PERCEPTIONS OF BROCKTON FACULTY QUESTIONNAIRE

PERCEPTIONS OF BROCKTONFACULTY QUESTIONNAIRE

Survey of Research Methods for SociologySOC 210

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Fall 2012

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Brockton Brightfields. 3-acre site consisting of approximately 1400 solar panels. Produces 425 kilowatts of electricity directly into local electrical distribution grid, each day. Created, October 2006.

RESPONDENT INFORMATION

What area do you work in? %

Liberal Arts 54%

Mathematics or Sciences 25%

Other 20%

Base: n=61

Gender %

Male 48%

Female 52%

RESPONDENT INFORMATION

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How long have you been working at

Stonehill?

%

Less than two years 12%

2-4 years 15%

5-7 years 25%

8 or more years 49%

Yes No

Have you ever lived in Brockton?

7% 93%

Did you grow up in Massachusetts?

37% 63%

Do you live with a partner?

66% 34%

Do you have a child? 62% 38%

Urban Suburban Rural

What type of neighborhood did you mostly grow up in?

23% 59% 18%

What type of neighborhood do you live in?

18% 72% 10%

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Positive Unchanged View: 1 Negative Unchanged View: 2 Neutral Unchanged View: 3

1 6 14

How has your perception of Brockton changed over your years here at Stonehill?

Q6a: Positive Change

Q6b: No Change

Q6c: Negative Change

WHAT ARE THE FIRST THREE WORDS YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU HEAR, “BROCKTON”?

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Count %

City 10 16%

Shoes 6 10%

Urban/Crime 3 5%

Base: n=61

Positive Negative Neutral (“Factual”)

9 44 111

RESPONSE THAT BEST REFLECTS HOW YOU FEEL

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Base: n=61


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Yes No

I am willing to drive through a small part of Brockton to get somewhere else. 98% 2%

I am willing to go out to lunch with colleagues in Brockton. 98% 2%

I am willing to spend time with my family in Brockton. 85% 15%

I am willing to live in Brockton temporarily. 59% 41%

I am willing to live long-term in Brockton. 32% 68%

I am willing to live and raise my children in Brockton. 23% 76%

Base: n=61

CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS

Yes No

Do you talk about Brockton in your classes?

46% 54%

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Base: n=61; if “yes” (n=26)

CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS

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No Yes

Do conversation with First-Year Students differ from Upperclassmen? 77% 23%

SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

Yes No

Do you incorporate service requirements in Brockton into any of your classes?

25% 74%

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Examples of service assignments: Clinical/research work, collaborative work with ethnic organizations, community service, environmental health hazard testing, tutoring, formulating a retail management system for ethnic restaurant, senior centers, VITA volunteer income tax preparation (optional for tax students), work with teens in the City, school placements/related educational placements.

Base: n=61; if “yes” (n=26)

PERCEPTIONS OF BROCKTONSTUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Survey of Research Methods for SociologySOC 210

11

Fall 2012

STONEHILL COLLEGE AND BROCKTON

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What are the first three words you think of when you hear, “Brockton:

Count %

Ghetto/Poor/Lower SES/Poverty/Underprivileged

332 43%

City/City of Brockton/Shoe City 259 34%

Crime/Dangerous/Unsafe/Violence 218 27%

Base: n=761

What town is Stonehill located in? %

Easton 60%

Brockton 0%

Easton and Brockton 40%


19%

59%

5%

27%

2%

27%

43%

30%

19%

34%

24%

55%

38%

10%

75%

39%

73%

18%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Brockton, pleasant place

Brockton, dangerous place

Rare, anything good comes out

of Brockton

Brockton, as good as any

community in MA

Most people in Brockton, not hard workers

Most people in Brockton, can be

trusted

Strongly Agree/Agree

Neither Agree nor Disagree

Strongly Disagree/Disagree

13

Base: n=761


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Yes No

I am willing to drive through a small part of Brockton to get somewhere else. 98% 2%

I am willing to go into Brockton to purchase something I absolutely need that I cannot buy anywhere else.

97% 3%

I am willing to go to Brockton repeatedly to purchase goods and services. 81% 19%

I am willing to work in Brockton. 70% 30%

I am willing to hang out in Brockton with friends. 46% 54%

I am willing to live in Brockton temporarily. 38% 62%

I am willing to buy and live in a home long-term in Brockton. 8% 91%

I am willing to buy a home and raise my children in Brockton. 7% 93%

Base: n=761

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Brockton Brightfields. 3-acre site consisting of approximately 1400 solar panels. Produces 425 kilowatts of electricity directly into local electrical distribution grid, each day. Created, October 2006.

AWARENESS OF BROCKTON

Did you know about Brockton before coming to Stonehill?

%

Yes 53%

No 47%

How did you first hear about Brockton?

Count %

Friends 398 52%

Family 314 41%

Into the Streets 269 35%

Media 175 23%

Professors 113 15%

I’m from Brockton 14 2%

Other 142 19%

Base: n=761

Examples: High School sports, live in surrounding communities,

REASON FOR FIRST VISIT TO BROCKTON

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What was the reason you first went into Brockton? %

Community service through Into the Streets Day (Freshman Orientation) 37%

A social outing or shopping 27%

Class related community service 11%

I live in Brockton 2%

I have never been to Brockton 2%

Other 22%

n=744

Examples: Relatives, friends, sporting events, traveling through town, transportation, i.e., commuter rail.

FREQUENCY OF VISITS TO BROCKTON

How often do you go into Brockton for personal needs or recreationally? %

Two or more times a week 10%

Once a week 19%

Once or twice a month 31%

A few times every semester 28%

Never 13%

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n=756

Types of activities Count %

Grocery shopping 434 57%

Shopping for clothing, shoes, etc. 418 55%

Go out to dinner 403 53%

Attend community events 53 7%

Go to bars 56 7%

Other 61 8%

Examples: Banking, Starbuck’s, visit relatives/friends

How often do you frequent shopping plaza on Rt 123E? (Panera Bread, Bertucci’s, Starbuck’s, etc.) %


Once a week 29%



Never 5%

HOW OTHERS SPEAK ABOUT BROCKTON

60%

14%

52%

14%

5% 7%

25%

81%

41%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Professors Friends Parents

Very positive/somewhat positive

Neither positive nor negative

Very negative/somewhat negative

18

Base: n=761; professors (n=758), friends (n=760), parents (n=757)

INTO THE STREETS DAY

Did you participate in Into the Streets Day during freshman orientation?

%

Yes 92%

No 8%

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Base: n=761; If “yes” (n=699)

INTO THE STREETS PROGRAM

Have you ever participated in an Into the Streets program during the school year?

%

Yes 26%

No 74%

20

Base: n=761; If “yes” (n=197)

PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY SERVICE

Do you participate in community service opportunities in Brockton? %

Yes 48%

No 52%

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Base: n=761; If “yes” (n=368); “Reason” (n=367)

On average, how often do you go into Brockton to perform community service?

%


Once a week 39%



Reason for participation in community Service

%

Required class assignment 54%

My own interest in volunteering 68%

Other 6% Example: Job related

COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING

Have you ever taken a course that involves community based learning that requires service work in Brockton?

%

Yes 32%

No 68%

22

n=755; If “yes” (n=248)

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

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Does the College’s emphasis on community engagement through service affect your perception of Brockton?

%

Yes 36%

No 31%

Unsure 33%

Base: n=761; If “Yes” (n=242)

A few examples:Being in the Brockton community changes your perception of the place

I see Brockton more as a community that needs assistance vs. a dangerous place to stay away from

Come to view Brockton as a place where we can all positively contribute to the great work that the city is doing

The program made it seem like Brockton was this rundown city that really needed our help because they did not know how to care for themselves as a community

Brockton is a food desert that needs help with community gardens

Brockton isn’t necessarily a bad place, it just needs a little help and volunteer service

By continually focusing on providing service to Brockton, the college has socially constructed the idea that Brockton is an impoverished city that is struggling to survive in society

CBL experiences truly impacted my perception of Brockton. Numerous opportunities to see the City, and the people, in many capacities

Raises awareness of City’s weaknesses and strengths

The College has conveyed how it cares about its students and its neighbors

CHANGED PERCEPTIONS?

• The majority of students responded that their perceptions have either not changed or have changed

for the better over their years at Stonehill.• Examples

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ESTIMATIONS

Based on your estimation, what percentage of Brockton residents are foreign-born?

%

12% 19%

24% 23%

36% 24%

48% 17%

60% 14%

72% 3%

Above 72% 1%

25

n=726

Based on your estimation, what percentage of Brockton residents live below the poverty line?

%

7% 3%

15% 13%

22% 15%

30% 13%

37% 20%

45% 14%

52% 13%

Above 52% 8%

n=727

ESTIMATIONS - CONTINUED

Based on your estimation, what percentage of Brockton residents are Black or African-American?

%

15% 6%

31% 22%

46% 26%

54% 18%

62% 18%

70% 7%

Above 70% 3%

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n=726

Based on your estimation, what percentage of Brockton residents are Hispanic?

%

5% 4%

10% 11%

15% 17%

20% 25%

30% 29%

40% 10%

50% 3%

Above 50% 1%

n=726

Based on your estimation, what percentage of Brockton residents are non-Hispanic white?

%

24% 44%

35% 26%

47% 16%

59% 10%

70% 3%

Above 70% 1%

n=728

PERCEPTION OF STUDENTS FROM BROCKTON

Yes No

Are you from Massachusetts, the South Shore area? 26% 74%

Have you ever lived in Brockton? 3% 97%

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What were your perceptions of Stonehill students before coming to Stonehill? %

Very Positive 35%

Somewhat positive 4%

Neither positive nor negative 39%

Somewhat negative 22%

Very negative 0%

How do you think residents of Brockton view Stonehill? %

Very Positive 26%

Somewhat positive 17%

Neither positive nor negative 35%

Somewhat negative 22%

Very negative 0%

Base: 761; If “Yes” (n=23)

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

Gender %

Male 27%

Female 73%

Transgender 0%

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Race and Ethnicity %

American Indian or Alaska Native 0%

Asian 3%

Black or African-American 2%

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0%

White 93%

Hispanic or Latino 3%

Base: n=761; “Gender” (n=757), “Race” (n=753), “Neighborhood” (n=755); “Class Year” (n=756)

Type of neighborhood you grow up in?

%

Urban 13%

Suburban 73%

Rural 15%

Class Year %

2012 1%

2013 28%

2014 24%

2015 21%

2016 26%

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS - CONTINUED

The range that best describes your family’s income level? %

Under $24,999 5%

$25,000 - $54,999 12%

$55,000 – 99,999 26%

$100,000 - $149,999 21%

$150,000 - $200,000 11%

Above $200,000 8%

I don’t know 18%

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Base: n=743

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

• Promote recreational and educational opportunities in Brockton

• Scavenger hunt in Brockton during Freshmen Orientation

• Familiarize students with the public transportation system in Brockton

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Special thanks to Jean Hamler at the Office of Institutional Research and Planning!

PERCEPTIONS OF BROCKTON FACULTY QUESTIONNAIRE

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