Islanders to be polled on participation in
organizations
CSI center also to survey
residents on how much they trust their neighbors
Staten Island Advance - Tuesday, June 13, 2006
ALBANY -- The Center for the Study of Staten Island
kicked off a poll yesterday aimed at figuring out just how invested
Island residents are in their borough.
Dubbed the Staten Island Project, the survey of
about 850 residents will measure the frequency of participation in
civic, political, religious and volunteer groups, as well as the
extent to which folks trust their neighbors.
"I think it'll be a first," said Richard Flanagan,
associate director of the center, which is based at the College of
Staten Island in Willowbrook.
"Polling on Staten Island is typically rolled up in
New York City numbers and you can never make any conclusions."
The poll was developed by researchers at Harvard
University in 2000 and revised earlier this year.
Nationally, social scientists have noted that
participation in local groups has dropped off in recent decades, and
have posited that the decline can lead to a host of social and
community problems.
"In working for the center and talking to different
constituents, business leaders and civic leaders, there's a sense of
a lack of community on the Island; an unhappiness in how people are
getting along," said Flanagan.
"I started thinking about how the college could get
a handle on that, stumbled across this survey, and it seemed to
really fit the bill."
The poll will consist of a 20-minute phone call
covering about 110 questions. The participants will be selected at
random, according to Flanagan, although attention will be paid to
St. George and Stapleton, to ensure that members of minority groups
are properly represented.
The survey is underwritten by a grant from the
Staten Island Bank & Trust Foundation. The center has partnered with
the Bloustein Center for Survey Research at Rutgers University and
SRBI, a survey research firm based in Manhattan.
The center will release the study's findings in the
fall, and present the results to various local organizations. A
conference at the college built around the results will be held in
March 2007.
Because the survey was used in 41 communities across
the nation in 2000 -- and will be conducted again later this year to
record changes -- the Island's results can be compared to other
cities.
"We hope to be able to make comparisons, hope to
focus government and non-profit attention, to improve weaknesses and
sort it by strong points," said Flanagan.
By Rob Hart
Reprinted here with permission
from the
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