Worcester Model Cities Resident Attitude Survey

Authors

Else Wiersma, University of Massachusetts Boston
Floyd J. Fowler Jr., University of Massachusetts BostonFollow
Center for Survey Research, University of Massachusetts Boston
The Joint Center for Urban Studies of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University

Document Type

Research Report

Publication Date

11-1972

Abstract

In January of 1972, the staff and resident representatives of the Worcester Model Cities neighborhood contracted the Survey Research Program to work with them to conduct a survey of neighborhood residents. The purpose of the project was to collect data that would assist those in the Model Cities area to systematically measure residents' perceptions and feelings, to identify problems and needs, to plan programs, and, perhaps, at a later date to have a basis against which to measure change.

The project, as it was designed and as it was carried out, was a joint effort. A committee of residents and staff outlined the study objectives. Program staff prepared several drafts of the interview schedule for review, incorporating the committee's suggestions at each stage. The committee interviewed and helped to screen applicants for interviewers, who were then trained by Survey Research Program staff. When field work was in progress. Model Cities staff monitored the interviewers' day-by-day progress, while Program staff met with interviewers for more intensive review sessions on a weekly basis.

And so it is appropriate that the analysis of the data, too, is a cooperative effort rather than simply a document prepared by a consultant. Once the basic distributions of answers had been tabulated, Model Cities staff met with Survey Research Program staff to jointly decide on what further tabulations should be prepared. Copies of all tabulations were provided to Model Cities, so that residents and staff could begin to review and use the findings.

This document is not intended to be the product of the project, or to be the report. If we have done our job properly, there should be many products and many reports which in part make use of the study data over the next year or two. The data should be a resource that can be drawn on continuously. Consistent with this orientation, we have tried primarily to put together some of the most basic and interesting tables in a form that is accessible. For the most part, the data have only been summarized, without any attempt to derive implications or conclusions from them. Our goal was to prepare a working document, which could be used by Model Cities residents and staff as one important resource in the planning and assessing of Model Cities programs in Worcester.

Recommended Citation

Wiersma, Else; Fowler, Floyd J. Jr.; Center for Survey Research, University of Massachusetts Boston; and The Joint Center for Urban Studies of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, "Worcester Model Cities Resident Attitude Survey" (1972). Center for Survey Research Publications. 6.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/csr_pubs/6