Annual Survey of the Community Findings Released
The Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College released
the findings of the Ninth Annual Jefferson County Survey of the Community
at its annual meeting held June 5 at Jefferson Community College.
The survey is an inventory of the attitudes and opinions of a representative
sample of Jefferson 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 421 telephone
interviews on the evenings of March 31 - April 2, 2008.
Copies of completed survey results, including comparisons of results from
the past 8 years and the survey instrument, is available at the
Center for Community Studies and here.
The "Typical" Respondent in Year 2008...
- has lived in Jefferson County more than seven years and intends to continue living here. They have completed a high school education and perhaps some college studies. They tend to own their home and live in a household with an annual income between $25,000 and $75,000.
- is currently registered to vote, voted in the most recent local and presidential elections and hold mostly Middle of the Road political views. They are most concerned about The Economy as the largest factor influencing their vote in the 2008 Presidential election.
- has Internet access, either at home, at work, or both. They access the Internet through a cable provider and spend about 10 hours per week on the Internet. They use e-mail and they have made an online purchase in the past year.
- has a personal cell phone and lives in a household that has two cell phones.
- regards the overall quality of life in the county as positive, and is feeling more positive about Policing and Crime Control, our Local Government, the Availability of Goods and Services in the Area, and the Availability of Housing than he/she has in the past eight years. They believe that Healthcare Access, Healthcare Quality, and Cultural/Entertainment Opportunities are improving.
- feels more concerned about the Quality of the Environment than he/she has in the past eight years. This year, they are most concerned about the Cost of Energy and Real-estate Taxes.
- volunteers in the local community, contributing an average of 6 hours per month.
- continues to rely on the local daily newspaper and local television station to learn about local events, and the local television station to learn about local news, with the local daily newspaper and the Internet being the next two likely sources to acquire local news.
- continues to believe that the location of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum positively impacts both the quality of life and the economy of the region and that the recent growth of Fort Drum has positively impacted his/her own personal financial health.
- strongly supports the development of Windfarms and Hydroelectric Generators as energy sources in the North Country.
- currently has Health Insurance and believe that his/her Family’s Personal Financial Situation has remained the Same or Gotten Better.
Summary of Findings
1. Most Jefferson County adult residents continue to view the quality
of life in the region as positive, 82% of the surveyed residents
report that the overall quality of life in the area is getting better
or staying the same, only 14% believe the overall quality of life in
the area is getting worse.
2. The overall quality of life in the area was reported as getting better by 44% of the residents, the second highest rate of satisfaction ever reported in the nine years of completing this survey. Residents were three times more likely to report that the overall quality of life in the area is “getting better” than they were to indicate that it is “getting worse”. Level of satisfaction with the overall quality of life is not significantly different across genders, age levels, education levels, or income levels among respondents.
3. Residents reported the most satisfaction with the following aspects of our community: (Table 8)
- Shopping Opportunities (85% indicated “getting better”)
- Availability of Goods and Services (70% indicated “getting better”)
- Internet Access (68% indicated “getting better”)
- Access to Higher Education (55% indicated “getting better”)
- Quality of K-12 Education (46% indicated “getting better”)
- Policing and Crime Control (44% indicated “getting better”)
- The Overall Quality of Life in Jefferson County (44% indicated “getting better”)
- Cultural and Entertainment Opportunities (44% indicated “getting better”)
4. Residents reported the most dissatisfaction with the following aspects of our community:
- Cost of Energy (82% indicated “getting worse”)
- Real-estate Taxes (61% indicated “getting worse”)
- Availability of Good Jobs (45% indicated “getting worse”)
- The Overall State of the Local Economy (45% indicated “getting worse”)
- Availability of Housing (43% indicated “getting worse”)
For more information please contact Richard R. LeClerc, Director of the
Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College, 315-786-2488.