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PHASE 1: Needs From The Community Visions Survey
Phase 1 (September 2022 – May 2023) consisted of a community-wide survey which asked people 12 open-ended questions about needs, assets and strengths for people who live, work, or depend on Grinnell for resources. This survey could be taken online, as a paper copy, or in a group discussion format, it could be taken anonymously and asked no demographics questions. Community Research Assistants were hired to help promote the survey and to host in-person discussion groups to fill out the questions. The questions regarding “needs” in Grinnell were used to generate a comprehensive list of all issues raised by survey takers and the most mentioned topics were used to generate the list of 46 top issues – used in the next Phase.
In addition to the survey data collected, Phase 1 also consisted of many interviews with resources holders and asset managers, small focus groups and the initial research into Grinnell’s ‘peer communities’, and asset mapping in the community.
PHASE 2: Methodology For Prioritization
The Prioritization Process
Phase 2 (June 2023 – September 2023) used the data generated in Phase 1 (the list of 46 top issues) in another round of survey. This second survey asked people to self-report their demographic information and then rank choice vote their top 7 issues from the list of 46. Survey takers could be entered into a twice weekly cash drawing of $50, which ran the 10 weeks that the survey was open. Paid Community Research Assistants were used to help promote the survey – similar to Phase 1. The data from this survey was used to generate the list of the top 7 issues for Grinnell:
- Improve Drinking Water Quality
- More Restaurant Variety
- Expand Mental Healthcare Services
- Improve K-12 Buildings & Infrastructure
- Improve Roads & Road Maintenance
- Reduce Racism
- Higher Wages &/or Lower Prices
To see breakdowns of this data and the methodology for how demographic information impacted the ranked choice, please visit the “Phase 2 Data” document below.
In addition to the survey, background archival research was conducted with the help of three full-time Research Assistants over summer 2023.
PHASE 3
Phase 3 (September 2023 – January 2024) In Progress. The goals of Phase 3 are to dig deeper into the findings from the previous survey. In-depth research into the top 7 community priorities will continue. Various listening sessions, focus groups and interviews will be held in addition to archival research, peer community comparison, asset mapping and policy analysis.
More information to come.
