South Dakotans are Realistic, and Optimistic, About Prospects for Their Communities, Says Northwest Area Foundation Study:

Posted By: William "Bill" Buckington

To: State Desk

Contact: Sylvia Burgos Toftness of the Northwest Area Foundation, 651-225-7704

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 7 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A nationwide survey released today by the Northwest Area Foundation reveals a state - and nation - acutely aware of people's financial struggles, yet optimistic that the number of people struggling can be reduced.

The survey asked peoples' perceptions of, and priorities for, their own communities. One-third of South Dakota's respondents say "a lot" of people in their communities work full-time jobs yet still struggle to get by, and more than half (51 percent) say they personally know someone who works more than one job yet struggles to make ends meet.

Yet, the survey revealed a penchant for optimism mixed with realism: more than 60 percent of respondents in South Dakota and across the nation say they believe the number of people struggling in their communities can be reduced.

"We were impressed by both the reality and hope in the responses," says Karl Stauber, president and CEO of Northwest Area Foundation. "In our work, we're seeing that communities can make great strides when they're willing to look at their current situation, identify their strengths, and then work together -- community members, elected officials, business leaders, educators and faith leaders -- to plan and implement strategies that attack poverty at its roots."

"These findings also tell us that people are hungry for solutions. The good news is that there are bold communities and innovative locally-elected officials who are taking action, and making important improvements, right now," stresses Stauber. "Every month, we are discovering that communities -- all across the country -- are developing goals, implementing strategic plans, and recording real successes," he says. "We also are conversing with local elected leaders who are aware that there are people in their communities who are struggling, who understand the linkages between policy and poverty reduction, and who are striving to make lasting change."

The survey of 2,400 Americans included oversamples in Northwest Area Foundation's eight-state region, including South Dakota. According to the survey, about two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) and half of South Dakotans (47 percent) believe a family of four needs at least $40,000 per year to make ends meet -- far exceeding the federal government's poverty threshold of $19,806 annually.

The survey revealed that South Dakotans are clear about priorities for their local elected officials: Almost nine of 10 South Dakotans say it's important for local elected officials to help people who struggle to make ends meet, and half say they would be willing to pay more in taxes if they knew the funds would help these people.

Hard Work Doesn't Abate Tough Times

Hard work does not exempt people from financial struggles. According to the study, half (51 percent) of Americans (and nearly four in 10 South Dakotans) say "a lot" of people in their local communities struggle to make ends meet, and half of South Dakotans know someone who works more than one job and still struggles.

The perception that a lot of people struggle dominates all geographic areas nationally -- rural, urban, small city, towns -- except for suburbs. Women, people of color, people with less education and people making less than $50,000 per year are most likely to say "a lot" of people struggle in their communities. These same demographic groups also are most likely to say there are a lot of people in their communities who work full-time jobs but still struggle.

While the federal poverty threshold declares a family of four is impoverished if they make less than $19,806 per year, Americans -- and South Dakotans -- say it takes a lot more income to get by. When asked how much a family of four needs each year, people surveyed said:

How much income would you say a family of four needs to earn in a year in order to make ends meet in your community?

At least $10,000: U.S. 1 pct., South Dakota 2 pct.

At least $20,000: U.S. 8 pct., South Dakota 13 pct.

At least $30,000: U.S. 23 pct., South Dakota 34 pct.

At least $40,000: U.S. 25 pct., South Dakota 29 pct.

More than $40,000: U.S. 39 pct., South Dakota 18 pct.

(NOTE: U.S. federal poverty threshold for a family of four is $19,806 per year.)

South Dakotans also overwhelmingly feel an individual needs more than the federal government's definition of poverty -- $10,160 -- to make ends meet, with three-quarters saying a single adult needs more than $10,000 to for a basic standard of living.

Clear Priorities, Higher Expectations for Local Elected Officials

While most South Dakotans are at least somewhat satisfied with the way things are going in their communities, clear priorities for improvement emerged in the survey. South Dakotans are most likely to cite keeping and attracting businesses with good-paying jobs (81 percent), improving access and costs related to healthcare (79 percent), and creating more affordable housing (70 percent) as high or top priorities for office holders. In addition, almost half (47 percent) say improving public transportation also is a priority.

The vast majority of respondents feel that local elected officials should help people who are struggling, with nearly nine of 10 saying it is very or somewhat important.

Local officials get high marks for being knowledgeable: roughly seven in 10 people say their local elected officials are very or somewhat knowledgeable about people's struggles to make ends meet (69 percent nationwide and 76 percent in South Dakota). Similarly, 73 percent of South Dakotans say local officials would be willing to meet with them to talk about ideas for helping people, and half (49 percent) say they trust their local government always or most of the time (vs. 39 percent nationwide).

How often can you trust your local government to do what is right?

Always / Most of the time: U.S. 38 pct., South Dakota 49 pct.

Sometimes: U.S. 41 pct., South Dakota 41 pct.

Rarely / Never: U.S. 20 pct., South Dakota 11 pct.

(The margin of error for comparisons between the U.S. and South Dakota is plus/minus 10 percentage points.)

Optimism and Generosity Prevail

South Dakotans say they are willing to do more, and pay more, to help people in their own communities. Indeed, the survey found that half of South Dakotans say they would be likely to pay $50 more in taxes per year if they knew it would help people in their communities who are struggling:

How likely would you be to:

Join with others in your community to discuss ways to help those struggling to make ends meet: U.S. 76 pct., South Dakota 69 pct.

Take part in a church project to help people struggling to make ends meet: U.S. 78 pct., South Dakota 74 pct.

Pay $50 more a year in taxes if it would go to programs in your own community that help people struggling to make ends meet: U.S. 68 pct., South Dakota 49 pct.

Talk to elected officials in your community about people's struggle to make ends meet: U.S. 70 pct., South Dakota 62 pct.

Further, people across the state and nation are optimistic about the ability of people in their communities to reduce poverty. Half (51 percent U.S., 52 percent South Dakota) of respondents say their community effectively deals with local problems, and nine out of 10 say their communities are home to willing and capable citizens:

There are many skilled, capable people in my community: U.S. 87 pct., South Dakota 96 pct.

Most people in my community are willing to help neighbors: U.S. 86 pct., South Dakota 88 pct.

There are people in my community willing to help those struggling: U.S. 88 pct., South Dakota 88 pct.

I would like to do more to help people struggling in my community: U.S. 90 pct., South Dakota 85 pct.

"Sometimes it gets overlooked that the community can work coherently with leaders to make something happen," said Randy Parry, executive director of the Miner County Community Revitalization partnership, a community-based initiative developed to implement local strategies that address the root causes of poverty. "It's easy to forget that grassroots people have so much to offer. But people in the community not only have the heart but also the abilities to make change that is critical to improving the quality of life. There has to be a collaborative nature within organizations and among leaders in order to make progress."

For additional information about this survey, and for downloadable graphics and charts generated by survey findings, see http://www.nwaf.org.

The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to helping communities reduce poverty for the long term. The Foundation works on strategic efforts with a small number of rural, urban, and American Indian reservation communities, and the organizations supporting these efforts, in its eight-state region: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill's son, Louis W. Hill established the foundation. Since 1999, the Foundation has invested approximately $150 million in community- based poverty-reduction programs. It expects to invest at least an additional $50 million within the next three years. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests. For additional information, visit http://www.nwaf.org, or call 651- 224-9635.

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Lake Research Partners conducted this telephone survey among 2,400 Americans age 18 and older from Dec. 14-22, 2005. A total of 800 interviews were conducted nationwide, and oversamples of 200 each were conducted in the eight states served by Northwest Area Foundation (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota). For the national data, oversamples were weighted down to reflect their true proportion in the country. The data were weighted slightly by gender, race/ethnicity, age and region. The margin of sampling error for the national results is plus/minus 3.5 pct. The margin of sampling error for comparisons between the national and state data is plus/minus 10 pct.

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