Barton County Citizen Survey: Survey Analysis

Abstract

In October, 1992, a telephone survey was conducted in Barton County as part of its strategic planning effort. The survey was developed by the steering group for the Barton County Strategic Plan and the Kansas Center for Community Economic Development (KCCED) at the University of Kansas. It was administered by ASI Market Research, lnc., Great Bend. The data were then sent to KCCED for analysis.

Survey participants were randomly selected from a list of 4,800 telephone numbers in Barton County. The number of phone numbers was balanced by place of residence in the county. The number of surveys completed was 407 for a response rate of 35 percent. This low response rate indicates a potential for bias in the survey results and should be recognized when generalizing the results to the population of Barton County. Statistical analysis was conducted that compared selected characteristics of the survey, population with the population of Barton County. This analysis indicated statistically meaningful differences for the following variables: gender (males under-represented and females over­represented) and education level (high school over-represented and associate degree/some college under­represented). Statistical analysis was also conducted to determine differences in responses based on place of residence, age group and educational level.