From the earliest days of the pandemic, we’ve all been inundated with anecdotal evidence of dramatically escalating need. At UJA, we've heard regularly from our nonprofit partners of food pantries unable to meet demand. Of increasing numbers of people who can’t pay their bills. Of more and more people seeking counseling for depression and anxiety. We certainly had a sense of the scope of need. But what we didn’t have was an in-depth community-wide picture identifying who, where, and to what degree.
Now we do.
This week UJA released the results of our Covid-19 Impact Study, an examination of the social, economic, and emotional impact of the pandemic on the New York Jewish community. Because the U.S. Census is prohibited from asking questions about religion and because no other organization is undertaking this research, our study is the primary source of information specifically focused on the needs of the Jewish community.
For a long time, UJA has conducted a major New York Jewish community study every 10 years. Data gleaned from these community studies has helped us understand the changing composition of our community and identify areas of both persistent and emerging need, information that has guided our allocation of $150 million annually. The wealth of data we make available is also used by many other Jewish philanthropic organizations to shape their work. We had been planning this year to embark once again on a broad demographic study, and had changed the research model to a rolling study that could capture data more frequently. However, given the pandemic moment, we made the decision to postpone the broader population study and focus on Covid-related needs.
So what are some of the top-line findings?
Poverty
• Nearly a quarter (23%) of adults in Jewish households are “poor” or “near poor”
• Nearly 1 in 6 adults in Jewish households experienced financial setbacks during the pandemic
Unemployment
• The unemployment rate for adults in Jewish households is 12%, compared with 10% in the overall population
Mental Health
• The pandemic has led to an alarming growth in mental health challenges: for example, 48% of LGBTQ adults report symptoms of anxiety or depression, as do 29% of young adults ages 18-34
Substance Abuse
• 1 in10 adults in Jewish households indicates they have a substance abuse problem, and 72% of those respondents said it worsened during the pandemic
And yes, there is good news too...
Jewish Life
• About 20% of Jewish adults indicate that their attachment to being Jewish has increased since the pandemic, while only 3% say that it has decreased
The other good news: over the time period of our survey, unprecedented government and philanthropic support successfully reduced the rates of food and housing insecurity. However, as government relief efforts subside, these rates are likely to rise again.
Data doesn’t always pull at the heartstrings, but it depicts in the plainest terms what we’re facing. Twenty-three percent of our community living at or near poverty is a staggering number that’s difficult to comprehend — particularly in a Jewish community that likely is the most prosperous in our history. One finding that movingly illustrates the depth of need: 84% of Russian-speaking seniors above the age of 75 are poor or near poor.
We’ve already committed many millions of dollars in emergency funding to many areas of need, like food insecurity and the mental health challenges of children and teens. But armed with this new data — which can also be filtered by age, geography, race/ethnicity, and more — we can identify gaps in government support and service delivery, helping us decide where limited community resources can be most effectively deployed.
Most important, we remember that behind every one of these numbers is a person. Their stories and struggles are very real. With strategic data-driven funding, we can play a critical role in altering the trajectory for so many. While the pandemic hopefully is receding, our work continues in pursuit of a simple yet deeply ambitious goal: to move people from crisis to stability and the possibility of a better life.
Shabbat shalom