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tracking changes in the north country
Community and Environment in Rural America survey
To learn more about how Coos County residents view the changes now underway in their communities and the region, we recently began a study of Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA). The first step in CERA involved telephone interviews of over 1,700 adults in Coos and adjacent Oxford County, Maine, conducted in spring and summer of 2007. About 100 survey questions collected data on residents’ experiences of change, their levels of concern about environmental issues, and the key issues facing their communities. These sorts of data are especially timely given the present point of transition in Coos. The survey also provides data on the economic and demographic characteristics of the county population, such as marital status, educational attainment, race/ethnicity, age, politics, and household income. CERA data can be used to examine the relationships between demographic factors, and to examine the changing circumstances of subgroups such as newcomers versus long-timers, or low-income versus middle-income and affluent residents. The CERA survey presents a unique opportunity to track change in ways that go beyond the limitations of commonly-used secondary data. As of Februrary 2008, the survey data for Coos and Oxford counties have been analyzed, and a summary of the results can be found in the Carsey publication, “The State of Coos County”. Data on respondents’ industries and occupations have recently been coded, and further analyses will explore how perspectives on change and community issues vary according to these characteristics. Further, data on respondents’ parents’ occupations will be coded by the end of the month, and we will begin to explore patterns of intergenerational social mobility in the North Country.
Generous support provided by the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.