Community "Zap" Survey, Draft 2, 12 Feb. 2003

--these are in no particular order, and might be shifted around, dropped, added to , etc. The purpose here is to begin to negotiate the content of the surveys. There may be some differences in the three surveys, depending on site characteristics, but I’d like to minimize these if possible so that we can compare across sites.

I’m planning on administering the survey in Bay St. George, McKay’s and the Port au Port, around the times of the final radio event of the project (in late March). I’m thinking of this as a mail survey… we drop it off at homes and they mail it in to me.

I take it that one of the central foci of this project is on building leadership capacity, so there are a number of questions related to this.

March 2003

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

It can be filled out by any resident of this community, who is 16 or over.

Please do not put your name on this questionnaire.

Return the survey in the postage-paid envelope provided.

All responses will be kept strictly anonymous.

If other members of the household wish to fill out this survey, please feel free to photocopy it and send it in.

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Demographic information

I’m not sure as we want all of the basic demographic information?

) Name of your community _________________

) Have you lived in this community all your life? Yes _____ No _____

) If no, in what year did you most recently move to this community? ________

) Gender: Female _____ Male _____

) Year of birth: 19__ __

) Current employment status:

Full-time, year-round _____ Part-time, year-round _____

Full-time, seasonal _____ Part-time, seasonal _____

Student ______ Retired _____

Looking for work____ Not currently in the labour force _____

) Are you self-employed:

Yes, all of my income comes from self-employment ______

Yes, but only part of my income comes from self-employment ____

No _____

) Is your job directly related to the natural resources sector (such as fishing, farming or logging)? Yes ______ No ________

) Which of the following best characterizes your average annual household income from all sources, before taxes:

Under $10,000 _______ $10,000 — 19,999 ______

$20,000-29,999 _______ $30,000 - 39,999 _______

$40,000-49,999 ________ $50,000-59,999 ________

$60,000-69,999 ________ $70,000 and over ______

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Communication tools in the community

) Where do you get most of your national and international news?

) Where do you get most of your regional and provincial news?

) Where do you find out about something going on in your community (such as a dance to raise money, or the opening of a new business)?

) In your everyday life, which of the following media is the most important to you? Television ______ Radio _______ Daily newspaper ________

Weekly newspaper _____ The internet _____

) Which radio station do you listen to most often? __________

) Which television channel do you watch most often? _______

) If you have a complaint about something local (the water or the roads, for example), how do you communicate that complaint to the local council? (e.g., writing a letter, making a telephone call, the internet, going to council meetings, etc.) ___________________

) Do you have a satellite (or DBS) for your television reception?

Yes _______ No ________

If yes, which service? __________

) Do you have a cable television connection.

Yes ______ No _______

If yes, do you read the announcements on the community cable channel

) What types of information are hard to find in your community?

 

) Do you use the internet?

Yes ______ No _______

If yes, where do you use it the most? Home ______ School _____

Workplace ______ Public internet access site (CAP site) _______

What is the main use you make of the internet?

 

 

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General Questions on the Community

) Name three members of the local municipal council

_________________

_________________

_________________

) What services do you wish you had access to in your community?

__________________________________________

) In your view, what services are absolutely essential to remain in the community? _____________________________________

) Would you consider moving away if one of these services was to leave?

Yes _________ No __________

If yes, which one? ______________

) In your opinion, what is the most serious challenge facing your community today?

_____________________________________________

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Social cohesion and issues around inclusion/exclusion

We are interested in your opinions about your community. For each of the following statements, do you "strongly agree," "agree," feel "neutral," "disagree," or "strongly disagree" with each of these statements.

 

Strongly

Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

No answer

) People in this community are open to opinions that are very different from their own

           

) I feel like I belong in this community

           

) People here are willing to contribute time and money for community projects

           

) Women have opportunities for leadership positions in this community

           

) People living in this community are willing to accept people from different racial and ethnic groups

           

) Given the opportunity, I would like to move out of this community

           

) I think I agree with most people in this community about what is important in life

           

) People in this community are friendly with outsiders

           

) Young adults (under the age of 35) have opportunities for leadership positions in this community

           

) I feel loyal to the people in this community

           

) I would be willing to work together with others on something to improve this community

           

) People in this community are often helped by people outside the community

           

) Do you volunteer in any service clubs (either church-related or community-based)?

Yes ______ No _______ I used to, but not currently _______

If yes, what club(s): ______________________________________

 

Current leadership support

Please rate your level of agreement, or disagreement, with the following statements

 

Strongly

Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

disagree

No

answer

) The provincial government contributes a lot to this community

           

) The federal government contributes a lot to this community

           

) I have confidence that local leaders will be able to successfully meet the challenges of this community

           

) Most of our problems in this area can only be solved by people or organizations from outside of this community

           

) How effective are each of the following people or groups in supporting this community? Are they "very effective," "effective," "neutral," "ineffective," or "very ineffective" in their support for the community?

 

Very

effective

Effective

Neutral

Ineffective

Very

ineffective

No

answer

) Mayor

           

) Municipal councilors

           

) Local business leaders

           

) Elected MHA

           

) Elected MP

           

) Regional economic development boards

           

) Other community or voluntary groups

           

 

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Questions regarding the community radio events

) Were you aware of the special FM radio broadcast in the community on ….? [give the dates and times]

) Did you listen to any of the FM radio broadcast?

Yes _______ No ________

If yes, approximately how many hours did you listen ______________

) Did you participate in any way (as a guest, a caller, a host, etc.)?

Yes __________ No _________

I did not participate this time, but would be willing to ________

) What segment or interview was of most interest to you?

__________________________

) What was the most important issue covered in the radio broadcast?

________________________________

) What issues should have been included in the broadcast, but which were not included? ____________________________________________

Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding the radio broadcasts

 

Strongly

Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

Did not

listen

) I learned something new during the community radio broadcast

           

) I gained a new respect for the actions and abilities of local leaders during the broadcast

           

) Since listening to the broadcast, I am now more pessimistic about the future of my community

           

) Since listening to the radio broadcast, I am now more interested in community affairs

           

 

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Prospects for the future of the community

Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding your community

 

 

Strongly

Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

Did not

listen

) In my opinion, this community is stronger and more unified than it was five years ago

           

) I expect that, in five years time, this community will be stronger and more unified than it is now

           

) I am optimistic about the future of this community

           

) If I was a young person who was graduating from high school this spring, I would try to stay in this community

           

) If I was a young person who was graduating from high school this spring, I would go away for more education and then return

           

) Would you describe your life as:

Very stressful_____ Somewhat stressful_____

Not very stressful_____ Not at all stressful _____

No opinion/do not know _____

) If I had to leave this community, the thing I would miss most would be:

________________________

) If I had to leave this community, the thing I would miss the least would be:

_________________________

) What are your hopes for the future of this community?

 

 

) What is the most important thing you feel this community should attempt to achieve over the next few years?

 

 

 

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Thank you again for your valuable assistance and your kindness in taking the time to fill out this questionnaire. If you have any other comments or questions regarding this survey, or if you wish to see the results of the survey, please do not hesitate to contact me:

Ivan Emke, Social/Cultural Studies

Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, MUN

Corner Brook, NL, A2H 6P9

709-637-6200, ext. 6322

709-639-8125 (fax)

iemke@swgc.mun.ca