Jefferson Community College
Watertown, NY 13601
The Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College released the findings of the 10th Annual Jefferson County Survey of the Community at its annual meeting on June 25th 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 and statistics students at the College completed 382 (342 land line, 40 cell phone) telephone interviews on the evenings of March 30 - April 1, 2009.
Summaries of the survey results and CDs of the complete survey, including comparisons of results from the past 9 years, and the survey instrument are available at the Center for Community Studies.
"Typical" Respondents in Year 2009...
* ...have completed a high school education and perhaps some college studies. They have lived in a household with no children under the age of 18 and have an annual income between $25,000 and $75,000.
* ...hold mostly middle of the road political views and often identify their race as white (94%). They state their religious affiliation as either Protestant (42%) or Catholic (34%) and feel the overall quality of life is staying the same but that the overall state of the economy is getting worse in Jefferson County.
* ...overwhelmingly believe that Downtown Watertown is “getting better” (63%) and that the largest issue facing the nation is Jobs/Economy.
* ...have a personal cell phone and have made an online purchase in the past year. They believe that recent Fort Drum growth has had a positive impact on the local quality of life.
* ...have health insurance and have had a routine medical check-up in the past year. They support the growth of renewable energy in the North Country and prefer to support businesses using renewable energy sources. They would like more locally-owned restaurants in the area.
They report the most satisfaction with: Downtown of Watertown, Internet Access and Shopping Opportunities
They report the most dissatisfaction with: Cost of Energy, the Overall State of the Local Economy, Availability of Good Jobs, and Real Estate Taxes.
For more information please contact Richard R. LeClerc, Director of the Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College, 315-786-2488.