Surveys Give Voice to Coastal Community Concerns
Local leaders in Georgia's coastal region can better plan for the future of their communities with the help of a detailed needs assessment recently carried out by the Vinson Institute and Fanning Institute.
The study brings together for the first time in one document current statistical data and citizen perceptions related to the major assets and needs of the region encompassing Glynn, Camden, and McIntosh counties. It took approximately 10 months to complete.
Vinson Institute survey research specialists designed, conducted, and analyzed data for two surveys administered locally, reports Rich Clark, Vinson Institute faculty member. The general population survey was a random sample survey conducted by mail in each of the three counties with a sample large enough to produce results that could be generalized. An “interested public” survey followed, allowing anyone in the three-county area to comment online over a six-week period.
Vinson and Fanning faculty and staff worked together to organize current statistical data so that leaders can be informed about how their counties are performing in such critical areas as population, education, and employment. “This secondary data also provides a context in which the survey results can be viewed,” Clark notes.
The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation partnered with Family Connection-Glynn, Georgia Center for Nonprofits, United Way of Camden County, and United Way of Coastal Georgia to support the study. The university's Archway Project of Glynn provided assistance.
The full report can be viewed here.
