Many of our lives were full of uncertainty in 2020. So when the calendar turned the page to 2021, I was expecting, or perhaps just hoping, for a year that brought with it happier storylines. I could imagine and dream what those might be for me and my family, but I have often wondered if others feel the same way or if the things that might bring me hope would be the same for my neighbors across Colorado. 

In my day-to-day life and work, I get to ask the people in my circle of loved ones and colleagues about what they’re experiencing and what’s on their minds. I learn a lot from those dialogues, but I’m also curious about what I would hear if I got to have that kind of conversation with even more people beyond the folks I already know. If I got to ask around across our entire state, I wonder if I would hear about similar or different sets of experiences, worries and hopes for the future. 

Once a year, I do get to go beyond my circle and listen to the people of our state – because once a year, we conduct Pulse: The Colorado Health Foundation Poll. Through it, we ask what’s on the minds of our neighbors across the state.

In August 2021, we asked 2,493 Coloradans to tell us about their concerns, their experiences, and their priorities for the future. As I dug into this year’s data reflecting what we heard, six takeaways leapt off the page at me:

1. Coloradans are expressing faith we will have a strong economic recovery, but are still deeply worried about the increasing cost of living.

• Compared to 2020, fewer Coloradans are concerned about the economy overall. 
  • This year, 44% of Coloradans consider jobs and the economy to be a “very serious” problem; last year, it was 63%.
  • A majority of Coloradans (61%) still considers the economic impact of the coronavirus to be a “very serious” problem, but that’s down from 3 out of 4 (75%) respondents last year. 
  • More Coloradans (73%) say that the cost of living in the state is an “extremely” or “very serious” problem, compared to 64% of 2020 respondents, including greater numbers of Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx Coloradans.
• About two-thirds (67%) of Coloradans support increasing government spending on programs to stimulate jobs and economic growth, with high rates of support among Coloradans of color.

	Jobs and the economy are a very serious problem	Cost of living is a very serious problem	Support for government spending to stimulate jobs and economic growth
All respondents	44%	73%	67%
Black/African American	50%	81%	81%
Hispanic/Latinx	46%	83%	80%
Asian American and Pacific Islander	35%	78%	79%
Indigenous/Native American	60%	69%	76%

2. The cost of housing tops the list of Coloradans’ concerns.

• More than 8 in 10 (82%) Coloradans consider the cost of housing to be a “very serious” problem, up from 67% in 2020.
• 21% of Coloradans are worried about losing their own home because they can’t pay the rent or mortgage; households with incomes under $50,000 are among the most likely to express worry (44%).
  • Coloradans of color are also more likely to express this worry, including 38% of Native Americans, 33% of Hispanic/Latinx Coloradans and 28% of Black/African American Coloradans.
• 76% of Coloradans support updating laws to prioritize building more affordable housing in communities across the state.
  • Support for state government action is bipartisan: 59% of Republicans, 77% of Independents, and 95% of Democrats want more affordable housing across the state.
• The cost of housing is a statewide concern with respondents in every region considering it to be a “very serious” problem, reporting consistent levels of concern about the stability of their own housing, and expressing support for state government action to build more affordable housing.

	Cost of housing is a serious problem	Worried about losing home because of inability to pay	Support for building more affordable housing
Eastern Plains	78%	28%	74%
El Paso County	73%	22%	73%
Pueblo County	73%	27%	69%
Larimer & Weld Counties	82%	20%	73%
Western Slope	79%	18%	68%
Denver Metro Area	85%	22%	80%

3. Significant numbers of Coloradans report that they have experienced emotional strain in the last year. 

• A majority (55%) of Coloradans have experienced anxiety; more than one-third have faced each of a range of other mental health challenges.
• Women, and especially women of color, are far more likely to consider mental health to be a serious problem, and they report some of the highest levels of mental health strain.
• Almost 3 out of 4 (74%) lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) Coloradans report experiencing anxiety in the last year, and a majority have experienced a host of other mental health challenges.
• While most Coloradans (59%) discussed mental health challenges with family and friends, only about 3 in 10 (29%) of those impacted spoke with a health professional.
• More than 8 out of 10 (84%) Coloradans support state government providing more mental health and substance use services across the state, including overwhelming majorities of Democrats (97%), Independents (86%) and Republicans (72%).

	Anxiety	Depression	Difficulty focusing	Excessive worrying	Difficulty connecting	Grief or loss
All respondents	55%	38%	44%	43%	35%	36%
Women	65%	44%	52%	52%	42%	44%
Women of color	67%	48%	49%	59%	39%	49%
LGB Coloradans	74%	64%	67%	67%	59%	55%

4. Coloradans living on low incomes are going without basic necessities like food and health care.

• Over the last 12 months, almost 1 in 10 (9%) Coloradans have skipped meals because they couldn’t afford food, including 24% of people living on low incomes.
• Looking toward the future, 23% of Coloradans are worried they might not always be able to afford enough food to feed their families in the next year. 

• In the last year, 39% of all respondents – and 49% of people living on low incomes – have postponed medical or dental care.
• Looking ahead, 27% of Coloradans are worried they or someone in their household will be without health insurance coverage over the next year.
• There is widespread support for state government action to reduce hunger and lower the costs of health care, and support crosses partisan lines with majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

	Skipped meals	Worried about affording food	Postponed medical or dental care	Worried about losing health insurance
Overall	9%	23%	38%	27%
Coloradans living on less than $50,000	24%	50%	49%	44%
Coloradans living on more than $100,000	1%	6%	30%	14%

5. The cost and availability of child care is squeezing parents.

• Just under a majority (44%) of all adults in Colorado consider the cost of child care to be a “very serious” problem, while parents report higher levels of concern, including 67% of parents with children under 5 and 54% of parents with school-aged children. 
• Parents with children under 5 are more likely to report difficulties with finding, affording and balancing child care and other responsibilities like work.
• Parents of color are also facing more challenges related to child care than are white parents. 
• Seven out of 10 (71%) Coloradans support increasing state government investment to help reduce the cost of child care for working parents, including 78% of parents with children 5 and under and 73% of parents with school-aged children.
  • A majority of respondents from all political parties want to see the cost of child care reduced – 93% of Democrats, 72% of Independents and 51% of Republicans.

	Unable to find affordable child care	Difficulty balancing child care and other responsibilities	Missed out on professional opportunities because of child care	Unable to find child care for all hours it is needed
Parents with children under 5	44%	52%	36%	37%
Parents with school-aged children	20%	37%	23%	23%
White parents	19%	37%	22%	26%
Parents of color	31%	42%	32%	28%

6. A majority of Coloradans believe people of color are not always treated fairly in our state.

• Majorities believe that Black/African American (60%) and Hispanic/Latinx Coloradans (53%) are more likely to experience unfair treatment by police.
• About half of all Coloradans think Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx and Indigenous/Native American Coloradans are more likely to be treated unfairly when seeking to rent or buy a home.
• About half of all respondents think that Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx and Indigenous/Native American Coloradans are more likely to receive poor quality or inadequate health care. 
• Coloradans of color are more likely than White Coloradans to perceive unfair treatment in all categories: policing, housing and health care.
• Despite recent upticks in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), Coloradans are far less likely to think that AAPI Coloradans experience unfair treatment. 

	Overall	Black/AA	Hispanic/Latinx	Indigenous/Native American	AAPI
Black/African American Coloradans are more likely to be treated unfairly by police	61%	75%	69%	67%	78%
Hispanic/Latinx Coloradans are more likely to be treated unfairly when seeking to rent or buy a home	49%	56%	55%	56%	65%
Indigenous/Native American Coloradans are more likely to receive poor quality or inadequate health care	48%	48%	50%	59%	65%
Asian American and Pacific Islander Coloradans are more likely to be treated unfairly when seeking to rent or buy a home	30%	30%	35%	46%	49%

It’s hard to believe, but these six key takeaways barely scratch the surface of what we can learn from the 2021 results of Pulse: The Colorado Health Foundation Poll. That’s why we try to make all the data accessible through our interactive dashboard. Dig in and find your own key takeaways here. And keep checking back for more insights from 2021 Pulse!