...news release...

Kentucky
Long-Term Policy Research Center
111 St. James Court, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-8486
(Telephone: 502-564-2851 6Fax: 502-564-1412 8E-Mail: ltprc@lrc.state.ky.us
www.kltprc.net

Report Outlines Trends and Issues Affecting Kentucky's Future

FRANKFORT, KY (January 4, 2007) — The Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center today released its seventh biennial report on trends influencing the future of the Commonwealth, Visioning Kentucky’s Future: Measures and Milestones 2006. 

As envisioned by the Kentucky General Assembly, the 194-page report offers citizens and policymakers alike a body of information about opportunities, problems, and uncertainties on the horizon that can be used, in the words of 2006 Center Board Chair Brian Van Horn, “to think and act strategically about Kentucky’s future.” According to Van Horn, an Assistant Dean of Continuing Education at Murray State University, “adopting a long-term view and evaluating policy from a broader perspective facilitates a measured approach toward public policy and a maximum return on public investments.”

Visioning Kentucky’s Future: Measures and Milestones 2006 is organized around five sections: communities, education, economy, environment, and government. Within these five areas are 26 long-term goals derived from a citizen vision for the Commonwealth’s future. The report includes over 100 benchmarks, trends, or indicators that are measures of the progress made toward each goal and the results of a statewide opinion poll that gauged citizen assessments of progress and the importance of each goal.

Many of the indicators presented in this biennial trends report show Kentucky generally moving in the right direction. Yet, while Kentucky has made progress on many important measures, it has not necessarily gained much ground on other states. This mixed picture is evident in many areas and possibly suggests future public policy directions. There are at least five broad themes in the report:

We are Running Harder to Stay in Place—Education and income trends illustrate how many Kentuckians are running harder just to keep pace. Kentucky has invested considerable resources in improving its education system and has realized significant returns from these investments, as evidenced by rising college enrollments, improving performance on the 8th grade NAEP reading test, and increasing educational attainment rates. However, our educational rankings compared to other states have not changed substantially over the last 15 years. Likewise, Kentucky’s average annual per capita personal income has increased significantly over the last decade, but remains mired at 82 percent of the national average. These trends illustrate that most other states are making progress too, and that it will take extraordinary effort for Kentucky to make extraordinary gains.

If You Learn…You Earn—The rapidly changing globally integrated economy is rewarding those with higher levels of education and skills and creating distinct winners and losers.  Historically, we do not have a problem creating jobs, demonstrated by an unemployment rate that has paralleled the national average. Rather, we have a problem creating high-quality jobs, evidenced by the state’s relatively low number of scientific research and development firms and patents issued to our citizens and businesses. To be successful in this economy, it is essential for our citizens to embrace lifelong learning and value the pursuit of education.

A New Prescription for Health Care is Needed—The combined deficits of under- and uninsurance, as well as undereducation, which is clearly linked to poor health outcomes, have contributed to a very poor health status relative to the nation.  In short, we are not very healthy. We lead the nation in the adult smoking rate and rank fifth in adult obesity, two significant behavioral risk factors that cause a long list of chronic and costly health conditions like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Moreover, the health status of our citizens has a direct effect on our collective medical bill, affecting family expenses, business ledgers, and government budgets. Clearly, Kentucky, like the nation, needs a “new prescription for health care.”

Kentucky Has a Strong Foundation for Progress—The foundation for future success will be determined, in part, by the strength of our transportation, technological, and environmental infrastructure, which appears strong based on many of the indicators presented in this report. Continuing to build and strengthen an already strong foundation for progress will help ensure future economic success for the Commonwealth.

The Importance of Leadership and Civic Engagement—Fiscal resources are expected to tighten in the future because of the aging population, rising health care costs, and looming government obligations. Consequently, governments will look increasingly to community-based organizations, nonprofits, the private sector, and citizens for collaborative opportunities to solve problems and seize opportunities. Kentucky’s stock of social capital is relatively strong, evidenced by high levels of volunteerism, charitable giving, social trust, and community involvement, which bodes well for the future.

Citizens may obtain a free copy of the report from the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center. The report is available online at http://www.kltprc.net/books/2006/trends.pdf. To request a copy, contact the Center by mail at 111 St. James Court, Frankfort, KY 40601; by phone at 502-564-2851 or 800-853-2851; by fax at 502-564-1412 or 800-383-1412; or by e-mail at pubs@kltprc.net.

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