Capital University News, California State University, Sacramento
September 1, 2004
Survey: Campus has strong community ties
Full
report (pdf)
Fully 84 percent of adults in the four counties surrounding Sacramento State
think the campus offers an excellent education, according to a recent survey.
In addition, three-quarters had been to campus for one reason or another, while
90 percent say the campus is vital to the region’s prosperity.
Those are some of the findings of the third “Annual Survey of Public Opinion
and Life Quality in the Sacramento Region,” conducted in February and
March by Sacramento State sociology professor Amy Liu and more than 30 students.
It covers El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. The survey included
1,003 randomly selected adults, and has a margin of error of 3 percent.
The series of questions on regional perceptions about Sacramento State was included
along with questions about public policy, the war in Iraq and Gov. Schwarzenegger.
Overall, the answers revealed a strong connection between the University and
the surrounding communities.
In addition to the large numbers who had visited campus at least once, 22 percent
of respondents had taken classes here. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents agreed that
the University improves the overall quality of life in the region, and about
two-thirds said it helps shape public policy in the region and state. Sixty-one
percent agree Sacramento State is an “exciting, vibrant university.”
Liu found interesting differences in perceptions of Sacramento State among various
groups.
For instance, 84 percent overall agree that Sacramento State provides an excellent
education. But that was more common among those who had attended the University
(96 percent vs. 81 percent) and those who have ever visited campus (89 percent
vs. 67 percent).
And while 69 percent overall agreed Sacramento State provides an affordable
education, ethnic minorities and those with a household income of less than
$30,000 are less likely to think so.
Liu also found the University may not be accomplishing as much as it would like
in its efforts to inform the region’s residents about public events on
campus. Sixty-two percent said they are not well-informed, while 35 percent
said they are.
The full survey findings about Sacramento State are available from the story
on the Sacramento State news website at www.csus.edu/news.
Summaries and full reports from the annual surveys are available from the College
of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies website at www.csus.edu/ssis.
Liu may be contacted at 278-7572 or liuqa@csus.edu.
