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Oregonians share what neighborliness and community mean to them, and how their neighborhoods have become better or worse over the past year.
COMMUNITY PLANNING, GENERAL VALUES AND BELIEFS, HOUSING
From October 6-14, 2022, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center conducted a statewide survey of Oregonians’ feelings about neighborliness and community. A description of the methodology used for the research is provided below.
The question numbers in this document correspond with the survey questionnaire (Q1-11b). Due to rounding, the percentages reported below may not add to 100% or compare exactly to the percentages for the same question in the annotated questionnaire or tabs. Subgroup variations between BIPOC and white Oregonians; rural and urban residents; and age groups have been of particular interest to individuals and organizations and are provided in the Demographic Trends section below.
In October of 2022, OVBC asked Oregonians what neighborliness and community mean to them, and whether they see these characteristics within their own neighborhoods and communities. The survey started with half the sample being asked what “neighborliness” means to them with the other half being asked about what “sense of community” means to them.
For “neighborliness,” Oregonians talk about neighbors being kind and respectful to each other; saying hello; and supporting, helping, and looking out for one another (Q1).
“Welcoming new neighbors, giving a smile when out for a walk, keeping an eye out for those who need help and when they are gone on vacation, taking the time to say hello and visit for a minute or two.”
Woman, age 65-74, Lane County, White
“Looking out for people, picking up packages, greeting each other, sharing the harvest.”
Woman, age 45-54, Washington County, Asian
“Neighborliness is being cordial, looking out for your neighbors’ property in their absence.”
Man, age 30-44, Multnomah County, Black or African American
When asked what “sense of community” means to them, Oregonians talk about caring for one another and cultivating a shared sense of values and interests (Q2).
“A sense of community means people taking care of each other and working together around a shared aspect of life, whether that be where they live or a common interest or identity.”
Non-binary or gender non-conforming person, age 30-44, Multnomah County, White
“A shared place, culture, values or ways of living that generates a unifying feeling or understanding of belonging together.”
Woman, age 45-55, Multnomah County, Hispanic/Latina/x
“For me community means a town’s or a city’s population that works together to make it a better place.”
Man, age 18-29, Lincoln County, Hispanic/Latino/x and White
The survey then asked the full sample to share examples of “neighborliness” where they live. anecdotes often follow common themes include exchanging gifts or chores, going the extra mile, and helping out in a pinch. “Checking in” is common, particularly in the face of exceptional challenges like extreme weather events, or if someone is sick, elderly, or experiencing a period of disability (Q3).
“Our neighbor made jam and brought it over after watching our house while we were gone. We reciprocated with sourdough started and a load of bread and a lovely stop at their house.”
Man, age 55-64, Wasco County, White
“Snowstorm caused my tree to lose a few limbs while I was away on vacation. My neighbor cleaned it up for me. Another neighbor helped me fix my car, and gifts me sake on holidays. A neighbor always gives me produce from her garden.”
Woman, age 30-44, Columbia County, Hispanic/Latina/x and White
“This family helps me rake leaves and shovel snow or ice when needed. Another resident and I will walk dogs when asked, and so on. It may not sound like much, but small favors pay big dividends in the neighborhood.”
Woman, age 75+, Deschutes County, White
“We work together to make our neighborhood look good!”
Man, age 18-29, Yamhill County, Black or African American and White
“My neighbor and I always help each other with projects like clearing brush, loan tools, and manpower whenever we can.”
Woman, age 65-74, Multnomah County, Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native
The next section of the survey asked about five neighborhood characteristics. Most Oregonians (65%) agree that people in their neighborhoods talk to and help one another (Q5). Only 9% of Oregonians say this doesn’t happen in their neighborhood at all.
65% of Oregonians also feel they can trust their neighbors (Q6).
Oregonians believe that if they needed help, people in their neighborhood would help them (64%) (Q7).
Oregonians are less confident their neighbors would be there if they wanted company or to socialize, but a slim majority say this describes their neighborhood dynamic (52%) (Q8).
Only 43% of Oregonians say there are places to sit and chat in their neighborhoods (Q4).
About 60% of Oregonians have given everyday help or support to someone outside of their family or household (i.e., supporting someone emotionally, or offering practical help like childcare, shopping, or a ride) (Q9).
Oregonians are about evenly split between those who have recently received help or support from someone outside their family (47%), and those who have not (49%) (Q10).
About a quarter of Oregonians (24%) feel their neighborhood has become a better place to live over the past year compared to 17% who feel it has become a worse place. Most Oregonians feel their neighborhood has neither improved nor worsened (59%) (Q11).
For Oregonians who report their community has become a better place to live over the last year, people mostly share about physical improvements: landscaping, neighbors giving their homes a facelift, or things done by complexes or the city like fixing roads and painting buildings. Some mention more kindness between community members (Q11a).
“I live in a condo complex, and the Board has taken several steps to improve the surroundings with improved maintenance and landscaping.”
Man, age 65-74, Clackamas County, White
“The people on my street are more invested in making sure issues like potholes and traffic are getting addressed by the city administration.”
Man, age 45-54, Multnomah County, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
“We’re more connected now in many respects. We’re working on some challenges and trying to respect each other’s perspectives.”
Woman, age 65-74, Lane County, White
Some Have Experienced Their Neighborhood Becoming Worse Over the Last Year
Conversely, for Oregonians who report their community has become a worse place to live over the last year, comments are overwhelmingly about homelessness. Other reasons include crime, increases in congestion, too many people moving in, and cost of living increases (Q11b).
“More homeless people camping out nearby, drug affected, unstable people talking to themselves outside the grocery store, drag racing up & down the streets all hours of the night, etc.”
Woman, age 55-64, Multnomah County, White
“There’s a lot more nearby violence. Some unappealing residents have moved in.”
Man, age 30-44, Multnomah County, Black or African American
“We got a new landlord who is trying to price out residents, which creates an oldies vs. newbies atmosphere.”
Woman, age 30-44, Benton County, White
“A lot of violence and drugs coming to my neighborhood.”
Man, age 18-29, Josephine County, Hispanic/Latino/x and White
Reported below are statistically significant subgroup differences between age groups, BIPOC and white Oregonians, and urban and rural Oregonians. Many of these differences are not major and are presented to inform public education and communications initiatives.
This survey uses aggregated data to analyze the opinions of BIPOC residents in comparison to the opinions of residents who identify as white and not another race. BIPOC residents are not a monolith; the grouping represents a wide diversity of races and ethnicities. The findings included in this memo should not be construed such that all people of color are believed to share the same opinions. Disaggregated race data will be provided when sample sizes permit reliability.
People aged 65 and over generally give their neighborhoods high marks for characteristics one might associate with a “good neighborhood.”
More Oregonians between the ages of 30 and 44 have helped someone outside their family during the past week (64%), compared to any other age group (Q9).
18-29-year-olds are the age group most likely to have received help or support from someone outside their family during the preceding week (52%), particularly compared to 55-64-year-olds (39%) (Q10).
The majority of people aged 45 and older say their neighborhoods have pretty much stayed the same over the past year (63%-70%), but slightly fewer than half of those aged 18-44 say the same (48%) (Q11).
“People looking out for each other.”
Woman, age 18-29, Clackamas County, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White
“We’ve had additional, diverse families with children move into our neighborhood and that has helped the shared culture of the area and connection between neighbors.”
Non-binary or gender non-conforming, age 30-44, Multnomah County, White
“More people are moving in and building up their properties.”
Non-binary or gender non-conforming, age 30-44, Klamath County, White
“Neighbors interact more, and folks are doing more house projects, so they’re out more. A lot of folks walk and ride bikes too, which makes the neighborhood feel both social and safe.”
Woman, age 30-44, Linn County, White
BIPOC Oregonians and white Oregonians generally say these neighborhood characteristics describe their own neighborhoods at similar rates, with a few noteworthy exceptions (Q4-Q8).
When it comes to giving someone help or support during the previous week, BIPOC and white Oregonians are about equally likely to say they helped someone out (BIPOC: 63%; white: 57%) (Q9). BIPOC Oregonians report having received help from someone else at a slightly higher rate (53%, compared to 44%) (Q10).
White Oregonians (65%) are significantly more likely than BIPOC Oregonians (45%) to say their neighborhood has stayed about the same over the past year (Q11).
“It’s become nicer because people are moving and everyone is very nice.”
Woman, age 18-29, Clatsop County, Hispanic/Latina/x and White
“The people on my street are more like invested in making sure issues like potholes and traffic are getting addressed by the city administration.”
Man, age 45-54, Multnomah County, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
“Affordable housing projects have gone up in my community, and people in them are willing to support each other.”
Woman, age 65-74, Washington County, Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native
When it comes to neighborhoods that have gotten worse over the past year, BIPOC Oregonians cite the same reasons as everyone else: crime and homelessness (Q11B):
“The city I live in has become a war zone. It is no longer a safe place to be.”
Man, age 18-29, Clackamas County, Black or African American and White
“People are hateful towards each other and there has been an increase in violence. (Two police involved shootings, home break-ins, robberies, etc.) I don’t feel safe walking down the street without carrying a can of pepper spray at least!”
Woman, age 55-64, Washington County, Black or African American
“Drug addicts and mentally ill folks have become much more evident. It does not feel as safe or pleasant as in the past.”
Man, age 55-64, Multnomah County, Hispanic/Latino/x
Oregonians living in both urban and rural areas say people in their neighborhoods talk to and help one another (urban: 61%; rural: 67%) and that they have neighbors they can call on if they want some company (urban: 51%; rural: 52%). Other characteristics are significantly more likely to be found in either rural neighborhoods or rural neighborhoods (Q4-Q8).
There are no significant differences between rural and urban residents as to whether they have helped someone outside their family (rural: 55%; urban: 61%), or have received helped from someone (rural: 45%; urban: 48%) (Q9,Q10).
Rural residents are especially likely to say nothing has changed in their neighborhood over the past year (68%), compared to just barely half of all urban residents (51%) (Q11).
“There are dozens of tents with homeless people, many people walking the street talking or screaming incoherently, and open injection drug use on the sidewalks.”
Woman, age 65-74, Multnomah County, White
“More crime in the area. Street racing is killing people at night. People are reportedly getting killed almost weekly due to crime related to street racing.”
Man, age 55-64, Washington County, White
“The property crime from those outside the neighborhood has increased tremendously. I’ve had my car window broken, my catalytic converter stolen (they took the time to remove the catalytic shield that I paid money to have put on to prevent theft) and items stolen off of my porch. People in cars cruise the neighborhood looking for opportunities. Police don’t respond to these crimes. Neighbors are left to fend for themselves. We are all on edge when we see an unfamiliar vehicle. We feel preyed upon.”
Woman, age 55-64, Multnomah County, White
Methodology: The online survey consisted of 1,926 Oregon residents ages 18+ and took approximately 15 minutes to complete. Respondents were contacted by using professionally maintained online panels. In gathering responses, a variety of quality control measures were employed, including questionnaire pre-testing, validation, and real-time monitoring of responses. To ensure a representative sample, demographic quotas were set, and data weighted by area of the state, gender, age, and education.
Statement of Limitations: Based on a 95% confidence interval, this survey’s margin of error, for the full sample is ±2.23%. Due to rounding or multiple answer questions, response percentages may not add up to 100%.
For more information, please see the OVBC October 2022 Survey Annotated Questionnaire and Crosstabs.