• The Key Informant Survey found that 61 percent of respondents disagree with the community strength statements. This result suggests that the Key Informants view the local community as a weak community.
  • This implies that even if the community can identify problems to tackle, the community may not be able to effectively address those problems.
  • This may be the reason that so many respondents added that issues of leadership and vision were major issues of the local community, as well, according to ISU Sociology Research Lab Director Tom Steiger, who conducted the survey.

Major Issues

The data from this survey shows a high degree of agreement among Key Informants as to the major issues facing the community.

  Challenge/ Issue % Indicating Moderate
or Major Issue		 % Indicating
Major Issue
Economic Issues Unemployment/underemployment
 95.2
 72.9
Poverty
 89.8
 58.9
Lack of jobs
 93.5
 74.5
Educational Issues Illiteracy
 71.9
 28.4
Unsafe school environment
 17.8 …
Overcrowded classrooms
 32.0
 …
Environmental Issues Water or air pollution
 68.9
 34.0
Noise or other pollution
 33.8
 …
Health Issues Alcohol and/or drug abuse
 89.5
 57.6
Mental illness
 57.0
 …
Lack of affordable medical care 61.5
 32.4
HIV/ AIDS 28.9 …
Housing Issues Shortage of affordable housing
 53.2
 …
Substandard housing
 59.3
 …
Overcrowded housing
 22.9
 …
Leisure Issues Shortage of recreational activities
 28.7
 …
Lack of cultural activities
 46.3
 …
Safety Issues Crime
 70.3 25.8
Gangs
 31.8
 …
Social Issues Teen pregnancy 65.1
 …
Racial or ethnic discrimination 61.9
 …
Family violence, abuse 77.6
 35.6
Lack of affordable child care
 72.8
 37.9
Transportation Issues Inadequate public transportation
 54.9
 29.5
Poor road and/or traffic conditions 67.6 30.3

The key informants determined that the following issues were NOT moderate or major:

  • Unsafe school environment
  • Overcrowded classrooms
  • Noise or other pollution
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Overcrowded housing
  • Shortage of recreational activities
  • Lack of cultural activities
  • Gangs
 Respondents to the Key Informant Survey listed 17 issues as “major to moderate.” However, at least 40% of the respondents to the household survey listed all but one issue – unemployment – as “not an issue.”

There appears to be a conflict between Key Informants’ views of major challenges and the public’s views of major challenges and issues, according to Steiger’s survey.

 

 
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