Listening to the Community and Looking for What Matters 1The 2Listening3 Project…4 The Listening Project… 123 Listening to the Community and Looking for What Matters ideastream sm “It is easier to keep talking once you know someone is listening.” Mission Statement 4– A participant in the first community To strengthen our communities dialogue of The Listening Project 1 by providing distinctive, thought- provoking programs and services that enlighten, inspire, educate, his comment was voiced in 2001during the first of a and entertain. series of conversations where public broadcasting T became the listener – the audience – as residents of Vision 2005 Northeast Ohio defined their needs and identified their ideastream will be recognized as community’s assets. an indispensable multiple media resource connecting community In the three subsequent years, hundreds of individuals in town through preeminent programming meetings, audience panels, broadcast forums and mail, and services that enrich, respond telephone and Internet surveys have told ideastream how it and relate to our lives. could help strengthen local communities. The Listening Project 4 set out to The comment describes how public broadcasting can listen to the diverse voices of the strengthen the resolve of Northeast Ohio residents to improve community in order to reveal: their communities and their own lives. It is the reason ideastream has continued to conduct The Listening Project every - The public’s assessment of its year since. Its message continues to shape the relationship community, its assets and ideastream has with its audiences. challenges, and its viability as a place to live; -The public’s level of social involvement, trust, and community volunteerism; and - The public’s idea about the role public media plays in the community. Researcher: Judith M. LeRoy, Ph.D,TRAC Media Services, Inc. The Listening Project Demographics of The our years ago, ideastream Listening Project 4 initiated a longitudinal Participants Fcommunity research Four-hundred-and-fifty randomly exercise, The Listening Project, to selected individuals from the In addition, 60 viewers and seek a better understanding of service areas of WVIZ/PBS and listeners responded to a request Northeast Ohio’s assets and 90.3 WCPN were surveyed by for volunteers to participate in challenges – as defined by telephone.Two-hundred-and-fifty audience panels, where they residents of the area – allowing questionnaires were returned talked in moderated discussion ideastream, then a new public from 1,500 randomly selected group situations about issues media organization, to better WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN that emerged during the serve its community. members. Seventy people quantitative phases of research. responded to an on-air In 2001, ideastream talked with invitation to complete over 7,000 Northeast Ohio internet questionnaires. residents to establish the parameters for its research. Demographics of The Listening Project 4 Participants Since 2001, hundreds of Random WVIZ WCPN WVIZ WCPN individuals have been invited to Telephone Members Member Internet Audience Audience participate in The Listening Survey Survey Survey Survey Panel Panel Project research. Age Under 35 24% 0% 6% 26% 33% 40% 35-49 27% 12% 21% 41% 8% 20% In January 2005, ideastream 50-64 30% 32% 41% 24% 58% 40% conducted the fourth Listening 65+ 20% 56% 32% 9% 0% 0% Project. In previous years the Education survey was conducted during No HS 7% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% autumn months. However, for HS Degree 32% 11% 1% 4% 8% 0% Attend College 24% 20% 14% 14% 33% 20% its fourth iteration, the Project College Grad 21% 35% 36% 41% 50% 20% was delayed until January to Post Grad 13% 34% 49% 41% 8% 60% avoid the influence of the 2004 Race Presidential Election. White 75% 95% 96% 83% 58% 90% Black 12% 2% 2% 2% 33% 0% Hispanic 3% 2% 0% 3% 8% 0% Other 10% 0% 2% 12% 0% 10% Gender Male 37% 35% 53% 52% 33% 50% Female 63% 65% 47% 48% 67% 50% Some columns do not sum to 100% because of missing answers. 3 Community Assets & Challenges hrough the years, The Listening Project data and “The thing about it is, mostly, T anecdotes provided a The order of respondents’ most the people.That’s what makes portrait of a community with frequently-named community this a good place to live.” many assets – resources that assets has changed since the first residents heartily enjoy.That Listening Project. In 2001, “Good people live here.” data also shows growing Location/Environment/Access and concern about the serious Culture were the two leading “It’s just a good place to live. challenges facing the community. assets, followed by People/ It feels good, here.” Families/Community Values. In Each year, respondents were 2002, Location moved to the top Clearly, the social fabric of life in asked to describe the assets of of the community sample list, Northeast Ohio – one’s home, Northeast Ohio – things that followed by People – an asset that one’s friends and neighbors, make it a good place to live. showed significant growth in the one’s familiarity with the They were also asked to identify post-9/11 surveys the previous community – merge into the the challenges and problems – year. By 2003, People/Families/ “familiar” that makes people feel areas that need to be improved Community Values was mentioned comfortable and settled. to keep the community strong by more respondents than any or to make it better. other asset. Location/Environment/Access is highly valued by 23% of the On all the surveys, the questions People/Family/Community Values is respondents.This category about resources and challenges again the number one community includes elements of physical have been open-ended. asset in 2005. It was the convenience and pleasure ranging Respondents are not prompted overwhelming first choice, named from transportation to shopping by any list, so the items that by 67% of the respondents. In malls and parks. Here, people talk come to the top are those this category are such things as about venues, places to go to find named by the respondents, not families, friends, living in quiet what they want in a safe and those suggested by ideastream. neighborhoods, a place to go to convenient environment. church, the diversity of the What are the Assets of the citizenry, and what one might call “The ease of getting around. community? the “familiar” – all those It’s got an urban situation but “comfort” things that people take it’s not so fast, not so slow as These are the assets most for granted and struggle to put other places I’ve lived in. valued by the community from words around. Man, I can get around this the random telephone sample: city. I love it.” chart 1 Despite the vicious winter of 2004-5, Weather/Seasons was named as a primary asset by 31% of the respondents – unusually high for the category. 4 THE LISTENING PROJECT 4 Do different people see the Activities/Sports/Recreation community’s assets differently? rounds out the list of most mentioned assets. There are demographic Employment/Cost of Living is differences in the perception of perceived as an asset by 11% of “LeBron James! He’s one of community assets: the respondents, although the the town’s biggest assets.” other face of this cluster, • Women are far more likely to Economy/Jobs, is perceived as “For a small-town kind of name People/Families/ the area’s biggest challenge by place, we’ve got it all. Major Community Values than the most residents. league baseball, NBA men (73% versus 56%). basketball, NFL football. And Culture, perennially identified as good places for the teams • Sixty percent of the an asset on The Listening Project to play.” individuals under the age of surveys, is mentioned by 8% of 65 name People/Families/ the community sample – exactly All of these things come Community Values as an the same as last year and the together to make Northeast asset, compared to 84% of year before.The audience panels Ohio a very attractive place, the 65+ respondents.The particularly liked the diversity although, respondents worry longer one lives in an area, of culture. that people from other places the more one seems to don’t know it: appreciate this aspect of “It’s one of the really good the community. cities in the country to eat. “I was a chief financial officer And I can afford to have a for an ad agency in town and • College-educated respondents subscription to Cleveland we had to recruit from San name People/Family/ Public Theatre. I can also Francisco and New York.They Community Values, but they afford a limited subscription didn’t want to come. I would are also more likely to name to the orchestra.You can’t get bribe them,‘I will pay you Culture (12% compared to much better than that. I can $3,000 to come for the 6% for those without a participate in all sorts of weekend, all expenses paid.’ college degree). different arts events. I could They would show up and I’d be busy every night, if I show them the city. .And • The High School and Some wanted to, seeing dance or most of them would stay. The College respondents are theatre – large companies or housing values, the education more positive about Weather small companies. Music. If I system . the art museum, and Location/Environment/ have the time I can go from the zoo – all of those things. Access (shopping, parks, etc.) seeing some blues band in It’s informing people of than are college graduates. some bar in Lakewood to the what’s here.” Cleveland Opera.” 5 Community Assets & Challenges (continued) • Blacks value People/Family/ Community Values as much as Whites, with both groups Do different people rating it about the same (65% see the community’s versus 66%); they are more In 2001, the first year of The problems differently? pleased by Employment/Cost Listening Project, Economy and of Living factors and less by Education were nearly tied for the The challenges of Economy and Weather.