The Dyson Foundation and the Marist Poll have released a new study measuring the priorities of Mid-Hudson Valley residents ... Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas was at Marist College for the official release and files this report
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It's the third in a series of reports about life in the Hudson Valley - “Many Voices One Valley,” targeted a 7-county area: Columbia, Greene, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties.
84 percent of residents polled said they like living in the mid-Hudson Valley.
Economic concerns have surpassed health care worries as the leading priorities in the region. The Mid-Hudson Valley was not immune to the recession. A notable 28% of residents found themselves searching for a job at some point after the recession hit in 2007. A majority of Mid-Hudson Valley residents, 51%, think the effects of the recession are long-lasting, and the jobs which were lost will never return.
Barbara Carvalho is Director of the Marist Poll. She explains that housing concerns are prevalent in the region. Sixty-two percent of Mid-Hudson Valley residents think there is a need for more affordable housing. A majority of renters, 56%, say, if they cannot afford to buy a home, they will leave the region. Homeowners have their own concerns. Almost three in ten homeowners, 29%, report that they would still owe more money than they would receive if they were to sell their home today
Carvalho says the study also looked at health care and how people deal with the cost of health care and health insurance.
Dyson Foundation Executive Vice President Diana Gurieva says the data is important for strategic planning. Lee Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, says report data is available online through a user-friendly interactive website where it can be custom-charted and categorized...
For county comparisons, demographic information, and complete survey findings and reports, visit www.manyvoicesonevalley.org
Information about the survey is available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mvov2012 and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mvov2012
Community forums and workshops based on report data are being planned for November
The survey sampled 4443 residents between February 4 and March 14. It has a margin of error of 1.5 percent.
For more information about the Dyson Foundation, visit www.dysonfoundation.org
Information about the Marist Institute for Public Opinion is located at www.maristpoll.marist.edu
