KANSAS LEADERSHIP CENTER
NEWS RELEASE Feb. 17, 2011
Poll: Kansans see promise in community leadership programs Kansans have great faith in community leadership programs’ effectiveness to address the problems that concern citizens most, a first-of-its-kind poll of 15 Kansas communities has found. Of respondents familiar with their community leadership program (CLPs), 67 percent considered the CLP either “somewhat effective” or “very effective” at training people to make progress on issues that most concerned them. “Obviously, this is very encouraging data for us,” said Kansas Leadership Center President/CEO Ed O’Malley, whose Wichita-based non-profit commissioned the poll. “We believe place-based, or community leadership programs will power Kansas toward the stronger, more prosperous Kansas we know it can become.” The KLC supports CLPs by providing training, curriculum and other services. Respondents placed jobs atop a list of concerns when asked, “When you think of the future of your community, what concerns you most?” Other concerns included taxes, education and crime. The KLC, a civic leadership development organization, hired Mary Christine & Associates to conduct the poll, which questioned 3,889 Kansans in November. The KLC intends to repeat the poll to monitor changes in the perceptions of CLPs, but hasn’t decided whether annual or bi-annual polling is best. The 15 participating communities were: Leadership Greater Topeka, Leadership Parsons, Leadership Emporia, Leadership Newton, Leadership 2000 – Wyandotte, Rooks County Vision Leadership, Leadership Golden Belt, Flint Hills Regional Leadership, Leadership Lawrence, Leadership Franklin County, Leadership Mitchell County, Leadership Dickinson County, Leadership Cowley County, Leadership Thomas County, and Leadership Butler County. CLP program directors found the results encouraging and strategically important. Portions of the report raised important challenges for CLPs, chief among them, the large number of Kansans (roughly 70 percent) unaware of their community CLP. The other challenge? Connecting community concerns (like job creation) even more with CLPs so the CLPs could help address the issues. For information about the CLP closest to you, contact Shaun Rojas, Kansas Community Leadership Initiative (KCLI) Manager at KLC at: (316) 712-4956 or at srojas@kansasleadershipcenter.org.
The Kansas Leadership Center opened in 2007 with a multi-year, renewable grant from The Kansas Health Foundation, a private philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of all Kansans. For more information, contact Mark E. McCormick, Director of Communications at The Kansas Leadership Center at (316) 712-4945 or at: mmccormick@kansasleadershipcenter.org
2010 POLLING ON KANSAS COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS Conducted November 2010
1. During the next five years or so do you expect that things in your community will improve, stay the same, or worsen? Improve Stay the same Worsen Not sure
4. How familiar are you with the program “Leadership XYZ County?” Very familiar Somewhat familiar Not familiar at all/I’ve heard of it but don’t know anything about it Not at all familiar/I’ve never heard of Refused/don’t know
43% 34% 16% 7%
2. When you think about the future of your community, what concerns you most? Jobs/employment Taxes Education Economy-general/economic issues Moral issues Crime/drugs/safety issues Population – growth or loss of Infrastructure issues/roads Government issues/concerns with Economic development/loss of businesses Leadership Immigration issues Housing Healthcare Environmental quality Cost of living Activities for community and youth Senior citizen issues Don’t know/refused Other
FAMILIAR NOT FAMILIAR 23% 9% 9% 9% 1% 7% 5% 3% 3% 8% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 1% 17%
3. As you think about the concerns you just mentioned, how effective do you believe your community is at making progress on those particular concerns? Very effective 11% Somewhat effective 41% Somewhat ineffective 21% Not effective at all 19% Refused/don’t know 9% ------------------------------------------------------------------EFFECTIVE 52% INEFFECTIVE/UNSURE 49%
9% 20% 29% 42% 1%
29% 71%
5. In your opinion, how effective is “Leadership XYZ County” at training community members to make progress on the concerns you mentioned earlier? Very effective 23% Somewhat effective 44% Somewhat ineffective 12% Not effective at all 8% Refused/don’t know 14% ------------------------------------------------------------------EFFECTIVE 67% INEFFECTIVE/UNSURE 20%
DEMOGRAPHICS Gender: Male Female
48% 52%
Ethnic Group: White/Caucasian African America/Black Hispanic American Indian Asian Other/mixed Unsure/refused
Age: 18-34 35-50 51-65 65+
10% 20% 33% 36%
91% 3% 2% 1% 0% 1% 2%