European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 20, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday december 20, ism the stars and strip Esq . Quality of life found to Trail 3 nations Washington a the United slates lag behind Sweden Germany and Japan in both economic performance and Quality of life concludes a study re leased thursday by an economic research Organiza Tion. The tour nation comparative study by the economic policy Institute said thai on the basis of 17 measures of Quality of life the . Performance was worst an Sweden s Best. The United Stales had the Best performance on Only three Quality of life measures Home ownership Liv no space per person and expenditure on medical care per person the study found. It had the worst performance of the four in 11 categories including infant mortality male life expectancy homicide rate and unemployment. Of 17 economic indicators the United Stales again scored last Overall among the four countries while Japan was first said the study which compared Dat from i960to 1985. In the economic area the United states scored Firstin just two areas employment growth and investment growth rate. It had the worst performance in 11 categories including growth of the Gross National product Trade balance net savings and profit rate in manufacturing. The Institute is a private non profit research organization with financial support from labor unions and various foundations. Institute president Jeff Faux said the study com pared the United states with Japan and Germany be cause they Are the United Stales chief economic rivals and with Sweden because it a the largest civilian government work Force by percentage of any major industrialized  study sought to examine the link Between government spending and economic  As a whole this examination of the major comparative statistics available for then countries i impressive evidence that the size of a nation s civilian government is not in and of itself a Burden on eco nomic growth and efficiency Faux said. Average unemployment in the United slates fromi960 to 1985 was the highest of the four nations 5.9 percent of the total labor Force compared with 2.7percent in Germany 2.1 percent m Sweden and 1.7 percent in Japan. However in 1985 Germany had the highest rate 8.3 percent compared to 7.2 percent in the United Stales 2.8 percent in Sweden and 2.6 per cent in Japan. The United states also scored worst among the four in the misery Index calculated by adding wiil Ationo unemployment. In 1985, this Index was 10.8 for the United states  for Germany 10.2 for Weden and4.6 for Japan. And it had by far the highest homicide rate 8.8 per100,000 population compared to 4.5 in Sweden 4.1 in Germany and 1.6 in , the study said the United Stales appears to be the Best housed nation despite the existence of substantial homelessness and Urban and Rural Pover  the United states 65 percent of the adult Popula Tion owns their own residence compared to 60 percent in Japan Al percent in Sweden and 36 percent in Germany the study said. And the average number of persons per room . Homes is lower than in the other four nations one person for every two rooms 0.5compared to 0.8 per room in Japan 0.6 per room in German Homes and 0.7 per room in Sweden. Females live longer than males in All four countries but males have the longest life expectancy at birth m Japan 73.6 years compared to 72.8 Yean in swe Den 69.9 years in Germany and 69,5 years in the United stale?.females can expect to live longest in either Sweden or Japan 79.1 years compared to 77.s years in the United slates and 76.8 years in Germany. Infant mortality was highest in the United stat Sand lowest in Japan 11.2 deaths per 1,000 births in the United Stales in 1983, compared with 10.3 id Ger Many 7.0 in Sweden and 6.2 percent in Japan. . Workers put in an average of 39 noun a week said the study More than the 36 hours put in by swed ish workers and just below the 40-hour workweeks i Germany. In Japan the average workweek is 47 hours. Female workers make the highest salaries in Sweden relative to their male co worker their earnings Are 81 percent of average male earnings. That compares to 7spercent in Germany 68 percent in the United stale and 53 percent in Japan. Economic growth in the United Stales in 1983 waste lowest of the four countries 2.2 percent according to the tabulation used in the Survey against 4.6 per cent in Japan 2a percent in Germany and 2.3 percent in Sweden. A fies report Rise in number of needy families Washington a the number of poor people increased this year in two out of three major . Cities surveyed and most communities reported striking increases in families with children need ing emergency food and shelter the . Conference of mayors said thursday. Its Survey of 25 cities found the num Ber of homeless people needing shelter increased in All but one and demand for emergency food assistance increased in All but three. By far the most significant change inthe cities homeless population has been in the number of famines with children with four out of five of the Survey cities reporting thai the number of families with children seeking emergency shelter has grown the report said. In 72 percent of the cities families comprise the largest group for whom emergency shelter and other needed services Are particularly lacking it said the need for emergency shelter was Upan average 20 percent in the cities during 1986, compared to the previous year. Nearly three quarters of the cities said they turn away people in need because there in t enough room in their  conference said 24 percent of the demand for emergency shelter is  Survey findings were part of a re port on increased poverty and hunger i Urban America that was released thurs Day at a news conference by Bosto mayor Raymond Flynn and Charleston s.c., mayor Joseph Riley president of the conference. Flynn head of the conference s taskforce on hunger and the homeless and Riley were expected to Point to the find Ings As evidence that Urban poverty is a National problem and one that demand san increased National response. The conference said 16 of the surveyed cities reported the number of poor people in their cities increased Over the previous year. Only two Hartford conn., and Yonkers n.y., reported de creases. It said that despite widespread improvements in unemployment and the general Economy nearly nine out of 10 of the cities said the recovery has no helped the hungry the homeless or other Low income people in their  report blamed unemployment in adequate Benefit Levels in Public assist Ance programs poverty in general the Lack of affordable housing and problem with the food stamp program As the main causes of hunger in those  attributed much of the increase in homelessness to the decline in Federal support for assisted housing for Low and moderate income people. Unemployment and the Lack of services needed by mentally ill people also were  sleep drop in assistance for Low income housing has clearly aggravate the homeless situation said Mike Brown spokesman for the  Are simply not enough units affordable for the working  to the conference the num Ber of new federally assisted housing units declined from 240,000 units in 1980 to 90,000 units in the current fiscal year. The need for assisted housing by Low income households increased in All but three of Iho Survey cities by an average of 40 percent and nowhere did it  reported that families must Wail an average 18 months to obtain assisted housing and waiting Liitt Are closed in two thirds of the  said less than one third of the Eligi ble Low income households Are receiving assisted housing in those cities. The report attempts to dispel the no Tion that the problems of the homeless Are confined to single men. It said that on average 28 percent of the cities homeless population is composed of families with children 15 percent Are single  one in five homeless people Are employed either in full time or part time jobs and 29 percent of the Home less in those cities arc chronically men tally ill it said. Only Kansas City among the 25 cities included in the Survey reported no change in demand for emergency  adige act reported the highest Rale of increase so percent. Its fear program turning kids into angry parents sat they fear an elementary no program that asks students about their families so taunt drug users turning their children into spies. I Jujj officials at the Par Deevie Elet Centary a by have hailed the voluntary student assistance Gram pending further  program includes a Survey asking first through sixth graders 26 questions about venereal disease or whether a single Parent is co Hab Laling with another person Douglas Kammer an attorney whose 11-year-old son attends the school said  m incensed about it said Kammer whose son declined to participate in the program. The that anyone would pry into parents Liv a their Small children is outrageous he has complained to the  Liber ties Union. A Wisconsin  director Eunice Edgar said  organization would look into the Cfaft Pulask its new York Headquarters for bul possible Legal action Ere s no doubt that some of the questions in we on family privacy and might very Well be i violation of Federal Laws thai protect Slud enl and Parent privacy she said. School officials said the program was designed Lohela children who have drug or alcohol problems or who May have a Parent or Friend with  prob lems but Kammer said one of the screening