Page 116 - 2015 Compass Now

1 | APPENDIX Survey responses were entered into the secure Survey Monkey data entry site and then transferred into SAS
for data analysis. The data was analyzed in aggregate and disaggregated by county. Data analysis was also
carried out examining differences in demographic characteristics including county of residence, gender, age,
education level, income level, and race. Frequencies and mean scores for each survey item were calculated.
Based on the calculated mean scores, survey items were ranked for discussion and compared to 2011
survey means. County differences in mean scores were tested for significance using analysis of variance in
order to make inferences about a variety of issues at the regional and county level. Analyses of demographic
characteristics were examined by comparing frequencies using chi-square analysis.

Results

A total of 791 surveys were returned for a total response rate of 15.8%. Six respondents did not identify
which county they lived in. There were 67 surveys completed online. This was a lower response rate than the
2011 survey, in which 22% of selected households returned a survey, but was closer to the response rate of
the survey sent in 2007 (response rate of 13.3%).
Profile of the Respondents
The random selection of the household sample ensured that every household in the region had an equal
chance of being selected to receive a survey. We compared the demographics of the survey respondents
to 2010 U.S. Census data and to the 2011 respondents to see how similar or different the sample was. In
general, we found some differences in the survey sample to both the Great Rivers Region and the previous
survey. See Table 2.
Compared to the general population of the Great Rivers Region, the survey sample had more female
respondents than male respondents. Of survey respondents, 65% were female and 33% were male,
compared to the general population, where women and men are represented equally. The age range of the
respondents was 21-97. The median age was 52, which was considerably older than the median age of the
Great Rivers Region, but significantly younger than the respondents surveyed in 2011. These differences
between the sample and the general population did not surprise the COMPASS steering committee, as it has
been our experience that older adults are more likely to complete surveys, as are women when compared to
men. We found that even though surveys were addressed to a male householder, female householders still
tended to be the ones to complete the survey.
Similar to the general population, 94% of the survey respondents were Caucasian. The educational
attainment of the respondents tended to be higher than that of the general population. Among the
respondents, 25% had a high school diploma or less, 30% had vocational school training or some college,
and 44% were college graduates or had postgraduate training. According to the U.S. Census, by comparison,
35% of the Great Rivers Region has a high school diploma, 32% has an associate’s degree or some college
and 23% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The educational attainment was also significantly higher in the
current survey than in the 2011 survey.
A majority of respondents owned their home (86%) relative to respondents who were renters (statistically
higher than the 2011 survey). By comparison, 70% of the Great Rivers Region are homeowners. Of 2014
respondents, 32% had dependent children living at home, compared to the regional average of 29%. This
was also statistically higher than the 2011 survey.

108 COMPASS NOW 2015