Perceptions of local social dimensions are hypothesized to be more efficient predictors of community satisfaction than are perceptions of services. To test this, a mail-questionnaire study of residents of small Iowa communities was conducted. Correlation and regression analyses suggested that social dimensions relate to three…

A random telephone survey of 25 residents in Iowa Falls, a small town in rural north-central Iowa, examined opinions and attitudes about the health of their community. The community has a population of 5,424, including 1,276 students in Grades K-12; is the largest city in the county; and is the site of a community college. Sixty percent of…

Reviews two models of community-attachment, linear-development and systematic models, using data on social ties and local sentiments from survey respondents in Iowa communities. Linear-development variables (population size and density) relate weakly to community attachment. Systematic variables (residence length, income, and age) relate more…

Spurred by sagging retail trade and the need for future planning, the Fort Madison (Iowa) Chamber of Commerce initiated a community survey to determine attitudes of residents towards various community characteristics. A 7-section questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 411 area households, of which 268 or 72.2% responded. Over 75% of…