CHIP50 Report #106: Opioid addiction in our social networks

The Civic Health and Institutions Project: A 50-State Survey (CHIP50) 4Opioid addiction in our social networksThe opioid crisis has worsened dramatically through the 21st century, with an estimated 107,543 people in the U.S. dying of overdoses in 2023 (according to data from the CDC). Here we look at a broader picture of who is affected by this crisis, asking our respondents if they know someone who struggles with opioid addiction.We note, in interpreting these data, that there are multiple possible biases in interpreting responses to the question “Do you personally know someone who struggles with opioid addiction?” Responses are driven by three factors: (1) the underlying prevalence of opioid addiction; (2) the extent to which people are aware of addiction in their social network; and (3) the willingness of the respondent to share that they know someone who is addicted. It is plausible, for example, that the respondent may not know whether someone they know is struggling with addiction. It is also plausible that some people would rather not reveal that they know someone addicted to opioids. Consequently, the figures we present below are likely conservative estimates of the prevalence of addiction in our social networks.