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You are here:   Home → Social Environment → Freedom from Discrimination
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Indicator: Freedom from Discrimination

Data and Data Discussion provided by Communities Count

Figure 1: Percent of Adults by Age, Race and Income, Who Report Having Experienced Discrimination, King County, 2004

Figure 4: Percent Experiencing Discrimination in Specfic Settings, King County

Figure 2: Types of Discrimination Experienced

Figure 3: Discrimination by Age, Race and Income

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Upstream Indicators
  •   Educational Background --- The educational level of King County residents has steadily increased over the past 25 years with more people getting high school diplomas, some college experience, and bachelor's degrees.   (view data graph)
  •   Housing Affordability by City --- Homes prices have increased at a greater rate than incomes over the last two decades, making home ownership less affordable. However, rents have increased at a slower rate, generally in line with median household incomes.  (view data graph)
  •   Voter Turnout --- General elections always have higher participation compared with primaries while presidential elections (2000 and 2004) provide the highest turnout among voters.  (view data graph)
  •   Wages and Percent Employed by Sector --- Almost all sectors saw positive employment growth in 2006 and most have seen their highest growth from 2004 onwards. Not all clusters are seeing increases in the number of establishments. However, there have been four straight years of business establishments growth in clusters overall.  (view data graph)
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Downstream Indicators
  •   Incarceration Rates --- Incarceration rates in King County jails have remained in the range of 130 to 150 per 100,000 in population over the past decade. 
  •   Participation in Life-Enriching Activities --- In 2004, 85% of King County adults were "very active" or "somewhat active" in at least three different activities. The increases in this indicator between 1999 and 2001 and 2001 and 2004 are not statistically significant.   (view data graph)
  •   Teen Birth Rates --- Teen birth rates declined from 2001-2003 in each of the four King County regions and for all income and race/ethnic groups with the exception of Hispanic/Latina teens.   (view data graph)
  •   Physical Activity --- A person has met the recommended level of physical activity if they report having at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least 5 times per week. This is a new standard since these physical activity figures were last reported, therefore trend data are not available.   (view data graph)
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Related Goals

People who suffer discrimination are less likely to make healthy living choices. Discrimination causes unequal access to education and jobs resulting in lower income. It is unlikely that people who feel discriminated against will become attached to a place that is not treating them well.

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Sustainability Snapshot:

Freedom from discrimination at work, school and in public is a moral imperative as well as legal right, yet in 2004 over a quarter of King County adults reported they experienced discrimination within the past year. That number doubles among people of color, the poor and the young. Of adults reporting discrimination, gender was the most common type cited.

Sustainability Trend:

Indicator information based on three surveys conducted in 1999, 2001 and 2004. There were no significant changes over the three survey years for the county.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Percent of Adults Who Experienced Any Discrimination in Past Year, King County, 1999, 2001 & 2004.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

In surveys of King County adults in 1999, 2001 and 2004 discrimination was measured by asking respondents several questions about whether, in the past year, they had “experienced discrimination, been prevented from doing something or been hassled or made to feel inferior by someone else because of race, etc.” in one or more settings.

In 2004, 26% of adults reported that they experienced some type of discrimination in the past year. There were no significant changes over the three survey years for the county. (Figure 1)

Significantly fewer East Region residents reported experiencing discrimination in 2004 than in 2000. What appears to be an increase over time in the South Region is not a statistically significant change. East Region residents (16%) experienced less discrimination in 2004 than people in Seattle (29%), South Region (32%) or King County. North Region residents (20%) also experienced less discrimination than South region residents. (Figure 1)

For each setting asked about in the survey, respondents were asked if they believed that act of discrimination (in that setting) was based on their gender, race or color, age, or other factors as seen in the table. (Figure 3) By far the most common types of discrimination experienced in the past year were based on age, gender, social class and race.

More people age 18-24 years (56%) reported being discriminated against than older people. The age group 65 years and older (8%) reported experiencing the least discrimination and unfair treatment. This may be due in part to the fact that they are less likely to be involved in some of the settings included in the discrimination measure, such as school and work. (Figure 3)

People of color (49%) were more than twice as likely to report discrimination in the past year than were whites (22%). People in households with incomes $50,000 or higher (19%) were less likely to report discrimination than people in lower income households.

For each setting asked about in the survey, respondents were asked if they believed that act of discrimination (in that setting) was based on their gender, race or color, age, or other factors as seen in the table. (Figure 4) At least 5% reported discrimination getting a job, and/or getting medical care.

Data Source and Limitations

The discrimination measures are contributed by Communities Count (www.communitiescount.org) and come from the King County Community Health Survey, 1999, 2001, and 2004, which adapted questions on unfair treatment from the CARDIA Study IV (Krieger N, Sidney S “Racial discrimination and blood pressure: The CARDIA Study in young black and white adults.” Am J Public Health 1996; 86:1370-1378.

A limitation of self reported experiences of discrimination is that people’s interpretations of “discrimination” and “unfair” may not be the same. The limitations of a telephone survey include the following: a) people who do not have a telephone are missed, b) people who do not speak English are not included, and c) people who have less education and lower incomes tend to be underrepresented.

 

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