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New Polling Insitute Survey Paints Mixed Picture of Springfield

Posted April 7, 2010

Residents Cite Crime as Biggest Challenge; Express Optimism for the Future

A new Western New England College Polling Institute survey finds Springfield residents split on the quality of life in the city, but widespread agreement when it comes to the single biggest challenge facing the city of homes – public safety. Despite the mixed feelings about the current state of the city, residents are optimistic when it comes to the future.

"Springfield residents recognize the challenges that the city faces, particularly in battling crime and a weak economy," said Tim Vercellotti, director of the Western New England College Polling Institute. "But they still have hope that their quality of life will improve in the coming years."

The Polling Institute found that six percent of city residents rate Springfield as an “excellent” place to live; 38 percent rated it “good”; 42 percent rated it “fair” while 12 percent rated it “poor.” More than two-thirds of Springfield residents, however, rate their neighborhoods as excellent or good places in which to live. The findings come from a telephone survey of 502 Springfield residents conducted February 7-18. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus four percent.

Forty-seven percent of Springfield residents say the city will be somewhat better or much better five years from now, while 26 percent say it will be about the same and only 21 percent say the city will be worse. Majorities of male, Black and Hispanic residents all expressed optimism about the city’s future.

Complete results and methodology are available by clicking here.

Springfield residents tend to have a more positive view of the city than their counterparts in surrounding areas. When the College’s Polling Institute surveyed 540 residents of surrounding communities in Hampden County by phone, just 20 percent rated the quality of life as good, while 78 percent rated it as fair or poor.

Both groups agreed that crime is the most pressing problem facing Springfield today, with 60 percent of Springfield residents and 70 percent of those living outside the city citing it as the top concern. Issues surrounding the economy, jobs, and poverty were the next biggest concern among both groups. When asked what Springfield should do immediately to improve the quality of life in the city, 37 percent of city residents and 51 percent of people living in surrounding communities said the city must devote more resources to fighting crime.

Thirty-five percent of Springfield residents rated the public schools as excellent or good, while 54 percent characterized them as only fair or poor. Parents of children in the Springfield public schools were even more critical, with 64 percent rating the schools as fair or poor, and 35 percent rating them as excellent or good.

The Institute released the results of the telephone survey along with a companion online survey of more than 2,300 people who work in the City of Springfield during the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield’s monthly Breakfast Club gathering on the Western New England College campus April 7. The telephone survey data were weighted to reflect the populations under study in terms of gender, age, race and ethnicity. Complete results and methodology are available online at www.wnec.edu/news.

Established in 2005, the Western New England College Polling Institute conducts research on issues of importance to Massachusetts residents and communities. The Institute provides the College’s faculty and students with valuable opportunities to participate in public opinion research.