The following report highlights findings across three cross-sectional quarterly surveys, each fielded by CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy in December 2021, March 2022, and June 2022. Each survey was conducted among a different sample of 1,000 participants across nine New York Counties: Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), Nassau, New York (Manhattan), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester. We briefly explore which social and health services participants cite as most needed over the past six months.
In this report, we excluded respondents who stated they did not need better access to any services; only those who have reported a health or social service need were included. Over the past six months, the percentage of respondents in need of social services has been around 47% in December 2021 and March 2022, rising to 55% most recently in June 2022. For health services, 59% of respondents needed access in December 2021 and March 2022. This number grew to 66% in June 2022.
Social Services
New Yorker’s have steadily required food assistance with persistent increases over the past 6 months. Among those reporting a need for social services, the percentage of respondents who needed food assistance increased from 29% in December 2021 to 35% in March 2022, and most recently to 39% in June 2022.
Roughly one in three (34%) of these same respondents needed better access to housing assistance in December 2021. The need for housing assistance dipped in March 2022 to nearly three in ten respondents (27%), followed by a sharp increase to almost four in ten respondents (37%) in June 2022.
*Refers to percentage of participants reporting a need for better access to a social service (December 2021, n=468; March 2022, n=452; June 2022, n=546)
Over the past six months, food and housing assistance have consistently been the primary needs among respondents who reported needing access to a social service. Food assistance had the highest need of all social services in March 2022 and June 2022, while housing assistance was the main social service needed in December 2021.
The need for childcare peaked in March 2022, with 15% citing a need for better access. In December 2021 and June 2022, this number was 11% and 9%, respectively, or around one in ten respondents.
Health Services
In December 2021 and June 2022, mental health services were the predominant health need: nearly one in three respondents in need of health services in both December 2021 (31%) and June 2022 (32%) needed access to mental health care. In March 2022, this number dropped to one in four (26%) respondents.
The need for general medical care peaked in March 2022, with just under half (45%) of respondents in need of health services reporting a lack of access to general care. In both December 2021 and June 2022, this number was closer to over one in four (27%) respondents.
The need for reproductive health services doubled between December 2021 and March 2022: from six percent (6%) of respondents in December 2021 to twelve percent (12%) in March 2022. Most recently, fourteen percent (14%) of respondents in need of health services cited a need for reproductive health services in June 2022.
The need for dental care has fluctuated over the past six months. In December 2021, over one in five (22%) respondents in need of health services required better access to dental care. This number grew to nearly three in ten (28%) in March 2022, but has since decreased to less than two out of ten respondents (18%) in June 2022.
