Introduction
Welcome to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Community Health Equity Initiative Data Dashboard. This dashboard allows users to explore data and findings from the 2020 COVID Community Impact Survey (CCIS) and 2023 Community Health Equity Survey (CHES).
Before using the CHEI Data Dashboard, be sure to visit our Racial Justice Framing page which provides important context for the data presented, along with a visual representation of where the included data measures exist along the CHEI Health Inequities Pathway.
Please also watch the CCIS Introduction Webinar or CHES Overview Webinar and Racial Justice Framing Webinar for guidance on how to view the findings using a racial justice lens and how to turn the data into action.
CHEI Dashboard
Note: If there is a blank page in the dashboard where you expect a graph to be, check that the drop-down filter options for your topic and question selection match. If needed, pick a new question that is included in the selected topic. For maps, make sure that the questions and response options match (and if needed, pick a new response option that is a valid response to the chosen question).
The data found in the Excel file below complements the data contained within the dashboard.
To provide feedback related to the Community Health Equity Initiative (CHEI) Dashboard, please complete this feedback form
Resources
This dashboard includes topics and data that may be hard to take in or may bring up the need for resources for yourself or your community. Please see specific resources below and visit our full Resource List for additional resources related to survey topics.
If you or someone you know needs information, support, or help because of an unhealthy relationship or unwanted sexual experiences, you can call the SafeLink Hotline at 877-785-2020.
If you or someone you know is feeling depressed or thinking about hurting themselves, they can get help by calling or texting the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Your conversations are free and confidential.
About the data
The Community Health Equity Initiative (CHEI) collects data on Massachusetts residents’ experiences with health, healthcare, and structural drivers of health such as social circumstances, economic situations, and access to resources. CHEI surveys help examine the root causes of health and demonstrate the strengths, gaps, health needs, concerns, and inequities in communities across Massachusetts.
Data from the Community Health Equity Survey (CHES) were collected primarily online in the summer and fall of 2023. An American Sign Language (ASL) version was also available in early 2024. The purpose of the survey was to understand the most pressing health-related needs facing Massachusetts residents. The survey was open to all people ages 14 or over living in Massachusetts.
Download the CHES 2023 Questionnaire Topics & Split Designations PDF | DOCX
Download the CHES 2023 Questionnaire PDF | DOCX
Data from the COVID-19 Community Impact Survey (CCIS) were collected online from September through November 2020. The purpose of the survey was to understand the specific needs of populations that were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including by its social and economic impacts. The survey was open to all people over the age of 14 living in Massachusetts.
Download the CCIS Adult Questionnaire PDF | DOCX
Download the CCIS Youth Questionnaire PDF | DOCX
Please see additional Data Notes and instructions on Interpreting the data in the context of who answered the survey below the Dashboard for more details.
Interpreting the data in the context of who answered the survey
While CHES 2023 and CCIS 2020 were made available to everyone in Massachusetts, not everyone within all communities took the surveys. We relied on our network of community partners to help get the word out about the surveys and encourage their communities to complete the surveys. The experiences captured from respondents who answered the surveys may represent others with similar circumstances, experiences, and identities, but may not fully represent the experience of everyone living within a specific geography or identity. Additionally, statewide results are not necessarily representative of all Massachusetts residents – some residents may have been more likely to take the surveys if they were connected to our community partners or other distribution channels. It is important to keep this in mind as you explore the data provided here and use it to inform action within your community. Finally, these data show only a portion of the lived experiences of residents, not the complete stories of their lives. We encourage you to partner with communities to interpret and contextualize the data, inform action, and address root causes of health inequities.
To learn more about our data and action support and submit a request to receive customized data analyses, visit the Data & Action Resources page. More data resources, including Data Tables and Spotlight Reports are available on the CHEI Data page.
Data Notes
About Data Not Reported Due to Small Counts or Sample Sizes
To protect the privacy of respondents, some data are not reported in these tables. If fewer than 5 respondents reported an outcome or identity (numerator or "count" < 5) we do not report the counts in these tables. Additionally, we do not report data for any group for which fewer than 30 respondents answered the question (denominator or "sample size" < 30). For example, if only 4 respondents with Identity A said, “I do not have a steady place to live", then we would not report the count or percentage of these respondents who answered in this way and would instead put a * symbol in the table. Similarly, if only 15 respondents reported that they identify as Identity B, then no results for this group would be reported.
In the maps presented in the dashboard for data by county, rural cluster and city/town, geographies with small counts or samples sizes that are not reportable are not shown.
About Weighting
2023 CHES percentages presented here for all populations ages 25 years or older (except county, rural cluster, and city/town) are weighted to the statewide age, gender, race/ethnicity, and educational distribution of those 25 years old or older in Massachusetts. For those residents 14-24 years old, percentages are weighted to the statewide age, gender, and race/ethnicity; this is because many individuals in this age range are still completing their education.
2020 CCIS percentages presented here for all populations ages 25 years or older (except county, rural, cluster, and city/town) are weighted to the statewide age and educational distribution of those 25 years old or older in Massachusetts.
Data presented at sub-state geographies (county, rural cluster, and city/town) are not weighted since the distributions within those geographies may be different than the statewide distribution.
About Sample Sizes
The sample size (number of respondents who answered the question) for each survey question are provided along with the percentage of respondents who responded in a particular way. You will notice that not all sample sizes are the same. This is because there were different versions (also called splits) of the surveys and not all respondents answered every question. Differences in sample size for those questions asked of all respondents are due to respondents choosing to skip that question or indicating that they prefer not to answer the question.
About Race/Ethnicity Reporting
2023 CHES data on race and Hispanic or Latine/a/o ethnicity were collected using a combined question that allowed respondents to select multiple identities. Response options included: American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latine/a/o, Middle Eastern or North African (MENA), Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, White, and Other (specify). For reporting purposes, mutually exclusive groups were created. In order to provide data on racial groups that are often underrepresented in public health data, individuals who selected either AI/AN or MENA were assigned to these groups, regardless of other selected identities. Following this assignment, individuals who selected Hispanic or Latine/a/o were assigned to this group, regardless of other selected identifies. For example, if a respondent selected both Black or African American and AI/AN, they were categorized as AI/AN. Additionally, Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander categories were combined to create an Asian or Pacific Islander group due to a low number of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander respondents.
Mutually exclusive race/ethnicity groups were created for 2020 CCIS data using a similar method. MENA was not listed as a response option within the 2020 CCIS race question and thus a separate mutually exclusive MENA group was not created for this dataset.