Jefferson Community College
Watertown, NY 13601
The Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College and Lewis County Opportunities, Inc. released the complete findings of the first annual Lewis County Survey of the Community at a press conference held on March 29 at Beaver River Central School Auditorium in Beaver Falls.
The survey, funded through the generous support of Community Bank NA, Pratt Northam Foundation and Otis Technology, is an inventory of the attitudes and opinions of a representative sample of Lewis County residents. The primary goal of the survey is to collect data regarding quality of life issues of importance to local citizens.
Working under the supervision of the Center for Community Studies research staff, sociology and statistics students at the College completed 409 telephone interviews on the evenings of October 22-25, 2007. The telephone numbers selected for inclusion in the survey were completely anonymous and randomly chosen.
Highlights of this year’s survey include:
• Lewis County residents are very satisfied with the overall quality of life in the area, with approximately three in four residents rating it as either “Excellent” or Good.”
• Residents report the most satisfaction with the following aspects of our community; quality of K-12 education, outdoor recreational opportunities, and quality of the environment.
• Residents report the most dissatisfaction with: the availability of good jobs, cost of energy, and real estate taxes.
• When asked an open-ended question about the best aspect of living in Lewis County, the most commonly cited characteristic is “small town, friendly atmosphere” (over 45%).
• Consistently, across all studied subgroups, residents of Lewis County perceive “Availability of Goods/Services in the area” as “Fair”-to-“Good.” Less than 10% rated this aspect as “Excellent.” Similarly, less than 10% rated this community characteristic “Poor.”
• Residents of Lewis County are not as optimistic with respect to local economic (job-related) indicators as they are with the less-economic types of indicators. Over 60% of respondents rate “Overall State of the Local Economy” as either “Fair” or “Poor.” Similarly, over 80% of the participants rate “Availability of Good Jobs” as either “Fair” or “Poor.”
• Overwhelmingly, by a 4:1 margin, residents of Lewis County support the notion that “development of the Maple Ridge Wind Farm has had a positive effect on Lewis County.”
• A high level of support is found regarding the expansion of the windfarms, with 77% of Lewis County residents supporting expansion, while only 16% oppose.
• Residents of Lewis County support, by a 3:1 margin, the notion that “the presence of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum since 1985 has improved the overall quality of life of Lewis County citizens.”
• Three in four Lewis County adults personally own a cell phone. While those in the 30-59 age group and those from a household earning $75,000+ are most likely to own a cell phone (85% and 93%, respectively), even those in the 60+ category are more likely to own one than not (60% do).
• The great majority of Lewis County adults (83%) live in a single-family home, and are very likely to own their own home (86% own their home).
• Among renters in Lewis County, it is most common that heat is not included in the monthly rent (74%) and that electricity is not included in the monthly rent (59%).
• The majority of Lewis County residents volunteer for community-based organizations (60% volunteer at least one hour per month).
• Residents of Lewis County tend to agree with the notion that “Lewis County is adequately preparing our young people for the technology and economy of the future” (66% agree, while only 26% disagree).
A copy of this year’s survey instrument with the questions that were posed to Lewis County residents is included with this release. Copies of completed survey results will be available online at the Center for Community Studies and Lewis County Opportunities websites.
For more information please contact Richard R. LeClerc, Director of the Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College at 315-786-2488 or Scott Mathys, CEO of Lewis County Opportunities, Inc. at 315-376-8202.