Vermont Business Magazine Tapping 145,000 Front Porch Forum members across Vermont, a recent independent, large-scale survey revealed that FPF members know and trust their neighbors at double national averages. They also have more hope for the future of their local communities. More than 15,000 FPF members across Vermont responded to the survey. The survey was conducted by Network Impact and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
- 78% of survey respondents say that their neighbors trust each other vs 38% of Americans that say they trust their neighbors. (See chart below.)
John Viskup of Panton, Vermont, said in the survey, "It makes you proud to live in a place with such a strong sense of community."
- 85% of survey respondents in Vermont are optimistic about the community where they live vs. 44% of Americans who feel hopeful about the future of their neighborhoods. (See chart below.)
- 69% of survey respondents in Vermont know most of their neighbors vs. 26% of Americans who can recognize most of their neighbors.
Michael Wood-Lewis, Co-Founder and CEO of Front Porch Forum, also noted "The recent survey shows that 89% of respondents say their neighbors help others, and 79% say that their neighbors pitch in on community projects. Being neighborly is paid forward in Vermont... to everyone's benefit."
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2017 Network Impact Survey of Front Porch Forum Members in Vermont |
2015 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Survey of Health Attitudes |
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Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree: People in my neighborhood trust each other to be good neighbors: (n=14,775) 1% Strongly disagree 4% Disagree 17% Neither agree nor disagree 55% Agree 23% Strongly agree |
How well does the following represent how you feel about your neighborhood? I can trust people in this community: (n=11,555) 1% Missing 15% Not at all 46% Somewhat 32% Mostly 6% Completely |
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Overall, how optimistic are you about the future of your neighborhood or town community as a place to live? (n=14,033) 3% Not optimistic 11% Neutral 32% Somewhat optimistic 53% Very Optimistic |
How well does this represent how you feel about your neighborhood? I feel hopeful about the future of this community: (n=11,555) 15% Not at all 40% Somewhat 34% Mostly 10% Completely |
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Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree about your community. I know most of my neighbors by sight: (n=14,755) 3% Strongly disagree 13% Disagree 15% Neither agree nor disagree 45% Agree 24% Strongly agree |
How well does this represent how you feel about your neighborhood? I can recognize most of the members of this community: (n=11,555) 1% Missing 32% Not at all 41% Somewhat 21% Mostly 5% Completely |
This survey was commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (http://rwjf.org) and Front Porch Forum (https://frontporchforum.com), and conducted by Network Impact (http://www.networkimpact.org). More than 15,000 FPF members (out of 132,000 surveyed) across Vermont responded in March 2017, yielding a 99% confidence level in the results. See here for Network Impact's report about their survey: http://www.networkimpact.org/witnessing-everyday-acts-of-neighborliness-the-power-of-technology-to-build-social-capital/
Across Vermont's 260,000 households, 145,000 FPF members engage with their neighbors using Front Porch Forum. FPF was started in Burlington in 2006 and its mission is to help neighbors connect and build community. It works toward that by hosting a statewide network of online local forums where neighbors post about lost pets, car break-ins, plumber recommendations, borrowing ladders, free ice skates, cars for sale, school budget debates and more.
Source: Front Porch Forum. Burlington, VT, January 29, 2018.