Social Responsibility 2006 Survey Results

 

The Survey Letter


DATE: January 8, 2006
TO: Members & Friends of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie
FROM: The Social Responsibility Committee
RE: Enclosed Survey

Please complete and return the enclosed Questionnaire.  (An extra copy is enclosed for two-congregant families.)

We want to know your priorities and opinions about a number of social justice issues, and how interested you are in supporting an array of such causes.

Responses from congregants will help to determine issues that might offer the whole Congregation a focus.  Also, we think this survey will give our new Minister some confidence about us, our social justice concerns, and where he can lead -- or where we can lead him.  The information gathered will not be personally linked to you and will be kept in strictest confidence.

This survey is an initial step in engaging congregants in a process for integrating social justice ministry into the life of our church community.

Your help in filling out the Questionnaire will be appreciated.  It should take less than 15 minutes of your time.  Please return completed surveys to the church by Jan. 23.  (Address for mailed returns is PO Box 3495, Erie, PA 16508.)



Results

RESULTS OF THE 2006 CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY COMMITTEE
Response Rate: 66/180 36.7%
A: PERSONAL INFORMATION
1. Gender
Female: 44 66.7% Male: 21 31.8%
2. Status
Member: 56 84.8% Friend: 9 13.6%
3. For UUCE members, how many years?
<1: 4 7.0%
1-3: 9 15.8%
4-9: 14 24.6%
>9: 30 52.6%
4. Age
<25 1 1.5%
25-34 4 6.2%
35-44 6 9.2%
45-59 16 24.6%
    >59       38   58.5%              
B: SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES
Not Important = 1; Very Important = 5
1. Local environmental issues such as watershed protection and recycling.
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
0 1 16 20 27 4.14
2. Global environmental issues like global warming.
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
0 6 9 22 28 4.11
3. Global population growth and control.
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
2 6 20 19 17 3.67
3(a). Civil, political and human rights excluding sexual orientation issues.
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
4 1 9 20 28 4.08
4.  Civil, political and human rights including sexual orientation issues.
  1   2   3   4   5   Mean      
  0   0   7   19   38   4.48      
5. Economic issues such as the "Living Wage" and poverty.
  1   2   3   4   5   Mean  
  0   1   6   17   39   4.49  
6. Issues concerning schools and public funding of education
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
1 2 12 29 19 4.00
7.  Issues concerning the separation of Church and State
  1   2   3   4   5   Mean
  0   2   8   17   37   4.39
8. Issues concerning democratic participation such as the integrity of elections.
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
1 2 12 24 25 4.09
9. Issues concerning families without health insurance.
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
0 0 11 26 28 4.26
10. Issues concerning international laws and the treatment of prisoners.
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
0 4 17 28 16 3.86
11. War issues such as the Iraqi War        
  1   2   3   4   5   Mean
  0   3   6   13   43   4.48
12. If you had to list only three issues of the 11 mentioned above, which ones in order
of importance should the UUCE make a top priority?   
1st 2nd 3rd Tot
10   15   9   34 4.  Civil, political and human rights including sexual orientation issues.
10   8   7   25 5. Economic issues such as the "Living Wage" and poverty.
7   7   9   23 7.  Issues concerning the separation of Church and State
11   7   5   23 11. War issues such as the Iraqi War    
5 7 5 17 9. Issues concerning families without health insurance.
5 3 8 16 1. Local environmental issues -- watershed protection and recycling.
5 3 5 13 3. Global population growth and control.
3 2 6 11 2. Global environmental issues like global warming.
3 3 5 11 8. Issues concerning democratic participation -- integrity of elections.
2 2 2 6 6. Issues concerning schools and public funding of education
0 2 2 4 10. Issues concerning international laws and the treatment of prisoners.
* * * * 3(a). Civil, political and human rights excluding sexual orien. issues.
*As there was a typo on the survey and two "3" categories, all "3" responses were assigned to the category above.
13.  Do you consider yourself a(n)
Total: %
Social Liberal 43 65.2%
Social Moderate 16 24.2%
Social Conservative 3 4.5%
Economic Liberal 22 33.3%
Economic Moderate 23 34.8%
    Economic Conservative     8     12.1%    
C: SOCIAL ACTIVITIES RESPONSIBILITY SURVEY
Note: For these items, the "Total Listing" column indicates how many respondents rated the item
anywhere from 1 to 5.  The "Weighted Score" column is the sum of all responses for the item, with
5 points given for a "1" ranking, 4 for a "2" ranking, and so forth.  The "O" column indicates
number of congregants opposed to our Church participating in the project, and "X"  indicates
number who would not want to be associated with a Church that engaged in the project.
1. Projects the Congregation has engaged in or could support
Total Weighted
Listing Score O X
D 42       145   1       Habitat for Humanity    
M 35       110           Food Bank Support    
C 24       103   4       Organize an Erie Planned Parenthood Clinic
A 31       85           Highway Litter Pickup    
G 23       85           UU Service Committee    
O 20       63   1       Diversity Study Circles    
L 14 45 Guest at Your Table
E 19 42 1 Neighborhood Art House
J 14 34 Mother-to-Mother Program
P 13 31 Criminal Justice Reform
Q 12 30 2 Congregational Action to Lift with Love (CALL)
N 7 21 CASA
T 9 20 1 Minority Church Exchange
B 7 15 Crop Walk
I 4 14 2 Family Promise
R 6 14 UU United Nations Office
F 7 13 Prison Reform
S 3 13 1 Initiate a community Newspaper
U 3 11 GI Rights Hotline
H 2 3 Volunteers in Probation
2. Politically active movements that Congregation could support or  take stand on
Total Weighted
Listing Score O X
C 37       126   1       Abortion Rights    
G 31       108           Church-State Separation Issues
K 33       106   4       Anti-war Movement (Iraq)
Total Weighted
Listing Score O X
36       104       1   Gay/Lesbian Rights  
27       90   1       Opposition to Hate Groups
E 27       82           Domestic violence (victim rights)
N 25 71 Peace Coalition (general issues)
M 24 62 American Civil Liberties Issues
P 17 50 2 Opposition to teaching Intelligent Design as Science
L 9 35 AIDS Awareness
D 8 25 Moral Values in Public Schools
B 8 17 3 Animal Rights
H 7 14 1  Drug Policy Reform
O 5 9 Capital Punishment Reform
F 0 0 Prisoners’ Rights and Reform
3. Political, social, and economic issues  that Congregation could support or  take stand on
Total Weighted
Listing Score O X
G 31       110           Racism      
F 28       100           Homelessness      
P 28       83           Child poverty      
N 23 67 Global Warming
E 18 62 1 Sex Education in the Schools
B 14 54 3 Population control
A 17 50 3 1 Gun Control
J 17 44 Family and Partner Violence
C 13 42 2 Euthanasia
I 10 40 Organize Issue forums
M 10 34 2 Counsel students re alternatives to military service
Q 12 30 Inner-city problems
S 12 27 1 Abolition of capital punishment
U 10 27 Moral Values in a Pluralistic Society
D 9 24 Teen pregnancy
O 9 24 Parenting for low-income mothers
R 8 23 Sexism
L 8 22 Arms Control
T 8 20 Skills Teaching for Prison inmates
H 6 17 Immigrant issues

SUMMARY

SUMMARY OF 2006 CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY RESULTS
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie, PA

 The survey conducted by the Social Responsibility Committee, at the request of the Board of Trustees, has been completed.  Dr. Gary Sykes designed the survey instrument and Stuart Burns compiled the results.  Our thanks to both of them for their hard work.

 A.  Demographic data

Thirty-seven per cent of the congregation responded (66 of 180 congregants who received the questionnaire); 86.4% of respondents were members.  Two-thirds were female, but a majority of all our congregants are female.  A majority of respondents (58.5%) were 60 years of age or older, and most member-respondents (77%) have been members for at least four years.  Therefore a “typical” respondent was a 60+ female who has been a member of our congregation 4+ years.

 B.  Social Justice Issues

Congregants were asked to rate importance of 12 different social justice issues based on whether the congregation should be actively involved (very important =5).  The following four received highest scores:

“Economic issues such as the ‘living wage’ and poverty,” (4.492);
            “Civil, political and human rights including sexual orientation issues” (4.484);
            “War issues such as the Iraqi War” (4.477);
            "Issues concerning the separation of Church and State” (4.391).

 Then we asked congregants to prioritize just three of the issues listed, in order of importance.  The same four issues ranked highest, but in different order and their rankings varied by age and gender of our congregants.  “Civil, political and human rights …” ranked highest overall.  “War issues …” were equally important to respondents 60 or older but were ranked second by the male respondents and fourth by females -- for 4th place overall.  Despite those differences, there was clear unanimity on “Economic issues …” (2nd), “…Separation of Church and State” (3rd), and “Issues concerning families without health insurance” (5th).

 C.  Social Responsibility Activities

In this part of the survey, congregants ranked various projects/issues from 1 (first choice) to 5 (fifth choice).  The questionnaire also offered two negative choices: “O” to oppose our Church participating in a listed project; or “X” for strongly disapprove, i.e., “if you would not want to be associated with a Congregation that engaged in this project.”

1. Projects -- From the list of many projects that the Congregation has engaged in or could support, respondents ranked these five most important: Habitat for Humanity; Food Bank Support; Organize an Erie Planned Parenthood Clinic (note: four people registered opposition to this one); Highway Litter Pickup; and the UU Service Committee.  Diversity Study Circles came in sixth, but at a level less than half that of the first choice.

2. Politically active movements -- From the list of many politically active movements that the Congregation could take a stand on or support in some way, these six were ranked most important: Abortion Rights; Church-state Separation Issues; Anti-war Movement (with four opposed); Gay/Lesbian Rights (one person strongly disapproved); Opposition to Hate Groups; and Domestic Violence/victim rights.

3. Political, social and economic issues -- Finally, from the list of political, social and economic issues that the Congregation could take a stand on or support in some way, these were ranked most important (with no opposition): Racism; Homelessness; and Child Poverty.  (Among other, relatively low-ranking choices, three people registered opposition to supporting Gun Control, three opposed Population Control, and three strongly disapproved of taking a stand on the Animal Rights movement.)

The questionnaire also asked congregants to score themselves on a liberal-conservative scale.  While most saw themselves as social liberals (65.2%), we are much less “liberal” when it comes to economics.  This was probably not a helpful question, absent a clear definition of terms.  The response m