Citizen survey shows healthier, happier residents, but some problem areas remain 

Happy days are here again in Sangamon County – at least by some measures.

The results of the second Sangamon County Citizen Survey were released on June 26, showing that residents of Springfield and the surrounding area generally feel happier and healthier than two years ago. Still, a measure of gloom persists about some of the facets of life here. The data from the survey will provide governments, nonprofits and others a finger on the public’s pulse, informing policy decisions and guiding efforts to make the county a better place.

The survey was first conducted in 2013 and again in spring 2015. Among the many fascinating insights revealed in the 2015 results was increased confidence in local leadership juxtaposed against a decline in the public’s opinion of the county as a whole. In total, the survey asked residents about nine areas of life: education, economy, health, culture and recreation, environment, infrastructure, government and civic participation, public safety and social well-being. While the first round of results in 2013 offered insight into the public’s mind, the second round expanded on several topics and provides a comparison to gauge changing opinions.

Dr. Ashley Kirzinger, director of the Survey Research Office at the University of Illinois Springfield, oversaw the survey both times. She jokingly calls the 2015 results “a tale of two surveys” because of the sometimes conflicting answers participants gave.

“When we first started going through the results, I found that there were two competing narratives,” she said. “The tangible things – things that are actually quantifiable in someone’s life, like how their children are doing in school – those items are improving. People feel that they’re improving because they’re seeing measurable differences.”

However, when asked about more abstract concepts, such as whether Sangamon County is a good place to retire, people responded more negatively. She likens it to the national phenomena in which people tend to hate Congress but like their own congressman.

“It must be the difference between things that are actually affecting their personal lives and things that they don’t have any direct experience with but which are influenced by the atmosphere and things that are happening,” Kirzinger said. “If you think about the past six months, the news that’s coming from the Statehouse is all negative: a bad state budget, the Illinois fiscal crisis, the pension systems are in trouble. I think that’s affecting people’s overall assessment.”

The survey was originally prompted by a request from Bob Gray, president of the Citizens Club of Springfield, which exists to facilitate discussion on public issues. At the time, both the United Way of Central Illinois and the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln were pursuing less formal surveys to help guide their missions, so they jumped at the chance to partner with UIS on the Citizen Survey. The two nonprofits jointly funded the survey with UIS.

For Kirzinger, the 2015 results should serve as a starting point for policymakers in the public and nonprofit sectors to focus their efforts on the strengths and weaknesses of Sangamon County.

“Since we’re seeing improvements in many areas, hopefully our resources can now be devoted to the pockets that didn’t improve,” she said.

The good

First the good news: in general, Sangamon County residents report being healthier, more satisfied with their employment, less pessimistic about the economy and generally more pleased with local governance than in 2013.

More people in the latest survey reported having health insurance, a primary care physician and enough money to afford medical care. Additionally, fewer people said they’d recently had a poor health day – physically or mentally – than in the previous survey.

The 2013 survey asked residents about how their personal finances fared compared with the previous year, and the results seem to have improved this year. In the 2013 survey, 21 percent of respondents said their personal finances were “worse off” than the previous year. However, just 13 percent of 2015 respondents said the same thing. Likewise, 19 percent of respondents said the local economy is “worse off” in 2015, compared with 30 percent saying the same thing in 2013. 

Interestingly, the proportion of people saying their personal finances had actually improved stayed the same between 2013 and 2015. Additionally, fewer people in the 2015 survey reported being “underemployed” compared with the previous survey.

A large majority of parents – 81 percent – believe their children are receiving an excellent or good education in Sangamon County, and 94 percent expect their children to pursue some form of higher education after high school.

Confidence in local elected officials also seems to have increased since the 2013 survey. Kirzinger says she waited until after the 2015 municipal elections to begin polling, so she isn’t sure whether the uptick in confidence represents actual satisfaction with local leadership or simply a measure of hopefulness about a newly elected batch of leaders.

Kirzinger also asked survey participants about race relations in Sangamon County, hoping to gauge public attitudes in light of several recent national events highlighting racial conflict. The proportion of African-American respondents who said race relations here are either “very good” or “good” was almost as high as the proportion of white respondents who said the same: 60 percent for African-Americans and 65 percent for whites. Nationally, only 39 percent of U.S. residents believe race relations are “generally good.”

“I think that’s a really good indicator for our community,” Kirzinger said.

However, the survey results also show a divide between age groups on racial matters. Among those aged 55 to 64, 29 percent said race relations are “very good,” but 40 percent of the 25- to 34-year-old age group said race relations are “very bad.”

Kirzinger says the disparity may be attributable to different views of what constitute good race relations.

“We know that younger individuals are more sensitive to these kinds of things,” she said. “It might be that the older population sees that there are no riots here, and that means race relations are good. But younger populations may say, ‘Well, the diversity in my workplace isn’t that great.’ It might be how people quantify race relations.”

Dr. David Steward of Springfield says the results of the survey with respect to health are particularly encouraging. Steward is associate dean for Community Health and Service at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, which focuses on improving the overall health of central and southern Illinois. He notes the high rate of health insurance coverage and the large proportion of people who now have a primary care doctor – both measures which have improved since 2013.

“These findings say that we have a great foundation for continued improvement in the health of people in Sangamon County, but there is still work to be done,” Steward said, noting that the maps accompanying the survey results reveal noticeable differences in respondents’ education, safety and access to parks and community gardens.

“These kinds of differences are often cited as causes of health disparities across the community,” he said. “I believe we all want everyone in Sangamon County to have the same opportunity to become and stay healthy, and live well to a ripe old age.”

The bad

Despite the many encouraging results in the 2015 survey, Kirzinger says there are some issues of concern. She points to the “disadvantaged group” of residents whose finances, job outlook, health and other factors haven’t improved. Kirzinger says the growth and economic recovery experienced by the population at large seems to have passed over the low-income population of Sangamon County.

Kirzinger says 20 percent of people surveyed reported at least one time in the past year when they didn’t have enough money for food, while 15 percent didn’t have enough money for health care or medicine, despite the national health insurance reforms.

The proportion of participants who said they were unemployed and looking for work was 4.7 percent in the 2015 survey, which closely matches the U.S. Department of Labor’s estimate of 4.3 percent for Sangamon County. Taken alone, that number is encouraging, especially in comparison with the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent. However, a closer look at the results reveals inequality.

Just 4 percent of white respondents said they were unemployed and looking for work, compared with 14 percent of African-American respondents. Likewise, 4 percent of men and 6 percent of women reported unemployment. While 10 percent of men said their finances were “worse off” than one year ago, 16 percent of women said the same thing. Twelve percent of white respondents reported being financially worse off, compared with 19 percent of African-Americans. People with only a high school diploma or less also reported higher unemployment and worse financial standing than those with a college degree or higher.

Survey respondents also reported a perceived lack of access to community gardens and libraries. While the number of community gardens in Sangamon County has more than doubled since 2013 from 10 to 21, low-income respondents were more likely to say they need – but don’t have access to – a community garden. Seven percent of those surveyed in 2013 said they didn’t have access to a library, and that number has since increased to 11 percent.

The funky

Kirzinger noticed a curious feature of the survey results concerning the public’s opinion of Sangamon County. Despite a general improvement in health, job satisfaction, finances and confidence in local leadership, more than a third of respondents said they’ve considered moving out of the county. Nearly 27 percent said Sangamon County is a poor place to retire, and 32 percent consider it only a “fair” place to retire.

Asked what would make them stay in Sangamon County, participants said they want better job opportunities, an improved personal situation and better weather. Kirzinger says people born in Sangamon County were also more likely to have a negative view of the area.

“We’ve found this consistently, that individuals born in Sangamon County are more negative. If you were born and raised in Springfield, you’re more negative than people who have immigrated into the region, and the longer you stay here, the more negative you are.”

The takeaway

John Kelker, president of United Way of Central Illinois, says the survey results are encouraging because they reinforce the charitable mission of his nonprofit. The survey indicated strong support for education and a widespread expectation of children seeking higher education degrees, Kelker noted, which means his organization and others in Sangamon County should focus on supporting students. “I think the statistics show us graduation rates that certainly don’t lend themselves to 94 percent of children going on to seek higher degrees,” he said. “We really need to do more to prepare children to graduate, or if they fail to graduate, are there other educational career opportunities?” Kelker said the results also show the importance of the United Way’s 2-1-1 phone service in helping the disadvantaged group identified by Kirzinger in her survey analysis. The service, which provides referrals to social service agencies for issues like homelessness, utility assistance and mental health, fields between 200 and 300 calls each month in Sangamon County.

John Stremsterfer, president of the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, says his group benefits from knowing what the public values and prioritizes.

“We try to keep a hand on the pulse of what’s going on in the community, so this survey reinforces that,” he said.

He points to the strong support of Springfield’s downtown among survey participants, not only among Springfield residents but also those outside the city. He adds that the Community Foundation’s office is downtown, and the nonprofit is working on funding projects in the downtown.

“It’s pretty exciting stuff when you start to dig into it,” he said. “You can sort of sense that there’s an excitement about revitalizing the downtown, and then you see the data supporting it. If we want to have a thriving community, that’s the heart of it.”

Find the report on the 2015 Sangamon County Citizens Survey online at http://go.uis.edu/citizen.

Contact Patrick Yeagle at [email protected].