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Millersville University Gauges Quality of Life

Results of the 2012 “Perceptions of Quality of Life in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,” are in.

Residents of Lancaster County are satisfied with their overall quality of life and things are getting better. Conducted for the first time in 2010, Millersville University’s biennial survey, “Perceptions of Quality of Life in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,” represents an ongoing effort to better understand the degree to which Lancaster County residents are satisfied with their quality of life.

Dr. Adam Lawrence

“The findings of the 2012 survey confirm that Lancaster County residents are generally satisfied with their overall quality of life, the educational opportunities available to them and the services they receive in their communities,” said Dr. Adam Lawrence, research fellow. “The results offer valuable feedback to area leaders and decision makers responsible in various ways for the services and policy issues that are the substance of this survey.”

Not only are residents content, but in 2012, the percentage of residents who said their quality of life had gotten better (25 percent) was more than double the percentage of residents who said their quality of life had gotten worse (12 percent).

The results of this survey are based on computer-assisted telephone interviews with 445 adult residents of Lancaster County, conducted from April to May, 2012. Here are some of the results:

– A majority of residents reported an excellent or good quality of life (92 percent).

– Most residents felt that they had a strong sense of community where they lived (82 percent).

– A large proportion of residents felt that their health was excellent or good (88 percent).

– Large majorities of residents expressed favorable evaluations of the services they receive in their local communities (trash collection, fire, senior services, etc.).

– Substantial majorities reported that there are plenty of parks and open spaces (90 percent), as well as recreational facilities (83 percent), in the areas where they lived.

– Ratings of public elementary, middle schools and high schools were far more positive than negative.

This survey was completed in Millersville University’s Polling and Research Office (PRO), under the supervision of Lawrence and Dr. Kerrie Farkas, former director. The PRO is a nonpartisan research and polling organization dedicated to providing quality public opinion research and analysis serving the public interest. The PRO is housed within Millersville University’s Center for Public Scholarship (CPS), which provides services for researching perceived community needs, quality of services and attitudes of the public in order to help initiate and guide public policy decision-making.

To read the 2012 “Perceptions of Quality of Life in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,” report, or for more information about Millersville University’s PRO and CPS, visit millersville.edu/ccerp/cps/.

2 replies on “Millersville University Gauges Quality of Life”

Glad to see that the results of this project were positive. Keep up the good work, Dr. Lawrence!

~Zach

I would like to tell Dr. Lawrence that this is an excellent article that really made me think and encouraged me to search out the information posted on the ccerp website.

I wanted to thank him for this great research.

Thank you
-AL

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