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Executive Summary
The purpose of the Sangamon County Citizen
Survey is to establish benchmarks and
evaluate changes in residents’ assessments of
the quality of life in Sangamon County. The
first survey was conducted in 2013 and
provided local leaders, community
organizations, and citizens with insight into
issues facing local residents. This year’s survey
is the second iteration of the survey with an
expanded examination of issues surrounding
education in the County. The following
sections contain an analysis of the data
collected by researchers from 576 individuals
on a hundred questions across nine topical
areas, including: culture and recreation, social
well-being, health, education, economy,
infrastructure, government and civic
participation, environment, and public safety.
In this executive summary, we highlight some
of the major findings.
The health and personal
finances of Sangamon
County residents are
improving.
When asked about their own personal health
and their personal economic situation,
Sangamon County residents report a marked
increase from 2013 to 2015. The results of the
2015 Sangamon County Citizen survey
indicate an increase in the rates of insured
residents as well as those who report having a
primary care physician. In fact, 96 percent of
those surveyed report having health
insurance coverage. This is up almost seven
percentage points from the 2013 survey. In
addition, the percent of Sangamon County
residents who report that there have been
times in the past 12 months when they did
not have enough money to pay for health care
or medicines decreased from 21 percent in
2013 to 15 percent in 2015.
Residents also report an increase in their
overall health with a fewer number of
individuals reporting days of poor physical
health, poor mental health, and days in which
they were kept from usual activities.
When asked about their own personal finances,
Sangamon County residents are slightly less
pessimistic. The 2015 Sangamon County Citizen
Survey found 4.7 percent of residents are
unemployed and currently seeking
employment. Of those who are employed, 17
percent report being underemployed compared
to 21 percent in 2013. In addition, residents
who report that their personal financial
condition is “worse off” than it was 12 months
ago has decreased from 21 percent in 2013 to
13 percent in 2015.
Residents report more positive
evaluations of local leaders
but less positive about the
county, in general.
Forty-one percent of Sangamon County
residents feel Sangamon County has “strong”
leadership. This perception has increased by 10
percentage points from the 2013 Sangamon
County Citizen Survey. Fifty-nine percent of
Sangamon County residents are confident that
local elected leaders can effectively address
local problems. This perception has increased
seven percentage points from the 2013
Sangamon County Citizen Survey. Despite this,
Sangamon County residents rate the county, in
general, less positively. The percentage of
residents who think Sangamon County is an
“excellent” place to live, raise children, work,
and retire has decreased while the percentage
who rate it is a “poor” place to work, live, and
retire has increased.