|
|
Saturday, February 23, 2008
|
|
So who trusts police the most? SOCIAL CAPITAL | A closer look Senior Reporter Trust levels varied by lakes area region, gender, income, age, marital status and whether there were children in the homes.
The social capital telephone survey grouped residents who responded into six regions - Brainerd/Baxter, Cuyuna Range, Crosslake, Lake Shore/Nisswa, Pequot Lakes and Staples/Motley.
Residents in Crosslake and Pequot Lakes are most likely to trust people in their neighborhoods compared to the other regions. People in the Staples/Motley group trust them the least. All regions trust police, although residents from the Cuyuna Range and Crosslake trust them the most. Staples/Motley has the smallest number for trusting police "a lot."
By gender, men are a little less likely to trust the police a lot compared to women. As for trust levels for seasonal or full-time residents, weekend cabin owners are generally trusted. But the survey found they are trusted a little more in Brainerd/Baxter, the Cuyuna Range and in Crosslake.
|
|
|
|
Brainerd Police Sgt. Tim Friis (left) taught fellow officer Dana Middleton earlier this month how a mobile computer works in one of the squad cars. A recent social capital survey, which looked at what groups people trust, generated the highest trust responses for police.
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
Brainerd Dispatch/Clint Wood
|
|
|
|
|
Men are more likely to trust weekenders than women.
By income, households making $30,000 a year or more are more trusting than people bringing in lower incomes. Residents making at least $75,000 a year or more are the most trusting of others.
In terms of education, trust appears to peak with a bachelor's degree or some gradate study. It dropped a little for residents with graduate or professional degrees. But overall, residents with more education are more likely to trust all levels of government compared to those with less education.
Women are a little more trusting of most racial and ethic groups than the men. Women also trust people with a lot of money more than men do.
Perhaps in an indication of the vigilance of parents, the survey found people with children at home are a little less trusting of neighbors and of people in stores where they shop. They are a little less trusting of weekenders, some racial groups and both older and younger residents.
In all categories where questions of trust were involved, single people are a little less trusting than married people.
How do residents (the majority of survey respondents were white) feel about people of other races in terms of trust?
For Mike Burton, Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation affiliate coordinator, the survey indicates an openness to diversity.
White people as a group are trusted. While slightly fewer residents trust black people, the survey found the difference in trust levels for whites or blacks wasn't significant. Hispanics and American Indians have similar trust levels, which are slightly lower than those for blacks.
A small percentage of respondents do not trust people of color much or at all. For comparison, residents are less trusting of young people (24 and younger) than they are of any single minority group. People 65 and older are trusted the most.
Of blacks, American Indians or Hispanics, residents who responded to the survey have less trust - by a few percentage points - for American Indians than the other groups.
Trust levels for blacks is significantly higher in Crosslake than other area regions. In Crosslake, trust levels for Hispanics or American Indians were not as high as those for blacks or whites. Crosslake posted the greatest numbers for trusting older residents.
Brainerd/Baxter and the Crosslake area are more likely to trust young people.
When combining the answers for "trust a lot" and "trust some," residents trust neighbors 95 percent, police 92 percent, people in stores 94 percent, tourists 77 percent, weekenders 87 percent, new residents 80 percent, life-long residents 96 percent, whites 93 percent, blacks 90 percent, Hispanics 88 percent, American Indians 85 percent, people age 65 and older 98 percent, people 24 and younger 78 percent, people with a lot of money 80 percent and people with little money 87 percent.
As young people often rely on cell phones instead of land line phones which were used for the telephone survey, 52 Central Lakes College geography students took part in a written survey. All but two were 28 and younger. Most had jobs and worked and lived in Brainerd or Baxter. Many are life-long residents.
The students are less trusting of many groups of people compared to the telephone survey. They are more trusting of people working in stores (80 percent) where they shop than they are of police (53 percent) or neighbors (65 percent). Interestingly, they trust other young people less than those in the telephone survey. They trust tourists the least and at percentages far below those in the general survey. They also are much less trusting of weekenders, new residents and people with a lot of money. They are somewhat less trusting of people with very little money.
In terms of race, college students are less trustful of all groups but their answers roughly mirrored the telephone survey findings with an exception that they trust blacks more than whites by a few percentage points.
Overall lakes area trust levels for white people, blacks and Hispanics in the "trust them a lot" matches or closely mirrors the national average, but is lower than results from central Minnesota and the Upper Midwest region.
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
To Subscribe to the Brainerd Dispatch, Click Here.
|
|
|
Thinking about a New Job?
These employers want you!
|
Loading...
|
|
|
Today's Best Classifieds:
|
|
|
|
|
|
