Date: May 31, 2022

To amend Article 1.3 of Act No. 54 of August 15, 1989, also known as the “Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention Act”, to recognize economic violence as a form of domestic violence; to order the Office of the Women's Attorney, Department of Family; Department of Justice; Department of Education; Department of Housing; Department of Economic Development; Department of Health; Department of Health; Police Negotiate; and Statistics Institute to take affirmative action to ensure dissemination and compliance with public policy against this and all other manifestations of domestic violence; and for other relevant purposes.

PRESS RELEASE

The Institute of Statistics launches questionnaire to evaluate its services

The questionnaire collects information on what the focus and scope of the next Strategic Plan should be.

In order to know the opinion of citizens regarding the performance of the services offered by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute), the executive director, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, announced the launch of a questionnaire that, among others, will collect the opinion of citizens on what should be the approach and scope of the Institute's next Strategic Plan, which will last three (3) years.

“The Institute was created to promote changes in the systems for collecting and analyzing the information that is generated so that they are complete, reliable and quickly and universally accessible. Periodically evaluating how the Institute has fulfilled these purposes is essential to continue to transform our institution and improve our services. In addition, we must ensure that our strategic plan is in line with the needs of today's society,” argued Dr. Disdier.

It was reported that the questionnaire is one in electronic format, easy to complete, and that it can be accessed through any computer, tablet or smartphone with Internet services. Among the topics covered by the questionnaire are: frequency of use of services and products, perception of the quality of services, level of trust in products, opinion on potential strengths and weaknesses, assessment of compliance with the mission and vision, and possible changes to the Institute's objectives, among others. Anyone can participate in this survey, including employees and officials of the three (3) branches of government, researchers, academics, teachers, students, parents, and users of information and data in general, inside and outside of Puerto Rico.

The questionnaire entitled “Evaluation of the Services of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute and Update of its Strategic Plan” can be accessed at any time through the following e-mail address: Quality of Service Survey.

For technical questions or for more information about this questionnaire, you can send an email to: preguntas@estadisticas.pr.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

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PRESS RELEASE

They add data on substance use by students to the interactive map on school and community profiles

Based on the Mental Health and Addiction Services Administration (ASSMCA) “Youth Consultation” study

May 23, 2022: The executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, announced that a new layer, on substance use by students living in Puerto Rico, has been added to the interactive map on school and community profiles, known as the “School Community Profile: The Interactive Map”. This new layer consists mainly of data on the prevalence of substance use, risk and protective factors, access to substances, risk perception, and violent behavior, among others. The tool also contains a copy of the official report from which the data were obtained. This particular layer is entitled “Youth Consultation 2018-2020 (ASSMCA)” and must be activated using the “layers” menu.

“These data are based on the Youth Consultation survey conducted during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years and measures the prevalence of substance use among students from seventh to twelfth grade, both in public and private schools in Puerto Rico. In particular, this new layer is divided into ten (10) service areas or regions grouped into: Metro Area, Arecibo, Bayamón, Caguas, Fajardo, Guayama, Mayaguez, Moca, Ponce and Utuado,” explained Dr. Disdier.

Some aspects that this new layer allows us to observe are, for example, that, in the area or region of Utuado, 7.8% of students ever used marijuana, 5.3% used unprescribed pills, 51.6% (of those who used cocaine) started using cocaine when they were less than 12 years old, and 36.8% lived in a conflicted family environment, among other statistics. In the same way, by concurrently activating the Public School Directory layer, it can be seen that most schools in that geographical area of Utuado have a three (3) star rating. “This is just one example of many geospatial observations and/or analyses that could be carried out,” emphasized Dr. Disdier.

The School Community Profile: The interactive map, with this new layer, resides on the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics website and interested parties can access it at any time through the following e-mail address: School-community profile.

For technical questions about this tool, you can send an email to: preguntas@estadisticas.pr.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

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Contacts:

Idia M. Martinez, R-28, 787-603-3200

Lourdes Burgos, R-27, 787-562-2932

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PRESS RELEASE

Updated data on child abuse in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Child Abuse Profile: Interactive Report 2018-2022, shows, among others, the number of abused minors per year and the magnitude of the types of abuse

The executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, presented the “Puerto Rico Child Abuse Profile: Interactive Report 2018-2022”, which consists of a new digital platform through which statistics related to child abuse are organized and summarized, based on secondary data provided by various local agencies and the federal government. Available statistics include the number of abused minors per year, the rates of abuse, the geographical distribution of abuse, the distribution and magnitude of the types of abuse, the ratio of the perpetrator, and the contrast between Puerto Rico and other jurisdictions in the United States.

“Child abuse is a serious social problem that negatively affects the physical, mental and emotional health and integrity of children and young people under 18 years of age. To eradicate this problem, it is essential to have complete and accessible statistics that serve as a guide for evidence-based prevention and promotion programs. Precisely, this new profile provides the necessary information and statistics to start implementing solutions,” said Dr. Disdier.

Disdier explained that this profile not only fills an information gap that existed since the previous publication, which dates back to 2015, but now the report is a digital and interactive one, in which the user can select between several years, categories and variables, and can even download the data for subsequent analysis. “These new data suggest that, in general terms, more than 5,000 children are abused annually and that currently the rate of abuse can be estimated at 10 abused minors for every 1,000 children under 18 living in Puerto Rico,” said Disdier.

Among other more relevant data presented by this new profile, for the year 2021, are:

• The municipalities with the highest rates (x 1,000 minors) of child abuse in Puerto Rico in 2021 were: Ceiba (31.8), Humacao (23.3), Jayuya (21.7), Lajas (21.7) and Guayama (20.6).
• The municipalities with the lowest rates (x 1,000 minors) of child abuse in Puerto Rico in 2021 were: Loíza (2.3), Florida (2.3), Lares (2.9), Naranjito (3.7), Morovis (3.7) and Culebra (3.7).
• The three most prevalent types of abuse are: neglect (32.5%), emotional neglect (32.3%) and educational neglect (14.8%).
• In general terms, both boys and girls are abused in equal proportions, although in terms of sexual abuse, girls are abused in a greater proportion (male, 18.4% and female, 81.6%).
• Regarding the relationship between the child and the perpetrators, in most cases the biological mother and/or the biological father are the ones who commit the abuse.

The profile is nourished by secondary data based on data from the Department of the Family, the Puerto Rico Police, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Disdier mentioned that the collaboration of the Department of the Family has been, and continues to be, key to developing this new tool.

In this regard, the Secretary of the Department of the Family, Dr. Carmen Ana González, explained that “The Department of the Family team has worked to reinforce and create new strategies that focus on preventing and educating the population so that together they can combat violence in all its forms. This new platform will present a broader picture of the situation of abuse suffered by minors on the island. The fight against abuse is a matter of co-responsibility; it is a joint fight where all sectors come together, thus creating a front that ensures the well-being of populations that are in situations of vulnerability. In this way, we develop prevention tools focused on geographical areas and typology. This is a shared task that requires coordination between all components to be effective and we, in Familia, are embedded in it.”

The Institute's statistical project manager, Dr. Francisco Pesante, together with his team, was in charge of the technical development of this interactive profile. “The data presented reflect the complexity of interagency efforts to address child abuse as a social problem. We hope that the continuity in the publication and analysis of these data will contribute to the best government service in administrative and judicial instances to protect the physical and mental health of children and young people in Puerto Rico,” Pesante argued.

The Puerto Rico Child Abuse Profile resides on the website of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics and interested parties can access it at any time through the following e-mail address: Child Abuse Profile.

For technical questions about this tool, you can send an email to: preguntas@estadisticas.pr.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

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Date: May 6, 2022

To create the 'Community Capital Program', attached to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC), to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and local investors with the training, support and tools necessary to take advantage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act and the corresponding regulations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, known as Regulation CF, which make available to SMEs another alternative for raising capital, known as crowdfunding or equity crowdfunding; define the responsibilities of the Secretariat of Economic Development and Trade for the Program; provide for the submission of an Annual Report on the Program's performance; and for other related purposes.

PRESS RELEASE

Study presents sociodemographic characteristics and contrasts between the Dominican and Puerto Rican populations

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presented the study: Dominican population in Puerto Rico: Sociodemographic characteristics and contrasts with the Puerto Rican population, 2015-2019, which focuses on detailing the sociodemographic traits that characterize the Dominican population living in Puerto Rico, as well as the differences between these by sex characteristics. As part of this research, various characteristics of the Dominican population compared to the Puerto Rican population were examined, providing contrasts between the sociodemographic scenarios of both populations.

The study begins by highlighting that the minority population with the highest presence among the inhabitants of Puerto Rico is the Dominican one with 59%, followed by the Cuban (13%), Mexican (9%), Colombian (4%) and Spanish (3%), being the five populations of non-Puerto Rican Hispanic origin that predominate in the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico.

The Institute's senior manager of Statistical Projects and author of this study, Alberto L. Velázquez Estrada, indicated that the data presented show, among others, that the Dominican population in general is older than the Puerto Rican population, which has been an old population for several decades. “This suggests a possible increase in the needs for health services that the Dominican population will require, due to conditions related to aging. In the near future, both the Dominican and Puerto Rican populations will be moving, in significant proportional terms, to seventy-year-old ages, which typically lead to the onset or worsening of certain health conditions,” Velázquez said. On the other hand, “the gender disparity in the Dominican population in terms of income, poverty and people outside the labor force is prominent. The differences point to a more complicated or difficult situation for Dominicans compared to Dominicans living in Puerto Rico,” added Velázquez.

For his part, the executive director of the Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville Disdier, indicated that “for years the Dominican population has contributed significantly to the demographic diversity of Puerto Rico, so knowing data about their sociodemographic traits and their contrasts with the Puerto Rican population is important for the development of initiatives that improve the quality of life of both populations.”

Other data included in this study show that:

• Over the past three decades, the average annual number of air passengers from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico decreased from 335,000 (1990-1999) to 324,000 (2000-2009), and then to 214,000 in the most recent decade (2010-2019).
• The geographical distribution indicates a marked concentration in the northern area of San Juan, which is home to about 35% of the Dominican population.
• The Dominican population residing in Puerto Rico and born in the Dominican Republic comprised 90%, and those born in Puerto Rico were 7%.
• The majority of the Dominican population in Puerto Rico was female, being around 58% compared to 42% men.
• The median age of the Dominican population (49 years old) is 8 years older than the Puerto Rican population (41 years old).
• The total Dominican population was characterized by having the highest percentage of married marital status at 40%, followed by 32% never married, traits that are reversed in their order in contrast to the Puerto Rican population.
• The education attained and by sex of Dominicans showed:
  • Higher percentages in the trait of people with less than high school education, being higher in men (44%) than in women (38%).
  • In turn, there is a notable difference by sex in people with a high school level, with women accounting for 14% compared to men with 8%.

• With regard to the Dominican and Puerto Rican populations that achieved some post-secondary education, the data indicate that women in both populations are characterized by having a higher percentage of educational level attained.
• The percentage of Dominicans who were out of the labor force was much lower among men (26%) than among women (44%).
• In contrast to the Puerto Rican population, the percentage of people out of the labor force was much lower among the Dominican population than in the Puerto Rican population.
• Among the most common occupations of the Dominican population were household cleaners (9.2%), construction work (6.0%), janitors or building cleaners (4.4%), cooks (4.0%) and personal care assistants (3.6%).
• The Dominican population reflected a median income with a marked difference by sex of about four (4) thousand dollars ($4,011), being lower for Dominicans with a median of $10,842 compared to Dominicans with $14,853.
• This disparity of income by sex compared to the Puerto Rican population presents a similar pattern; Puerto Rican women reflected a lower median income than Puerto Rican men, in this case by about three (3) thousand dollars ($3,099).
• Just over half of the Dominican population in Puerto Rico (51%) was in poverty. Among Dominican residents, the percentage in poverty was higher than among Dominicans at 54% and 48%, respectively.
• Related to the health aspect, people with some difficulty hearing, seeing, cognitive, outpatient and/or self-care, reflected that out of every (10) Dominican people, two (2) of them have a disability, a finding quite similar to that shown by the Puerto Rican population.

To access the report, you can visit Publications.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

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Contact: Idia M. Martinez, R-28, 787-603-3200

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