Northwest Area Foundation Social Indicators Survey, September-December 2003

Résumé 0

This study was designed to obtain information regarding community, neighborhood, local government, and community-based activities in an effort to discover ways of reducing poverty in the Northwestern states of Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. Respondents were asked a series of questions relating to their attitudes toward their place of residence. They were asked how long they had lived at their current place of residence, what was the best thing about living there, and what changes they would make. Respondents were asked more specific questions about their immediate community and neighborhood such as whether they felt safe walking around during the day and at night, whether there were job opportunities, and how they perceived race relations and living conditions in their community. They were asked whether or not people in their community shared similar values as well as what sorts of attitudes people in their community had. For example, respondents were asked whether there was a sense of belonging, hope, worry, pride, anger, or boredom among members of their community. They were also asked about the importance of feeling like a member of a community and about their personal relationships with fellow neighbors. Other questions concerned their involvement in public affairs, from what sources they received their news, whether or not they trusted those news sources, and with what frequency they read the newspaper. Respondents were asked if they felt the government had the greatest responsibility in caring for citizens and whether the government cared more about individuals or larger interests. Respondents were also asked about their social activism such as volunteer work, donating blood, and attending government meetings. Other questions asked about their voting history, as well as their involvement with local church, sports, civic, and fraternal organizations. Respondents were asked about their geographic location including state, county, and town, whether their place of residence was considered urban or rural, and whether or not they lived near an Indian reservation. The survey also collected general information on the respondents such as gender, education, marital status, employment status, and income.