Create West Virginia

Charleston, WV -- A statewide survey of what West Virginians think and do relating to their communities, technology, education, social diversity, and entrepreneurship provides a snapshot that contradicts many widely held assumptions about who the state’s citizens are and what they think.

The random telephone survey of 1,217 West Virginia households, commissioned by the Vision Shared Creative Communities working group known as Create West Virginia, was funded by the Claude W. Benedum Foundation and conducted in late 2008 and early 2009 by the Center for Business and Economic Research at Marshall University.

“West Virginians who were interviewed are very positive in their attitudes toward speeding the development of the ‘new economy’ in our state,” Jeff James, chairman of Create West Virginia, said. “While there are some differences among age, education, and income groups, there is clear widespread support across the state for initiatives in 21st century education, diversity, and technology. Our goal is that state leaders, legislators and policy-makers learn from these insights and get behind important initiatives for growing West Virginia’s new economy.”

According to survey results, 81% of West Virginians age 18 to 65 and above overwhelmingly believe that computer and Internet skills are key to their communities’ future success. A total of 82% support community and state efforts to generate more jobs by investing in research and development. 69% believe that new high-wage jobs are primarily created in high-tech industries.

89% said they believe tolerance and inclusion of people from all races, religions or lifestyles is important to West Virginia’s future success, and 88% said they support efforts by their community and state to ensure tolerance and diversity. “The strong support for diversity demonstrated in this survey contradicts many of the stereotypes held about our state. While there are areas for improvement, most West Virginians are committed to diversity and inclusion,” James said.

83% said they believe it is important to West Virginia’s future that we adopt environmentally friendly policies such as new “green” energy sources and building standards, and 86% of interviewees said they support efforts by state government to invest more money in helping communities modernize and upgrade to attract new citizens and businesses.

When it comes to education, an overwhelming 94% support efforts by the State School Board and Department of Education to find better ways to educate our children for 21st Century opportunities. Only 57% believe their local school system prepares children for success in today’s society. 88% said they believe it is important to attain a college diploma.

The survey revealed challenges in the area of entrepreneurship. 60% of survey respondents said they believe that starting one’s own business is an attractive career opportunity, and only 13% plan on starting a business in the near future. 59% said they believe it is primarily state government’s job to create new high-paying job opportunities in West Virginia. “This indicates a need for us to help educate citizens on the dynamcs of the private sector and how it drives entrepreneurial growth,” said Rob Godbey, a Create West Virginia team member.

In the Quality of Place category, 70% said their communities need more places to meet and socialize.

Of the total 1,218 participants, 15% were age 18-34, 56% were 35-64, and 31% were age 65 or older. Educational levels varied from less than a high school diploma to post-graduate degrees. The largest percentage, 18.6, claimed some college.

The survey contained a total of 33 questions in five categories covering technology, quality of place, education and talent, entrepreneurship and business growth, and tolerance and diversity.

The results of the entire survey are posted at www.createwv.com.

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Rebecca Kimmons
Katalyst Development Strategies LLC
4 Players Club Drive
Charleston, WV 25311
O304 343 2882
C 304 553 4576