Hello.  My name is ____________________.  I am a student at Illinois State University.  (Make certain you are speaking to a head of household or spouse/partner.)  Our Field Geography class is conducting a research study on the quality of life in McLean County subdivisions.  Would you mind providing a few minutes to answer some questions?  (If no, thank and leave.  If yes, offer a contact sheet).  I will keep your answers confidential, I will report results in a grouped fashion, your participation is voluntary, and you may withdraw from the interview at any time.  I hope you will find this interview interesting and beneficial. 

 1.  Background

            A.  How long have you lived at this residence?

            B.  Why did you choose to live in this subdivision?

C.  Do you own or rent your home?                           Own                Rent

D.  Did you live in McLean County before moving into this subdivision?

      Yes            No                   If yes, where did you live?

           E.  How many people live in your household?  ________                 Pets? __________

F.  What are the ages of those living in your household?

 2.  Services:  Out of the following services, which do you have?  How satisfied are you with the

                      services you have?

 3.  Safety  (If you are curious, ask them to explain.)

            A.  How safe is your subdivision as a place to live?                           1   2  3  4  5 (safest)

            B.  Do you have a neighborhood watch program?                             Yes      No       N/A

            C.  Is speeding a problem in your subdivision?                                  Yes      No       N/A

            D.  Are you satisfied with subdivision’s storm siren coverage?         Yes      No       N/A

E.  Are you satisfied with emergency services?                                 Yes      No       N/A

            F.  Were there any incidents regarding safety within your

                  subdivision in the last year?  If yes, please explain?                     Yes      No       N/A

4.  Transportation

A.     On average, in minutes, how long does it take you to get to these places?

                   What means (vehicle, foot, bike, bus) do you use in each case?

                                                Minutes           Means              Comments    

                 Hospital                              ________        ________        ________________________                       

                 Grocery Store                     ________        ________        ________________________   

                 Work                                  ________        ________        ________________________  

                 School                                ________        ________        ________________________  

                 (Skip if no K-12 children.)

B.     How many motor vehicles do you ordinarily keep at this residence?

C.  How accessible is public bus transportation to you here?  (If 5, skip to 5A.)

                        Low     1          2          3          4          5          High

            D.  If the bus were more accessible, would you use it?                      Yes                  No

 5.  Pre-K  (Skip to 6A if no Pre-K children in 1F.)

            A.  Do any of your children living here attend a Pre-K program?     Yes                  No

                  (If no, skip to 6A.)

            B.  What type of facility/program do they attend?

 6.  K-12 Education  (Skip to 6D if no school age children in 1F.)

            A.  Do any of the children here attend K-12 school?             Yes                  No

                  (If no, skip to 6D.)

            B.  What school or schools do children attend?

            C.  How do the children living here get to school?

D.    WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS REGARDING THE LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

 7.  Higher Education

            A.  Has anyone currently living here attended school beyond Grade 12?     Yes      No

                  (If no, skip to 8.)

            B.  What degrees and certificates have those living here earned?

                        You

                        Spouse/Partner

                        Others

            C.  From what institutions have they earned them?

 8.  Home Improvements

            A.  Have you made any outdoor upgrades to your home (roof, deck, landscaping, etc.)?

                        Yes                  No

            B.  Have you made any indoor upgrades to your home (heating/cooling, paint, etc.)?

                        Yes                  No

            C.  Have you remodeled or built an addition to your home since you have lived here?

                        Yes                  No

D.    Have you made any energy efficiency upgrades to your property?

                        Yes                  No

 9.  Neighborhood Activities

            A.  Is there any private recreational property in this subdivision? (If no, skip to 9B.)

                        Yes                  No                   Do not know   (If yes, ask if they use it?)

B.  Are there organized neighborhood activities in your subdivision?

      (e.g., barbecue, block party)          (If no, or do not know, skip to 9D.)

                        Yes                  No                   Do not know

C.  Do you attend any of these activities?          Yes          No         

D.  Do you regularly interact with your neighbors?   Yes      No       (If no, skip to 9F.)

E.  If yes, do you consider this interaction positive?              Yes                  No 

F.  Do you have a homeowners’ association?  (If no, skip to 10A.)         

                                    Yes                  No                   Do not know

G.  If yes, how do you rate the effectiveness of the homeowners’ association?

      Low           1          2          3          4          5          High

10.  General Issues

A.  Is parking a problem near your home?                  Yes                  No

B.  Is noise a problem for you?                                   Yes                  No

C.  Is outside air pollution a problem here?                Yes                  No

11.  Do you feel the same about the subdivision now as when you first moved in?  Yes      No

       Comments:

12.  If you could change anything about this subdivision, what would it be?

13.  Overall, how do you rate living in this subdivision, 1 through 5, with 5 being highest?

Low     1          2          3          4          5          High    (Ask for explanation.)

14.  Do you have any other comments about the quality of life in your subdivision?

            (Probe for senior issues if anyone here is 65 or older.)

                                                            Thank you for participating.  Have a nice day.

EXTRA PAGE FOR OVERFLOW NOTES

Contact me via email at mdsuble@ilstu.edu

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Created October 2010.  Last revision occurred 21 October 2011.