IFI Releases The Indiana Family Report

On Sunday, June 20th the Associated Press first reported a story on the Indiana Family Report Indiana Family Report, fresh research from the Indiana Family Institute. The Indiana Family Report consists of 10 Family Health Indicators.

These Indicators attempt to communicate the state of the Hoosier family. IFI hopes to use the baseline of statistical information that the Indiana Family Report has produced in order to assess the strengths and weaknesses of Hoosier families in every Indiana county.

The Indiana Family Report is based on similar research done by the Michigan Family Forum. Their research can be found at www.mfforum.com. By ranking all 92 Indiana counties in the 10 Family Health Indicators, the Indiana Family Report allows for an average of all 10 Family Health Indicators to find where all 92 counties rank. Hopefully, through this research, county leaders will be able to find those areas in which their county needs the most improvement.

However, the purpose of this research is three-fold:

1. Provide a baseline by which we can access the institution of the family by county and statewide.
2. Urge State Government to collect better data. The most pressing need being divorce data, as Indiana is one of only 4 states that do not keep divorce statistics.
3. Provide local officials with the tools they need to focus public resources where problems are worst.