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Executive Summary
This report revisits certain goals proposed by George Kanahele nearly 20 years ago in his
book Kü Kanaka. Kanahele’s goals were “aimed at sustaining the momentum and
direction of the resurgent Hawaiian culture” (p. 460). We recognize that the statistical
data that correspond to these goals present a mostly negative point of reference.
However, we also realize that progress is being made, and we intend to compile future
reports that address the cultural developments and trends in the Hawaiian community.
The table below summarizes the most current statistical data available in relation to
Kanahele’s goals. The remainder of the report presents detailed graphs and analysis in
response to each specific goal.
Goal (1985) Progress (2003)
Goal 1: Raise the educational achievement
level of Hawaiian students, so as to attain
parity with the highest ethnic group in the state.
Achievement outcomes for Hawaiian students
in the DOE are consistently among the lowest
throughout elementary and secondary school.
From 1998 through 2000, the scores of
Hawaiian secondary students lagged behind
DOE scores by an average of 11 percentage
points in reading and 14 percentage points in
math. The scores of Japanese students, the
highest scoring ethnic group in the state,
exceeded Hawaiian scores by an average of
30 percentage points in reading and 37
percentage points in math. Longitudinal data
suggest that the disparity between Hawaiians
and other students increases as a student gets
older.
Goal 2: Increase the number of Hawaiian
students enrolled at the University of Hawai`i at
Mänoa campus in proportion to representation
of the Hawaiian population in the state.
Although Hawaiians comprised roughly 23
percent of the state population in 2001,
Hawaiian students accounted for 13.6 percent
of total enrollment at the University of Hawai`i.
Enrollment of Hawaiian students at UH Mänoa
increased steadily in the early 1990s, but
leveled off in the last half of the decade.
Goal 3: Triple the percentage of Hawaiians
earning bachelor’s degrees.
According to 2000 census data, 9.4 percent of
Hawaiians over the age of 25 had obtained a
bachelor’s degree; only Samoans had a lower
rate.
Goal 4: Achieve parity with the state average
in high-status occupations, in other words,
technical, managerial, and professional
positions.
As of 2000, Hawaiians were less likely to be
employed in managerial and professional
occupations and more likely to be employed in
the laborer category of workers. About 23
percent of Hawaiians were employed in
managerial or professional positions, compared
to 32 percent statewide.
Page 3 Revisiting the Goals of Kanahele Executive Summary
Goal (1985) Progress (2003)
Goal 6: Achieve parity in median family income
with the state average.
In 1999, the median family income for all
Hawaiian families was among the lowest at
$49,282 – second only to Samoan families at
$33,040.
Goal 7: By 1995, reduce by half the
percentage of Hawaiians receiving some form
of welfare, and by 2005 eliminate by another
half all welfare support of Hawaiians.
Other than Samoans, Hawaiians had the
highest proportion of families receiving public
assistance in 1999 (17.8 percent). Other than
persons of mixed race, Hawaiians constitute
the largest share of TANF/TAONF program
enrollment at 28.4 percent.
Goal 8: Improve the life-expectancy rate to
equal that of the state average.
Life expectancy among Hawaiians is the lowest
of all major ethnic groups in the state. In 1980,
the life expectancy at birth for Hawaiians was
68.2 years, compared to 74.5 years statewide;
in 1990, the difference decreased to 4.4 years.
Goal 9: Decrease the infant-mortality rate to
equal that of the state average.
In 2000, the infant-mortality rate for Hawaiians
(7.8 deaths per 1,000 live births) was just
slightly higher than the statewide rate (7.6
deaths per 1,000 live births). This reflects the
overall trend from 1980 to 2000.
Goal 10: Reduce teenage pregnancies and
illegitimate births by half.
In 2000, Hawaiians accounted for more than 40
percent of teen pregnancies and more than half
of all live births to teens. Both the Hawaiian
and the statewide nonmarital birth rates have
increased over the last decade, but the
Hawaiian rate has consistently surpassed the
statewide rate by over 200 nonmarital births
per 1,000 live births. The teen pregnancy rate
among Hawaiians steadily increased
throughout the early 1990s, but has generally
declined since 1994.
Goal 11: Reduce rates for juvenile and adult
crimes, arrests, and incarcerations to equal
those of the population representation.
Although Hawaiians comprise 23 percent of the
state population, they account for more than 40
percent of juvenile arrests for violent crimes
and 40 percent of the total incarcerated
population. Once arrested, Hawaiian youth are
significantly more likely to be adjudicated as
delinquent and to be committed to the Hawai`i
Youth Correction Facility, relative to youth of
other ethnicities. The proportion of adult arrests
attributed to Hawaiians is just slightly higher
than the Hawaiian population figure.