Residents of the western
metro Atlanta/West Georgia area remain highly satisfied with their
community and their lives, despite economic struggles and
considerable national political and social divisions.
That's the finding of the second annual West Georgia Area Survey conducted by the University of West Georgia's Survey Research Center.
More than nine out of 10 respondents reported
that they
were “very happy” or “happy” with their lives, while a virtually
identical
percentage rated their local community as “excellent,” “very
good,” or a “good”
place to live. These numbers were consistent with the results of
the previous year's West
Georgia Area Survey.
Respondents reported relatively modest levels
of
“generalized trust” (trust in people in general), though the
results were
virtually identical to those asked an identical question in a
recent national
survey, the 2010 General Social Survey conducted by the National
Opinion
Research Center at the University of Chicago. However, like last
year, several
measures of “localized trust” yielded a much more favorable view
of others in
their community, including trust in neighbors, those with whom
they worship,
and local law enforcement officers.
At least 80 percent of those who answered each of these questions expressed “a lot” or “some” trust in each of these groups of people. There is also considerable trust in co-workers and local community leaders, though it is somewhat less strong than trust in the community members mentioned above.
Participants also again reported being highly
engaged in
their community, as measured by involvement in a variety of
aspects of civic
life. Roughly half participate in religious organizations and
charitable
organizations for the needy, with significant numbers of
individuals taking
part in a variety of other activities like senior citizens groups,
neighborhood
organizations, Scouts and other youth groups, and other types of
local
organizations. Finally, once again most respondents (73 percent)
participated in more
than one type of local civic activity, with almost half taking
part in four or
more types.
Todd Matthews, co-director of the survey, noted
that
“once again, the citizens of the West Georgia region have
expressed a strong
level of satisfaction with their community and their lives,
despite the daily
barrage of negative news. This is likely because they are engaged,
active
participants in civic life, which has long been found to be a
hallmark
characteristic of a good place to live.”
Other topics explored in the survey addressed:
perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system; attitudes
regarding
civility in contemporary life; participation in religious life and
activities;
concern about the environment; crime victimization and fear of
crime; and basic
demographic measures gathered by the researchers to use for
comparative
purposes.
The West Georgia Area Survey was a landline and
cell phone
survey conducted in late 2011. There were 632 respondents from a
seven-county
area around UWG: Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson,
Heard, Paulding, and Troup. The lead researcher on the project was
Catherine Jenks, director of the Survey Research Center in UWG's
College of
Social Sciences and an assistant professor of criminology.
Matthews, assistant professor and chair of the Department of
Sociology and
L. Michael Johnson, associate professor of criminology, were
co-directors of
the project. The project will continue on a regular basis in
future years, with
questions designed to explore continuing trends or new and
emerging issues on a
variety of topics of interest to researchers, policy makers,
business leaders,
and local citizens.
The researchers are available to present data
from the study
to local organizations and community leaders. Please contact
Matthews
at 678-839-6325 or by e-mail at tmatthew@westga.edu
if you are interested in learning more about the study results.
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