Community Survey Explores Quality of Life in Northwest Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A large majority of the people in northwest Arkansas think it is a great place to live, are satisfied with the schools and health care, and are frustrated by heavy traffic; they are loosely connected to their neighborhoods, but generally trust their neighbors; they are actively engaged in their communities, but less involved in politics; and they are reasonably optimistic about racial and ethnic issues. Those are some of the findings of the 2010 Northwest Arkansas Community Survey: A Quality of Life Assessment, which was prepared and analyzed by Kevin Fitzpatrick, director of the Community and Family Institute at the University of Arkansas. While the survey is very positive overall, it does reveal trends and issues that the local communities and their leaders will need to address in the future.

“Part of the value of this survey is that we can compare the results to similar surveys done in 2000 and in 2008,” said Fitzpatrick. “It tells us, for example, that while the overall perceptions of northwest Arkansas are strongly favorable, a growing minority of people are showing concerns about the quality of education and health care. And comments made by people who took the survey confirm that race, ethnicity and immigration are hot-button issues, and will remain so in the future.”

Nearly 1,300 people from Benton and Washington counties took part in the survey. These two counties have 90 percent of the total population of northwest Arkansas, 90 percent of the region’s Hispanic and 98 percent of its African-American populations.

The survey focuses heavily on questions about relationships with neighbors, organizations and the community. The questions range from how well people know their neighbors, to how much they trust people and institutions in their community, to their perception of racial relations in northwest Arkansas. These questions are designed to give a sense of the “social capital” in the region.

“Social capital refers to people’s connections, their social ties, to one another and to their community,” Fitzpatrick explained. “It is important, just like money and goods (physical capital), or skills and training (human capital), in determining whether individuals and communities can achieve their personal and collective goals.”

Fitzpatrick presented a summary of the survey on Friday, Nov. 12, at the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education in Springdale. The survey is available online at http://sociology.uark.edu/4200.php or by e-mailing Fitzpatrick at kfitzpa@uark.edu to request a bound copy.

The Northwest Arkansas Community Survey was funded by the Harvey and Bernice Jones Charitable Trust, the Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation, the United Way of Northwest Arkansas and the University of Arkansas.