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Description

Introduction

In 2012, Harper County Commissioners engaged K-State Research and Extension and Western Kansas Statistical Lab to survey county residents for data that would paint a clearer picture of attitudes and desires around life, work, and recreation. The resultant data, its analyses, and subsequent narratives were intended to illuminate reasons why people leave or choose to remain in this south central Kansas County bordering Oklahoma.

Methodology

The areas of focus were Anthony, Harper, Attica, and “other” locales within the county borders. Respondents were 18 years of age and older. The survey instrument was designed to gather quantitative and qualitative data on respondents’ perspectives of their lives in Harper County. 210 respondents completed the written survey instrument. Qualitative focus groups and interviews reached 45 people, so data were gathered from a total of 255 respondents (n=255).

The survey instrument and focus group/interview questions probed for:

  • General demographics
  • Knowledge of and participation in the County’s activities or events
  • Levels of satisfaction with Harper County and city of habitation
  • Best things about living in Harper County and city of habitation
  • Challenges in Harper County, and
  • Reasons for shopping outside Harper County.

Data Analyses

The analyses are limited to:

  • Frequencies
  • Test of Independence
  • Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
  • Qualitative Interviews
  • Ethnographic examples

Qualitative interviews were analyzed by looking for patterns in answers and discussion, listing of details, and for stories that illuminated quantitative data. Transcripts of qualitative answers and focus groups are provided, verbatim, as reference points.

Results of Data Analyses

These data were gathered, analyzed, and reported to discover a viewpoint from the people of Harper County. The narratives, focus group transcripts, qualitative points, percentage tables, and charts are representations of perceptions of Harper County’s residents.

The Report

The survey is divided into10 parts:

  • General demographics
  • Your and your visitors’ activities
  • Additional activities
  • Satisfaction with Harper County
  • Events – Known
  • Events – Participate
  • Three best things about Harper County
  • Three biggest challenges for Harper County
  • Shopping outside of Harper County?
  • Reasons for shopping outside Harper County (qualitative)

Focus group and interview transcripts are provided verbatim.

ISBN

1-944548-04-1

Publication Date

2016

Previous Editions

Print edition, c2014, ISBN 9781304089380: available at http://bit.ly/2fgmz3m.

Publisher

New Prairie Press

City

Manhattan

Keywords

Harper County, Kansas, community, lifestyle, attitudes

Disciplines

Civic and Community Engagement | Demography, Population, and Ecology | Family, Life Course, and Society | Place and Environment | Regional Sociology | Rural Sociology

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Harper County 2013-2014 Community View Assessment



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