Rural Pulse Results Are In…

Attracting and Retaining Business, Education and Health Care Top Alumni Priorities

Late last year, you were asked to participate in the Rural Pulse Survey – designed to gauge the opinions and priorities of BCLP alumni around the state.

Wilder Research, on behalf of the Blandin Foundation, conducted the survey, which was a follow-up to a 2005 survey. Through this survey, we sought input about the most critical issues in your community, the overall quality of your community, the strengths and weaknesses you see in your community and the issues you want to address as community leaders.

These survey results are vitally important because they help aid the Foundation in making programming and funding opportunity decisions. The results also are shared with other leaders and policy-makers in the state, such as legislators.

“The Community Leader Team and the entire Foundation staff thank all of our leadership alumni across the state who took part in Rural Pulse,” said Leadership Director Valerie Shangreaux. “The response rate was an overwhelming 45 percent of our alumni. Your responses will not only have an impact with Minnesota Legislators but will help guide Foundation decision-making into the future.”

The following is a brief summary of the 2007 administered survey. Results were similar to the 2005 Rural Pulse Survey, with economic opportunity, health care and education still topping the list of priorities for alumni survey participants. And, while you reported challenges on the horizon in sustaining community health, you largely endorsed your respective communities as a “good places to live.”

Highlights of the Rural Pulse survey:
Alumni responded that the top five critical issues that need to be addressed in the next three to five years are:
* Retaining businesses that pay a household-   supporting wage.
* Providing quality K-12 education.
* Having accessible quality health care.
* Attracting businesses that pay household       supporting wages.
* Addressing the increasing cost of health care.

Quality of Community:
* Ninety-four (94) percent of respondents said they would “definitely” or “probably” recommend their community as a good place to live.
* Community economic health continues to be a vital issue for respondents.
While most respondents felt their community¹s economic health was “good”
(36%) or “fair” (46%), only 6 percent said the economic health of their community was “very good.” Twelve percent reported that the economic health of their community was “poor.” * Respondents reported that their communities are more diverse. Seventeen
(17) percent said their community was “much more diverse” and 41 percent said their community was “somewhat more diverse” within the past five years.

Community Strengths and Weaknesses:
* Alumni respondents identified the following as community strengths (listed in order of highest ranking): being able to count on neighbors; natural resources; feelings of safety; access to natural resources for all residents; a crime rate that is the same or lower than in similar communities; services are available to those with alcohol or drug addiction; a sense of trust among residents; good recreational opportunities; Internet and distance learning are available in schools and there are productively engaged older adults.
* Alumni respondents identified the following as community weaknesses (listed in order of lowest ranking): economy of the community is not diverse enough; there is a lack of affordable, quality daycare; political conflict is not handled in a healthy way; the community is not generally welcoming to people of diverse backgrounds; people from different backgrounds do not fulfill leadership roles; the community does not recognize diversity as a strength and the community does not have enough jobs that pay household-supporting wages.
* Strengths and weaknesses were similar to those identified in the 2005 survey.

Issues Alumni Want to Address as Community Leaders:
* Eighteen percent of respondents said business development is the top issue they want to address as community leaders.
* Employment ranked as the second priority in this category – at 16 percent.

Alumni who would like to view the entire Rural Pulse survey should visit the Blandin Foundation website:  www.blandinfoundation.org