Help in a Long-Term Emergency

A little under half (44 percent) of area adults say they have more than five people beyond their immediate family they can turn to for help in the event of a long-term emergency, like the death of a loved one. This is the same proportion as those who say they have more than five close friends. However, only about one in six residents say they have four or five people they can turn to for help, compared to the one in four who say they have that many close friends.

Higher incomes and education levels are strongly associated with having more people to turn to for help. But young adults are more likely than older adults to have more than five people who can help in an emergency. Compared to the proportions with more than five close friends, racial disparities in those with more than five people who can help are substantially narrower.