The gap between rich and poor has long been apparent in Hawai'i, and despite improvements in the state's economy, the two groups are growing more distant, according to data collected by the University of Hawai'i Center on the Family as part of a study for Aloha United Way.

The poorest 20 percent of the state's population lost 7 percent of their income since the 1970s and the richest 20 percent saw a 31 percent increase in theirs, said Sylvia Yuen, director of the Center on the Family, the organization that collected the data for AUW's study.

The study, called Quality of Life in Hawai'i, shows that the top-earning fifth of the state's population collects 60 percent of the income and that more than 30 percent of the state's population remains at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Susan Au Doyle, president of Aloha United Way, said the Quality of Life study is an effort to create benchmarks against which Hawai'i residents can measure the effects of those inequities in the rise or decline of life in the state's communities.

Statistics will be gathered and compared every two years, she said. Groups determined to improve situations in their communities will be able to measure their successes.

"Now we can say: Here is where we are. Is this number acceptable?" she said. "And if it isn't, what should it be? Do we want to reduce homelessness? Can we agree that in five years we want to increase the number of kids who are actually ready to learn when they begin kindergarten?"

Homelessness, the study showed, affects 961 people out of every 100,000 state residents, and extends across all age groups. Eleven percent of Hawai'i's homeless are age 5 and younger. Ten percent are ages 6 to 12.

The percentage of kindergarten classes in which at least three-fourths of all entering students are ready to learn average 6 percent statewide, the study showed.

In addition to the sections on economic well-being and education, the report has sections dedicated to communities, health, safe neighborhoods and environment.

It shows that Hawai'i County families are more likely to eat together, with 77 percent of Big Island families sitting down to dinner together on a regular basis, compared with 71 percent statewide.

On the other hand, the study shows child abuse and neglect cases are more than twice as likely to occur on the Big Island than in Honolulu, Maui or Kaua'i counties. Hawai'i County logs 22.2 confirmed cases per 1,000 people, compared with 10.9 per 1,000 in Honolulu County, the next highest rate.

Teenage use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes were highest in Hawai'i County.

Hypertension, the health condition most common among adults statewide, was suffered equally in Hawai'i, Honolulu, Kaua'i and Maui counties. Twenty-three percent of adults in the state have it, while 8 percent of Hawai'i's adults suffer from diabetes.

Posted sewage warnings were more than 8 times more likely to be seen on Honolulu County beaches than elsewhere in the state, according to the report. The state also has more cars and trucks than people to drive them, with an average of 1.2 registered vehicles for every licensed driver.

The full report is available at http://www.auw.org/pdf/quality_of_ life.pdf.