2021 Quality of Life Survey

OVERALL RATING

Nine hundred residents shared their views through telephone and online opinion surveys conducted in the first half of 2019. Key findings are summarized, including ratings for different aspects of life in Flint. Ratings are based on a scale of one to five, in which five means “very positive” and one means “very negative.” For more information about how the ratings were calculated, see Methodology.

THINGS TO CELEBRATE/
THINGS TO IMPROVE

This section highlights survey results regarding what’s working and what needs improvement. If a section of Focus on Flint does not include information about Things to Celebrate or Things to Improve, it’s because the survey didn’t yield responses to fit the categories.

ALSO HEARD

In addition to results of the opinion survey, Focus on Flint shares information that local nonprofit organizations and agencies have reported hearing from the residents they serve.

SUPPORT FROM MOTT

Support for the organizations and programs presented in bold text includes funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which produced this report. To learn more, visit the Foundation’s website, Mott.org.

FACTS & FIGURES

Each section includes data and statistics that illuminate strengths of the Flint community and highlight challenges. These facts were collected through opinion surveys of Flint residents; from city, state and federal agencies; and from local nonprofit organizations. The Flint surveys were conducted in the first half of 2019. Unless otherwise noted, all remaining data are from 2018.

DID YOU KNOW?

This section highlights organizations and programs working to address issues in the Flint community and provides information about how to connect with them.

THE ISSUE AND THE RESPONSE

Focus on Flint explores nine important issues facing the local community: Arts and Culture, Economy, Education, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Quality of Life, Standard of Living and Water. This section describes why each issue is critical to the community and summarizes work underway.

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A key goal of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s Focus on Flint initiative is to track year-to-year findings of what Flint residents are saying about life in the city and what’s important to them. This is the third Quality of Life Survey that has been conducted.

With new survey data gathered in 2021 from a representative sample of more than 800 respondents, this update highlights residents’ perspectives on nine key issues that were first explored in our initial report to the community in 2019. Recognizing the unique challenges posed by COVID-19, it also features residents’ thoughts and concerns regarding the pandemic and its impact.

We hope these survey results and future Focus on Flint reports will serve as a springboard for ongoing community conversations that could help to keep Flint moving forward and inform the Foundation’s local grantmaking.

2021 SURVEY RESULTS: KEY ISSUES AND OVERALL RATINGS

As in 2019 and 2020, the Focus on Flint 2021 survey asked residents to rate nine key issues that affect their quality of life in Flint. On a scale from one to five, with one meaning “very negative” and five meaning “very positive,” below are the average ratings recorded through the 2021 survey. Arrows indicate if a rating increased or decreased from the prior year’s survey, while an equals sign indicates that the rating was unchanged.

Residents’ evaluation of Flint on the issue of: 2021 2020 2019  
 
The city’s water supply 2.1 1.9 1.8
Arts and culture 3.7 3.7 3.6
The economy 2.4 2.4 2.4
Education 2.4 2.4 2.6
Housing 2.2 2.3 2.2
Public safety 2.3 2.4 2.3
Supporting residents’ health 2.8 2.9 2.8
Supporting a good standard of living 2.5 2.5 2.5
Supporting a good quality of life 2.5 2.6 2.5

In addition, residents were asked, “What do you think is the most serious issue facing the residents of Flint that you would like to see community leaders do something about?” Among those who responded in 2021, crime continues to top the list of key concerns, while blight in the city has replaced water quality as the second most-cited concern.

Below are the top three concerns from the 2021 survey:

  • Crime/safety issues: 48%
  • Blight/abandoned buildings: 18%
  • Clean water supply: 15%

2021 SURVEY RESULTS: COVID-19

The 2021 survey also asked residents about the impact COVID-19 has had on their lives. Their responses indicate that, since the pandemic’s onset in 2019:

  • 41% needed services they had not previously required, including:
    • Access to food: 15%
    • Financial assistance: 18%
    • Medical, health services: 16%
    • Mental health support: 5%
  • A broad majority says their mental health has become worse since the start of the pandemic.
    • 46% reported their mental health being much worse.
    • 31% reported their mental health being somewhat worse.
  • Roughly 37% of those surveyed in 2021 said that they have experienced some form of job loss as a result of the pandemic, down from 41% in 2020. Of those who lost a job, three in five report that they have since been rehired or found other employment. However, those who reported having permanently lost a job rose from 6% in 2020 to 11% in 2021.

METHODOLOGY

A total of 806 residents contributed to this update by sharing their views about various aspects of life in Flint. Their responses were collected through telephone and online interviews conducted in August 2021 by FM3 Research, a nationally respected opinion research firm. Respondents answered many survey questions with a number from one to five to help capture intensity of feeling, with one meaning “very negative” and five meaning “very positive.”

ABOUT THIS UPDATE

The Mott Foundation led editorial efforts for this update. We were joined and supported by FM3 Research and Behr Communications, who conducted the community opinion surveys and analyzed the results.

Un objetivo clave de la iniciativa Focus on Flint Charles Stewart Mott Foundation es rastrear los hallazgos año tras año de lo que los residentes de Flint dicen sobre la vida en la ciudad y lo que es importante para ellos. Esta es la tercera Encuesta de Calidad de Vida que se realiza.

Con nuevos datos de encuestas recopilados en 2021 de una muestra representativa más de 800 encuestados, esta actualización destaca las perspectivas de los residentes sobre nueve temas clave que se exploraron en el primer informe de la iniciativa a la comunidad en 2019. Reconociendo los desafíos únicos planteados por COVID-19, también presenta los pensamientos e inquietudes de los residentes con respecto a la pandemia y su impacto.

Esperamos que este y los futuros informes de Focus on Flint sirvan como trampolín para las conversaciones comunitarias en curso que podrían ayudar a que Flint siga avanzando e informe sobre la concesión de subvenciones local de la Fundación.

2021 RESULTADOS DE LA ENCUESTA: CUESTIONES CLAVE Y CALIFICACIONES GENERALES

Al igual que en 2019 y 2020, la encuesta pidió a los residentes que calificaran nueve problemas clave que afectan su calidad de vida en Flint. En una escala del uno al cinco, con uno que significa "muy negativo" y cinco que significa "muy positivo", a continuación se muestran las calificaciones promedio registradas en la encuesta de 2021. Las flechas indican si una calificación aumentó o disminuyó con respecto a la encuesta del año anterior, mientras que un signo igual indica que la calificación no cambió.

EVALUACIÓN DE FLINT POR RESIDENTES SOBRE EL TEMA DE: 2021 2020 2019  
 
EL SUMINISTRO DE AGUA DE LA CIUDAD 2.1 1.9 1.8
ARTE Y CULTURA 3.7 3.7 3.6
LA ECONOMÍ 2.4 2.4 2.4
EDUCACIÓN 2.4 2.4 2.6
VIVIENDA 2.2 2.3 2.2
SEGURIDAD PÚBLICA 2.3 2.4 2.3
APOYO A LA SALUD DE LOS RESIDENTES 2.8 2.9 2.8
APOYAR UN BUEN ESTÁNDAR DE VIDA 2.5 2.5 2.5
APOYANDO UNA BUENA CALIDAD DE VIDA 2.5 2.6 2.5

Además, se les preguntó a los residentes: "¿Cuál crees que es el problema más grave que enfrentan los residentes de Flint y que te gustaría que los líderes comunitarios hicieran algo al respecto?" Entre los que respondieron en 2021, el crimen sigue encabezando la lista de preocupaciones clave, mientras que la arruinar en la ciudad ha reemplazado a la calidad del agua como la segunda preocupación más citada.

A continuación se muestran las tres principales preocupaciones de la encuesta de 2021:

    • Problemas de seguridad / delitos: 48%
    • Arruinar / edificios abandonados: 18%
    • Suministro de agua limpia: 15%

RESULTADOS DE LA ENCUESTA DE 2021: COVID-19

La encuesta de 2021 también preguntó a los residentes sobre el impacto que COVID-19 ha tenido en sus vidas. Sus respuestas indican que, desde el inicio de la pandemia en 2019:

  • El 41% necesitaba servicios que no habían requerido anteriormente, que incluyen:
    • Acceso a la alimentación: 15%
    • Asistencia financiera: 18%
    • Servicios médicos, de salud: 16%
    • Apoyo a la salud mental: 5%
  • Una amplia mayoría dice que su salud mental ha empeorado desde el comienzo de la pandemia.
    • El 46% informó que su salud mental era mucho peor.
    • El 31% informó que su salud mental estaba algo peor.
  • Aproximadamente el 37% de los encuestados en 2021 dijeron que habían experimentado algún tipo de pérdida de empleo como resultado de la pandemia, por debajo del 41% en 2020. De los que perdieron un trabajo, tres de cada cinco informan que desde entonces han sido recontratados o encontró otro empleo. Sin embargo, los que informaron haber perdido permanentemente un trabajo aumentaron del 6% en 2020 al 11% en 2021.

METODOLOGÍA

Un total de 806 residentes contribuyeron a esta actualización compartiendo sus puntos de vista sobre varios aspectos de la vida en Flint. Sus opiniones fueron recopiladas a través de entrevistas telefónicas y en línea realizadas en agosto de 2021 por FM3 Research, una encuestadora respetada a nivel nacional. Los encuestados respondieron muchas preguntas de la encuesta con un número del uno al cinco para ayudar a capturar la intensidad del sentimiento, con cinco significando "muy positivo" y uno significando "muy negativo".

ACERCA DE ESTA ACTUALIZACIÓN

La Mott Foundation lideró los esfuerzos editoriales para esta actualización. Nos acompañaron y apoyaron FM3 y Behr Communications, quienes realizaron las encuestas de opinión de la comunidad y analizaron los resultados.

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