Northwest Area Foundation Horizons Social Indicators Survey, 2004-2005

The purpose of the study was to gather information
pertinent to community, neighborhood, local government, and
community-based activities in order to find ways to reduce poverty
throughout the Northwestern states of Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana,
Oregon, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. The survey first
asked the respondents to name their place of residence (in terms of
state, county, and town), how long they had lived at their residence,
and how much longer they planned to reside there. Then a sequence of
questions asked respondents for their thoughts about the community,
such as how they felt about it, whether they felt they belonged,
whether they were fairly treated or excluded from the community, and
how safe they felt walking around their community at night. They were
also asked about the attitudes of individuals and the relationships
between community members. The survey further asked about community
involvement, group membership, and social participation, access to
outside sources for problem-solving, and how well the members
cooperated with one another (in groups and in neighborhoods) when they
disagreed. The questionnaire also asked respondents to assess how well
people of different ethnic groups interacted with the community as a
whole and within groups, organizations, and activities. It asked for
respondents' assessment of government services for the community,
their trust in government as well as members and leaders of local
groups (business, ethnic, and religious), and the cooperation of the
community in emergencies. Respondents were asked to evaluate their
ability to make a positive impact in their community and the ability
of people and groups to provide assistance to the poverty-stricken and
to reduce the number of those in poverty. Moreover, the survey asked
respondents about the presence of leadership programs in their
community and the effects, if any, they had on its members. Switching
the focus, respondents were asked to evaluate their personal or
financial status, their ability to acquire a loan, credit, or other
financial services, and if they ever had difficulty paying for living
costs (food, housing, electricity, heating, telephone, or health
care). They were also asked to estimate how many people in the
community could not afford the basic living costs. Questions were
asked of respondents about their interest in staying informed about
public affairs, how often they accessed information in newspapers, how
often they voted in elections, the frequency in which young people
left town in search of better opportunities, and about the possibility
of implementing and developing small/local businesses within the
community. Finally, the survey collected general demographic
information including marital status, age, gender, race, education,
religion and religious affiliation, employment status, location of
residence (state, county, and town), whether they own or rent their
home, household composition, current assets and income, and their
access to telephones and the Internet.