAPPY
AND FOR REALLY GOOD REASON. SO
HAPPINESS AND I STUDY HAPPINESS
BY THE EMOTIONS THEY EXPERIENCE.
AND NOT SO MUCH THE COGNITIVE
LIKE LIFE SATISFACTION, TO A
LESSER EXTENT. BUT HAPPINESS IS
AN INDICATOR OF OUR MENTAL
HEALTH, AND IT'S FUNDAMENTALLY
TIED TO OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH. IT,
AMONG OLDER ADULTS, IT PREDICTS
RATES OF CHRONIC ILLNESS, HOW
QUICKLY OUR DISEASES PROGRESS.
THE RATES OF OUR FUNCTIONAL
DISABILITY AND THE RATE OF OUR
COGNITIVE DECLINE. IT EVEN
PREDICTS HOW LONG WE LIVE,
INCREASING THE HAPPINESS OF
OLDER ADULTS AND BY DOING SO,
DELAYING COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL
DECLINE. ÓRDENES WILL INCREASE
THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE
INDIVIDUAL, FOR THEIR FAMILY,
AND FOR SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.
HAPPINESS IS KEY TO HEALTHY
AGING, AND THREE KEYS TO
HAPPINESS THAT WE HAVE FOUND IN
THE RESEARCH ARE PURPOSE. SO
MAINTAINING A PURPOSE IN LIFE
AND A MEANING FOR YOUR LIFE.
SOCIAL CONNECTION. MAINTAINING
CLOSE SOCIAL TIES AND FEELING
SOCIALLY INTEGRATED INTO YOUR
COMMUNITY AND MAINTAINING YOUR
PHYSICAL HEALTH. WE KNOW SEVERAL
OF THESE INDICATORS ARE WORKING
WELL. MANY OLDER ADULTS REPORT
HIGH LEVELS OF WELL-BEING AND
ARE VERY SATISFIED WITH THEIR
CLOSE SOCIAL PARTNERS. AND
SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE ARE
SO IMPORTANT AND HELP MAINTAIN
HEALTH. BUT WE CAN DO MORE
REGARDING INCREASING PURPOSE AND
MEANING IN LIFE. WE NEED TO
ADDRESS AGEISM, AGEISM STARTING
AROUND AGE 50, WORK BOTH PAID
AND VOLUNTEER, IS SOUGHT AFTER
AND DESIRED BY MANY ADULTS 50
YEARS AND OLDER. IT PROVIDES
MANY WITH NECESSARY INCOME, AND
BOTH PAID AND UNPAID LABOR ARE
OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH A GREATER
SENSE OF PURPOSE AND MEANING.
AGE IS A PROTECTED CLASS IN THE
UNITED STATES, BUT FURTHER
INCENTIVES FOR INCREASING
REPRESENTATION OF OLDER
EMPLOYEES COULD ENHANCE JOB
SECURITY. A SENSE OF CONTROL,
AND A SENSE OF PURPOSE.
REGARDING ENHANCING SOCIAL
INTEGRATION. WE NEED TO CREATE
MORE ACTIVITIES AND SPACES WHERE
PEOPLE OF DIFFERING AGES COME
TOGETHER. OUR SOCIETY IS AGE
SEGREGATED AND SEGREGATION
INSTILLS STEREOTYPES AND AN US
VERSUS THEM MENTALITY. AND YOU
WILL HEAR ABOUT SOME EXCITING
WORK AT STANFORD ADDRESSING THIS
ISSUE. IN ADDITION TO ACTIVITIES
, SHARED SPACES DESIGNED FOR ALL
AGES ARE NECESSARY AND SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED WHEN DESIGNING PUBLIC
SPACES IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA, FOR EXAMPLE, PARKS
DESIGNED FOR BOTH THE HEALTH AND
EXERCISE OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS
WOULD CREATE A MORE SOCIALLY
INTEGRATED AND LESS AGE
SEGREGATED WORLD. AND SPEAKING
OF PHYSICAL SPACES, THE ABILITY
TO AGE IN PLACE IS IMPORTANT.
CASUAL CONVERSATIONS AT YOUR
LOCAL GROCERY STORES, YOUR
COFFEE SHOPS, YOUR RELIGIOUS
COMMUNITIES ARE PART OF THE
SOCIAL NETWORK THAT ENHANCES
SOCIAL INTEGRATION. MOVING AWAY
CAN CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTION
AND LOSS OF SENSE OF SELF,
PROVIDING GREATER HOUSING
STABILITY. SO OLDER ADULTS CAN
AGE IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE
THEY GREW UP WILL HELP THEM
MAINTAIN SOCIAL TIES AND SENSE
OF MEANING. A VERY IMPORTANT
ARTICLE ON HOMELESSNESS AND
OLDER ADULTS IN CALIFORNIA VÀ,
JUST CAME OUT YESTERDAY IN LA
TIMES WORTH READING REGARDING
MAINTAINING PHYSICAL HEALTH EVEN
WITH MEDICARE. EXISTING
CHALLENGES INCLUDE HIGH
MEDICATION COSTS AND COMPLEXITY
OF MEDICAL SYSTEMS. THE SYSTEM
ITSELF CAN BE DIFFICULT TO
NAVIGATE WHEN SIGNING UP FOR
CARE AND COORDINATING DIFFERENT
TYPES OF TREATMENT. THERE'S A
LACK OF COORDINATION OF CARE.
OFTEN THAT'S VERY NECESSARY FOR
OLDER ADULTS AND SHOULD BE THE
STANDARD OF CARE FOR OLDER
ADULTS, AND NOT NECESSARILY FOR
THOSE YOUNGER. FOR EXAMPLE,
CANCER TREATMENT CAN INCREASE
THE RISK OF FALLS AND POOR
NUTRITION FOR OLDER ADULTS, SO
THE TREATMENT OF CANCER CAN, CAN
AND CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS UNRELATED
TO THE CANCER ITSELF. AND
WITHOUT COORDINATED CARE. WE
WILL MISS THIS. AND WHEN HEALTH
DOES DECLINE IN LATE LIFE, WE
TURN TO FAMILY, FAMILY AND
FORMAL CAREGIVERS ARE INCREASING
IN NUMBERS LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
WITH OUR AGING POPULATION, AND
THE AVERAGE CAREGIVER IS 62
YEARS OLD. AND THEY NEED YOU
WILL PROBABLY HEAR LATER, THEY
NEED OUR HELP. THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA HAS MORE OLDER ADULTS
THAN ANY OTHER STATE IN THE
UNION. IN SEVEN YEARS, ONE OUT
OF FIVE CALIFORNIANS WILL BE 65
AND OLDER SOCIETIES HAVE ALWAYS
BEEN DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN AND
FOR YOUNGER MIDDLE AGED ADULTS.
IF WE WERE ABLE TO DESIGN A
SOCIETY Ã THAT'S AMENABLE TO
PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, DESIGNED FOR
PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, BOTH THE
YOUNGER GROWING INTO THIS WORLD
AND THE OLDER PEOPLE CONTINUING
TO GROW OLDER IN THIS WORLD WILL
BENEFIT AND BE HAPPIER FOR IT.
THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK
YOU, MR. CHAIR AND SELECT
COMMITTEE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
ADDRESS OLDER ADULT ISOLATION
AND LONELINESS, ITS IMPACT AND
THE PATH FORWARD THROUGH
CALIFORNIA'S MASTER PLAN FOR
AGING. THIS HEARING IS
ESPECIALLY TIMELY AS MAY IS
OLDER CALIFORNIANS MONTH, AND
THIS YEAR'S THEME, FITTINGLY, IS
POWERED BY CONNECTION. THE
SELECT COMMITTEE'S EFFORTS TO
ELEVATE THE ISSUES OF OLDER
ADULT WELL-BEING COME AT A
CRITICAL TIME. AS YOU JUST
HEARD, SOON, 1 IN 4 CALIFORNIANS
WILL BE AGE 60 OR OLDER. WE'RE
PROUD OF CALIFORNIA'S NATIONAL
LEADERSHIP WITH GOVERNOR
NEWSOM'S MASTER PLAN FOR AGING
AND ITS FOCUS ON GOAL NUMBER
THREE INCLUSION AND EQUITY, NOT
ISOLATION. WE'VE ADOPTED A WHOLE
OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO ENSURE
OLDER ADULTS HAVE A SENSE OF
PURPOSE, MEANING AND BELONGING
IN OUR STATE. EXAMPLES INCLUDE
PROMOTING INTERGENERATIONAL
PROGRAMING, ACCESS TO FRESH FOOD
AND FARMERS MARKETS,
VOLUNTEERISM, WORK OPPORTUNITIES
AND NATION LEADING INITIATIVES
LIKE JOINING AARP'S NETWORK OF
AGE FRIENDLY STATES. WITH OVER
80 CALIFORNIA CITIES
PARTICIPATING, ESTABLISHING A
BLUE ZONE FOCUSED ON DEMENTIA IN
SACRAMENTO COUNTY. EXPANDING
ACCESS TO NATURE AND CALIFORNIA
STATE PARKS WITH GOLDEN BEAR
PASSES AND LIFELONG LEARNING AT
PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES SUCH AS SAC
STATE'S RENAISSANCE SOCIETY.
RIGHT HERE IN THE CAPITAL CITY,
THE ISSUE OF OLDER ADULT
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HAS LONG BEEN
SIDELINED IN POLICY DISCUSSIONS.
TODAY'S HEARING PUTS A WELCOME
SPOTLIGHT ON ISSUES THAT IMPACT
INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES,
COMMUNITIES, AND ALL OF SOCIETY.
A SIGNIFICANT DRIVER IN THE
EPIDEMIC OF OLDER ADULT
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH IS ISOLATION
AND LONELINESS. LONELINESS HAS
SUCH FAR REACHING CONSEQUENCES
THAT THE HEALTH IMPACT IS
COMPARABLE TO SMOKING. UP TO 15
CIGARETS A DAY. OUR STATE'S
MASTER PLAN FOR AGING IS
CENTERED IN EQUITY, UPLIFTING
THE EXPERIENCES OF IMMIGRANTS,
PEOPLE OF COLOR AND THE LGBTQ
PLUS COMMUNITY. WE'RE PROUD TO
HAVE JUST CONCLUDED A STATEWIDE
SURVEY OF LGBTQ PLUS OLDER
ADULTS, WITH 4700 RESPONDENTS
SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCE,
PREFERENCES AND HOPES AS THEY
AGE. IN CALIFORNIA LAST YEAR,
CDA HELD A SERIES OF OLDER ADULT
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ROUNDTABLES
WITH STRONG TURNOUT IN THE
INLAND EMPIRE, CENTRAL VALLEY,
FAR NORTHERN RURAL NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA, AND THE SAN
FRANCISCO BAY AREA. DURING THESE
LISTENING SESSIONS WITH OVER 150
PARTICIPANTS, TWO STRONG THEMES
EMERGED. THE FIRST IS ISOLATION.
THE PROLONGED COVID 19 PANDEMIC
HAS EXACERBATE FEELINGS OF
GRIEF, LOSS, DESPAIR,
LONELINESS, DEPRESSION AND
ANXIETY FOR MANY OLDER ADULTS.
AND WE KNOW THAT THIS DIDN'T
START WITH THE PANDEMIC. THE
SECOND THEME THAT EMERGED WAS
STIGMA. A GROWING NUMBER OF
OLDER CALIFORNIANS ENCOUNTER
MULTIPLE INTERSECTIONAL STIGMAS,
INCLUDING AGEISM, ABLEISM, AND
DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE,
ETHNICITY, LANGUAGE, CULTURE,
SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AND GENDER
IDENTITY. NEGATIVE AND OFTEN
PREJUDICIAL STEREOTYPES ARE
FREQUENTLY USED BY MEDIA TO
PORTRAY OLDER ADULTS THAT OVERLY
EMPHASIZE THEIR PHYSICAL, MENTAL
, AND COGNITIVE DEFICITS. THERE
ARE SOLUTIONS. WHAT WE HEARD
LOUD AND CLEAR IN THESE FORUMS
IS THAT WE NEED BOTH COMMUNITY
BASED AND CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS
, AS CDA WAS PROUD TO PARTNER
WITH THE STATE'S MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES OVERSIGHT AND
ACCOUNTABILITY COMMISSION TO
LAUNCH A $20 MILLION INITIATIVE
TO ADVANCE TWO COMMUNITY BASED
PROGRAMS, SPECIFICALLY TAILORED
TO OLDER ADULTS. JUST OVER A
YEAR AGO, THE COMMISSION AWARDED
11 GRANTS TO COMMUNITY BASED
ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT OUR
STATE. LAST SPRING, GOVERNOR
NEWSOM LED EFFORTS TO SECURE
RESOURCES FOR OLDER ADULT
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH THROUGH THE
BUDGET PROCESS. WITH SUPPORT
FROM THE LEGISLATURE. THANK YOU,
WE'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE OPERATION
OF THE STATEWIDE FRIENDSHIP LINE
FOR OLDER ADULTS THROUGH THIS
IMPACTFUL WARM LINE PROGRAM.
SPECIALLY TRAINED STAFF AND
VOLUNTEERS FIELD OVER 350,000
CALLS FROM OLDER ADULTS EACH
YEAR. AND JUST RECENTLY,
PROPOSITION ONE WAS PASSED BY
CALIFORNIA'S VOTERS. THIS
MEASURE ADDRESSES REMAINING GAPS
IN THE CONTINUUM OF CARE FOR THE
MOST VULNERABLE CALIFORNIANS,
INCLUDING OLDER ADULTS, THROUGH
INVESTING IN FUNDING FOR
HOUSING, COMMUNITY BASED
RESIDENTIAL CARE SETTINGS,
PREVENTION, AND THE BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH WORKFORCE. AS PART OF THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF PROP ONE,
GOVERNOR NEWSOM RECENTLY
ANNOUNCED MENTAL HEALTH CA.GOV,
A NEW WEBSITE OFFERING LIFE
SAVING RESOURCES, LINKS TO
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT HOTLINES
SUCH AS THE STATEWIDE FRIENDSHIP
LINE FOR OLDER ADULTS AND
RESOURCES FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS
FROM YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS TO
OLDER CALIFORNIANS, PARENTS AND
FAMILIES, VETERANS AND EVERYONE
IN BETWEEN. IN CLOSING, WE
BELIEVE THERE IS MUCH CAUSE FOR
HOPE. THE MASTER PLAN FOR AGING
IS REIMAGINING HOW WE SERVE AND
SUPPORT OLDER ADULTS IN OUR
STATE. PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
AND FAMILY CAREGIVERS WITH
CONTINUED LEADERSHIP IN THE IN
THE LEGISLATURE, THE STATE, AND
FROM OUR STAKEHOLDERS. TOGETHER,
WE CAN CHANGE ATTITUDES AND
PERCEPTIONS AND EMBRACE AGING
WITH EQUITY AND INCLUSION. FOR
ALL CALIFORNIANS. THANK YOU,
THANK YOU. ARE YOU STILL WITH
ME? I'M GOING TO BE VERY BRIEF.
I'M GOING TO CUT MY NOTES
BECAUSE YOU'VE HEARD SO MUCH,
YOU'VE HEARD SO MUCH GOOD
TESTIMONY ABOUT THE RESEARCH AND
THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY
CHILDHOOD, THE RESEARCH ABOUT
SOCIAL CONNECTION AND THE FEAR
OF LONELINESS AND OLDER PEOPLE.
AND WHAT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU
TWO EXPERTS IN Â IS THAT WE
HAVE A CHANCE IN CALIFORNIA FOR
A WIN WIN AS WE JUST HEARD FROM
DIRECTOR DMORRIS, THERE'S
GROWING NUMBER OF AGING OLDER
PEOPLE OVER 50 YEARS OLD IN
CALIFORNIA, AND THAT IS A
RESOURCE THAT IS AN ASSET AT THE
NEW MAP OF LIFE AT STANFORD,
DEVELOPED BY THE STANFORD CENTER
ON LONGEVITY, TALKS ABOUT AGE,
DIVERSITY AND TRANSITIONS IN
LIFE AS AN ASSET AND A RESOURCE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU KNOW VERY
WELL THE PROGRESS AND SLOW
SOMETIMES THAT WE'VE MADE IN THE
STATE AROUND EARLY CHILDHOOD.
AND I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE
PACKARD FOUNDATION FOR 16 YEARS.
AND SO SPEAKER EMERITUS RENDON,
I KNOW FROM FROM A DISTANCE THAT
OF YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THIS AREA
WITH THE BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION
AND THE PEOPLE. YES, YES, YES.
AND ALSO, ASSEMBLYWOMAN SHIAVO,
I'VE JUST BEEN HEARING IN THE
FIRST HEARING AND HEARING YOU
TODAY ABOUT YOUR CLOSE
CONNECTION WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD.
SO WE HAVE A CHANCE FOR A WIN
WIN. WE HAVE A GROWING NATURAL
RESOURCE OF OLDER PEOPLE OVER 50
WITH ASSETS TO GIVE BOTH
EXPERIENCE WISE, MENTALLY,
EMOTIONALLY AND TIME TO GIVE IT.
50S 60S 70. AND WE HAVE THIS
DIRE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE
EVERYWHERE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD,
WHETHER IT'S HEAD START,
COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS
RUNNING CHILD DEVELOPMENT
CENTERS, WHICH I KNOW YOU'RE
VERY FAMILIAR WITH, OR
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IMPLEMENTING
UP. SO IN THE PAPER THAT WE
SUBMITTED, THE LEARNING POLICY
INSTITUTE HAS REALLY STUDIED
THOSE SHORTAGES AND I THINK THE
DYNAMICS ARE CHANGING A BIT, BUT
THEY'RE STILL REALLY THERE. SO
AT STANFORD, WITH THE CENTER ON
LONGEVITY, I WORKED WITH TWO
RESEARCHERS AND WE TALKED TO
OVER 100 PEOPLE WHO RUN CHILD
DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. OUR
PRINCIPLES OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
TRYING TO IMPLEMENT THESE
PROGRAMS TO SEE IF THEY HAD
THOUGHT ABOUT THIS OLDER, THE
OLDER PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY
AS A RESOURCE, SOMEONE THEY
COULD CALL ON WHO MIGHT WANT TO
BE INVOLVED IN EQ SETTINGS. AND
WE ONLY TALKED TO PEOPLE ABOUT
TEN, TEN COUNTIES. SO IT'S NOT
STATEWIDE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE
TALKED TO OVER 100 PEOPLE. AND
WHILE WE HEARD PEOPLE SAY, OH,
YEAH, MY MOM OR DAD WOULD HAVE
REALLY BEEN INTERESTED IN THAT,
BUT WE HADN'T HEARD OF ANYONE
WHO WAS INTENTIONALLY IN THEIR
HR DEPARTMENTS OR IN THEIR
OUTREACH, REACHING OUT TO OLDER
PEOPLE RIGHT THERE IN THEIR
COMMUNITY. SO WE DID FOCUS
GROUPS A LOT IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA, ASSEMBLYWOMAN
SCHIAVO, I KNOW YOU'RE IN SANTA
CLARITA, BUT WE WENT TO LA
MISSION COLLEGE IN SYLMAR,
BEAUTIFUL CHILD DEVELOPMENT
CENTER. WE DID FOCUS GROUPS OF
COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO
WERE OVER THE AGE OF 50. DID YOU
KNOW THERE ARE OVER 100,000
COMMUNITY COLLEGES STUDENTS OVER
THE AGE OF 50 IN THE STATE RIGHT
NOW? AND SPEAKER EMERITUS RENDON
WE DID A LOT IN IN LOS ANGELES,
IN EAST LA. WE'RE WORKING IN A
CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LA
MAYOR'S OFFICE ON ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT. THEY'VE GOT A GREAT
INITIATIVE GOING THERE, BUT SO
WE HADN'T FOUND ANYONE WHO HAD
BEEN RESOURCED TO ACTUALLY
RECRUIT OLDER PEOPLE AND REACH
OUT TO THEM. SO WE WERE ABLE TO
COBBLE TOGETHER SOME SMALL
RESOURCES, AND WE STARTED SOME
SMALL PILOTS WITH FRESNO COUNTY
OFFICE OF EDUCATION, WITH THE LA
MAYOR'S OFFICE AND WITH SANTA
CRUZ, A SMALL COMMUNITY AND
REACHING OUT RIGHT INTO THE
NEIGHBORHOOD OF AN ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL THERE THAT'S VERY WELL
RESPECTED. THE FOCUS GROUPS WERE
TERRIFICALLY INSPIRING. I WE
SUMMARIZED A BIT OF IT IN THE
PAPER THAT WE SUBMITTED TO YOU,
BUT I WANT TO GIVE THE OLDER
PEOPLE A CHANCE TO CONNECT AND
BENEFIT THE YOUNGEST CHILDREN
AND THEIR FAMILIES SHARE THEIR
CULTURAL COMPETENCY AS WELL AS
THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCE. WE HEARD
FROM AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN
WHO HAD RAISED THREE SONS ON HER
OWN, WORKING TWO JOBS. SHE'S NOW
WANTING IN LATER LIFE TO
ACTUALLY STILL MAKE SOME MONEY.
BUT SHE NEEDS MONEY BECAUSE THE
FINANCIAL INSECURITY BUT SHE
WANTS TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT SHE
CAN DO WHAT SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO
DO AND NEVER HAD A CHANCE. AND
THAT WAS TO SPEND TIME WITH
YOUNG CHILDREN. WE HEARD FROM A
BILINGUAL IMMIGRANT WOMAN WHO
HAD WORKED A LOT OF OVERTIME IN
TRYING TO RAISE ENOUGH RESOURCES
TO RAISE HER KIDS THERE, TOO.
SHE IS COMING TO LOOK FOR
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY
IN WHICH SHE LIVES. SO BILINGUAL
CULTURAL COMPETENCE. SHE SHE
STILL NEEDS TO MAKE SOME MONEY.
PEOPLE IN THEIR 50S AND 60S
STILL NEED TO MAKE SOME MONEY.
AND THEN WE HEARD FROM A WOMAN
WHO WAS AN ART TEACHER FOR 30
YEARS. SHE DIDN'T WANT TO WORK
FULL TIME, BUT SHE WANTS TO HAVE
A CHANCE TO MAKE A LITTLE EXTRA
MONEY AND WORK AS A SUBSTITUTE
TEACHER, ASSISTANT OR AN
EXTENDED DAY FOR FOUR AND FIVE
YEAR OLDS. WE'LL HAVE RESULTS
FROM THESE PILOTS AND SUMMARIES
OF THE ANALYSIS OF THE FOCUS
GROUPS BY THE EARLY FALL.
UNFORTUNATE TO BE WORKING WITH A
WONDERFUL POSTDOC AT STANFORD
AND A RESEARCH ASSISTANT. I HOPE
WE CAN STAY IN TOUCH SO WHAT CAN
WE DO NOW? THE FIRST THING I
WANTED TO DO WAS ASK FOR A $15
MILLION INNOVATION FUND. BUT
EVERYONE I TALKED TO OTHER THAN
ACADEMICS SAID, DON'T, DON'T ASK
FOR THAT. EVERYONE'S ASKING THEM
TO CUT RIGHT NOW. SO WHAT I
REALLY THINK, THOUGH, A STRONG
STATEMENT OF REFRAME THIS, THAT
AGE IS AN ASSET, THAT OLDER
PEOPLE ARE AN ASSET, THAT EARLY
CHILDHOOD NEEDS OLDER PEOPLE TO
BE INVOLVED IN IT. A STRONG
STATEMENT WOULD HELP INNOVATION.
MONEY DOWN THE LINE WOULD BE
GREAT. SECOND OF ALL, I THINK
THAT, ACROSS AGENCY REVIEW ABOUT
APPRENTICESHIP WORK, TRAINING
PROGRAMS, PATHWAYS TO WORK
PROGRAMS WOULD BE GREAT BECAUSE
WHEN I'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE IN
THESE COUNTIES, THEY DON'T KNOW
WHERE TO START. YOU HEAR ABOUT A
PROGRAM OVER HERE, YOU HEAR ONE
OVER HERE, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
DEPARTMENT OF ED, DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIAL SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
AGING. BUT THEY'RE YOU KNOW,
IT'S HARD TO FIND OUT ABOUT
THEM. SO CROSS-AGENCY REVIEW
WHAT'S THERE. AND THEN ARE THEY
BEING USED FOR OLDER PEOPLE OR
COULD THEY BE IN LÀ THE COHORTS
THAT ARE BEING FUNDED STOP AT
AGE 30, THEY ONLY RECRUIT UP TO
THE AGE 30 BECAUSE THE FOCUS IS
ON YOUNG PEOPLE. SO A
CROSS-AGENCY REVIEW AND THEN I'M
SO PLEASED TO SIT NEXT TO
DIRECTOR DAMARIS, BECAUSE I
THINK THAT AS I'VE TALKED TO
PEOPLE IN THESE COUNTIES, WHEN I
TALK TO THE EARLY CHILDHOOD
PEOPLE AND I TALK TO THE AREA
AGENCIES ON AGING, IT'S ONLY
LIKE TEN COUNTIES, NOT A LOT OF
CONTACT, NOT SEEING EACH OTHER
AS RESOURCES OR POSSIBILITIES.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE
RECOMMENDATIONS. AND I WOULD
REALLY LOVE TO BE IN TOUCH WITH
YOUR OFFICES. BUT IT'S WONDERFUL
TO BE WITH TWO LEADERS WHO HAVE
DONE SO MUCH FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
IN CALIFORNIA. SO PLEASE KEEP UP
THE GOOD WORK. THANK YOU, THANK
YOU AND WE WILL KEEP IN TOUCH.
QUESTIONS THANK YOU SO MUCH AND
APPRECIATE THE RESEARCH AND
RECOMMENDATIONS. ÓRDENES, YOU
KNOW, IT'S, I JUST HEARD A I
THINK I WAS ON NPR, THEY WERE
TALKING ABOUT, I FEEL LIKE IT
WAS IN NORTH CAROLINA. I CAN'T
REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS,
BUT IT WAS A, A HOUSING THAT WAS
BOTH SENIORS AND COLLEGE
STUDENTS, AND THE COLLEGE
STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO WORK AT
THE SENIOR CENTER TO TAKE SOME
MONEY OFF OF THEIR RENT AND BE
ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, GO TO SCHOOL.
AND THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF
THEM WERE STUDYING GERIATRICS
AND, OR, YOU KNOW, OR HEALTH OR
THINGS. SO THEY'RE GETTING SOME
KIND OF CREDITS THROUGH THAT
TOO. BUT IT SEEMED LIKE, SUCH A
GREAT MODEL OF REALLY, YOU KNOW,
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE
NEED TO HAVE A PURPOSE, BE
CONTRIBUTING. AND SO, YOU KNOW,
HELPING THE KIND OF MIDDLE
GENERATION OR YOUNG, YOUNGER
MIDDLE GENERATION, AND ALSO, YOU
KNOW, CREATING THAT CONNECTION
WITH SENIORS AS WELL. AND I
THINK I'VE HEARD OF SOME
EXAMPLES ABOUT THIS OR KIND OF
GROUP LIVING FOR SENIORS MORE,
MORE MOBILE SENIORS. DOES THAT
CREATE THAT KIND OF COMMUNITY?
AND CONNECTION THAT'S SO
IMPORTANT TO, TO KEEP PEOPLE
HAPPY, TO HELP PEOPLE BE HAPPY.
AND I WONDERED IF YOU HAD ANY
OTHER EXAMPLES OF THINGS LIKE
THAT TO THAT, COULD BE MODELS
FOR, FOR US TO LOOK AT HERE IN
CALIFORNIA TO. WELL, I THINK
PROXIMITY REALLY MATTERS. AND
CO-HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES,
NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCKS. LIKE, I'M
THINKING ABOUT THE WORK IN SANTA
CRUZ, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
WORKING AT THAT SCHOOL LIVE
WITHIN BLOCKS OF THAT SCHOOL,
YOU KNOW, AND IT JUST TAKES SOME
CONNECTION AND SOME INVITATION,
THERE IS A THERE IS A GROWING
BODY OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH ABOUT
THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF HAVING
OLDER PEOPLE COME AND OLDER
PEOPLE IN SENIOR CENTERS OR
LIVING ASSISTED LIVING CENTERS
BE VISITED BY PRESCHOOLS. BUT WE
NEED A LOT MORE AND I THINK THAT
ACTUALLY THE COMMUNITY THAT
SERVES OLDER PEOPLE AND THINKS
OF OPTIONS FOR THEM SHOULD START
THINKING ABOUT INTERGENERATIONAL
CONNECTIONS RATHER THAN THE
SEGREGATION THAT THAT YOU TALKED
ABOUT. SUSAN YEAH, I JUST WANT
TO SAY THERE'S BEEN A LOT MORE
RESEARCH ON MIXED AGE HOUSING
FOR MICE THAN IT HAS BEEN FOR
HUMANS, I DO KNOW ABOUT JUST
TALKING TO CENTERS AND AGING
ABOUT, VERY SMALL GROUPS OF
PEOPLE IN ALABAMA AND PENN AT
PENN STATE AND, DIFFERENT PLACES
AROUND THE UNITED STATES THAT DO
THIS. I THINK ONE LIMITATION HAS
BEEN THAT IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE
FOR THESE DIFFERENT MULTI TIERED
HOUSING FOR OLDER ADULTS. AND SO
OFTEN WHEN THEY DO HAVE A SPOT
FOR YOUNGER ADULTS, IT'S, THEY
KIND OF SUPPLEMENT, YOU KNOW,
IT'S A FINANCIAL LOSS FOR THE
SENIOR HOUSING. AND SO I THINK
IF THERE WAS A WAY TO STRUCTURE
THIS SO IT'S AFFORDABLE, I THINK
IT WOULD BE A FANTASTIC IDEA. I
THINK IT WAS LIMITING IN THE
COST STRUCTURE. I WOULD JUST ADD
A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES. WE'RE
SEEING MORE COMMUNITY CENTERS
DEVELOP IN CITIES INSTEAD OF A
SENIOR CENTER OR A YOUTH CENTER.
SO THEY'RE MORE OF A
MULTI-PURPOSE SITE. AND I CAN
THINK OF CHOICE IN AGING. ONE OF
OUR KEY MASTER PLAN PARTNERS,
DEBBIE TOTH, IN THE PLEASANT
HILL AREA, THERE'S A MONTESSORI
SCHOOL ON THE CAMPUS OF AN ADULT
DAY HEALTH CARE CENTER, AND
THERE'S FANTASTIC. AND THEY'RE
THEY'RE BUILDING AFFORDABLE
SENIOR HOUSING ON THE PROPERTY
NOW. SO EXAMPLES, EXAMPLES LIKE
THAT. ALSO SHARED HOUSING IS ON
THE RISE. SO MANY OLDER MANY
OLDER ADULTS OWN THEIR HOMES AND
THEY FIND THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO
MOVE THE COSTS OF SELLING AND
RELOCATING, SO TAKING IN, YOU
KNOW, SHARED HOUSING HAS BEEN A
GREAT SOLUTION FOR PEOPLE OF ALL
AGES AND OLDER ADULTS WHO OWN
THEIR HOMES. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. WE'RE WE'RE WELL OVER, I
JUST WANT TO ASK ONE QUESTION,
BECAUSE THE, THE BUDGET HAS COME
UP, AND THANK YOU FOR NOT ASKING
FOR THE 15 MILLION. THIS WILL
TAKE CARE OF THAT FOR YOU. BUT,
YOU KNOW, THINGS BEING WHAT THEY
ARE, I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT
SORT OF WHAT IS SO SORT OF LOW
COST SOLUTIONS YOU'VE SEEN OUT
THERE THAT THAT MAY EXIST, THAT
WE MIGHT BE WANTING TO LOOK AT.
THE THEME OF INTEGRATION HAS
COME UP, AND THAT IS SOMETHING
WITH FEWER RESOURCES, YOU KNOW,
TO HEAR THAT PEOPLE IN THE
COMMUNITY AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH
THE AREA AGENCIES ON AGING. SO
THERE I THINK THERE'S A LOT WE
CAN DO AROUND PARTNERSHIP AND
COLLABORATION, HEALTH SYSTEMS,
COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS,
CAREGIVER RESOURCE CENTERS, AREA
AGENCIES ON AGING, AGING, AND
DISABILITY, RESOURCE
CONNECTIONS, HOUSING CONTINUUMS
OF CARE. LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES
TO CROSS-POLLINATE WITH EXISTING
PROGRAMS AND TO BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS. YEAH. I'VE JUST I
MEAN, ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS
ABOUT BEING INVITED HERE IS I
GOT A CHANCE TO TALK TO PEOPLE
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
DEPARTMENT OF ED, DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIAL SERVICES. AND, YOU KNOW,
THERE REALLY ARE A LOT OF THESE
PROGRAMS, APPRENTICESHIP
PROGRAMS, PATHWAY TO WORK
TRAINING PROGRAMS. AND SO I
THINK JUST KNOWING ABOUT THEM
AND REALLY ASKING WHETHER OLDER
PEOPLE ARE INCLUDED OR COULD BE
INCLUDED OR WHY NOT, WOULD BE A
GOOD LOW COST START. YEAH, I
JUST WANT THERE'S, THERE'S
CERTAIN, PHILOSOPHIES THAT
UNIVERSITIES ARE NOW TAKING. SO,
FOR EXAMPLE, KNOWING THAT OVER
50% OF OUR UNDERGRADUATES ARE
EXPERIENCING HIGH RATES OF
DISTRESS, WE TRY TO APPROACH
EVERY POLICY THAT WE HAVE BY
THINKING, HOW DOES THIS HELP
MENTAL HEALTH? I MEAN, EVEN IF
IT'S LIKE A FOOD POLICY OR A
PARKING POLICY OR EVERY SINGLE
ONE, AND IF PEOPLE STARTED
THINKING ABOUT HOW DOES THIS
HELP PEOPLE OF EVERY AGE, YOU
KNOW, JUST TO JUST LIKE WHEN WE
ZONE, IS THERE A PLACE FOR OLDER
PEOPLE SO THEY CAN MAYBE MOVE
OUT OF THEIR HUGE HOUSE AND LIVE
IN A SMALLER HOUSE, BUT HAVE THE
SAME NEIGHBORHOOD OR, OR, THESE
COMMUNITY CENTERS OR EVEN
SHOPPING CENTERS THAT HAVE
PLACES FOR OLDER PEOPLE AND
YOUNGER PEOPLE TO BE DRAWN TO,
YOU KNOW, SO JUST KEEP THAT IN
MIND WHEN MAKING ALL THE
POLICIES. GREAT. THANK YOU SO
MUCH, THAT CONCLUDES OUR FINAL
PANEL. I WANT TO THANK ALL OUR
PANELISTS FOR THEIR
PRESENTATIONS. IT'S EXTREMELY
INFORMATIVE, MUCH APPRECIATED.
WE WILL NOW MOVE TO THE PUBLIC
COMMENT PORTION OF OUR HEARING.
FOR THOSE IN THE AUDIENCE,
PLEASE STEP UP TO THE
MICROPHONE. IF YOU'D LIKE TO
PROVIDE A COMMENT. EACH PERSON
HAS TWO MINUTES. PLEASE BE SURE
TO SHARE YOUR NAME AND
AFFILIATION IF ANY. OKAY, GREAT.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR HEARING OF
THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON
HAPPINESS OF PUBLIC POLICY
OUTCOMES. THANK YOU ALL FOR
JOINING US TODAY.