Shenandoah Valley Region Poll Results 11/99

1,114 adult residents interviewed November 14-22, 1999 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc.
Margin for error is plus or minus 3%.

QUESTION: What county or independent city do you live in?
Frederick County 128 (12%)
Winchester 52 (5%)
Warren County 70 (6%)
Shenandoah County 90 (8%)
Page County 52 (5%)
Rockingham County 149 (13%)
Harrisonburg 69 (6%)
Augusta County 153 (14%)
Staunton or Waynesboro 100 (9%)
Rockbridge County 51 (5%)
Lexington or Buena Vista 28 (3%)
Botetourt County 85 (8%)
Highland County 9 (1%)
Bath County 14 (1%)
Alleghany County 36 (3%)
Clifton Forge or Covington 28 (3%)

QUESTION: What do you consider to be the most important issue facing your county today? (NOT READ)
Managing growth/protecting resources/environment/quality of life 27%
Improving schools/education issues 27% Fighting crime and drugs 8%
Cutting taxes and reducing government spending 6%
Building roads/transporation/traffic 8%
Encouraging economic development/creating jobs 6%
Protecting individual property rights 3%
Other 5%
Not Sure 10%

QUESTION: Overall, how would you rate the quality of life in your county: excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?
EXCELLENT 31%
GOOD 56%
FAIR 13%
POOR -
UNDECIDED -

QUESTION: Over the past five years, would you say the quality of life in your county has improved, deteriorated, or stayed about the same?
IMPROVED 39%
DETERIORATED 13%
SAME 47%
NOT SURE 1%

QUESTION: Land use planning is the process used to establish where residential, commercial, industrial, agriculture, forestry and other land uses should be located. In terms of of balancing growth and development with conserving rural lands, open space, forests, and historic and cultural resources, how would you rate the the success of land use planning in your county: excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?
EXCELLENT 10%
GOOD 49%
FAIR 32%
POOR 7%
UNDECIDED 2%

QUESTION: What do you consider to be the most important issue facing the Greater Shenandoah Valley Region today? (NOT READ)
Managing growth/protecting resources/environment/quality of life 35%
Improving schools/education issues 16%
Fighting crime and drugs 7%
Cutting taxes and reducing government spending 4%
Building roads/transportation/traffic 11%
Encouraging economic development/creating jobs 4%
Protecting individual property rights 2%
Other 4%
Not Sure 18%

QUESTION: I am going to read several goals for land use planning in the Greater Shenandoah Valley Region. After each one, please tell me if you consider it very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not at all important?

	VERY IMP	SW IMP	NOT TOO IMP	NOT AT IMP	DK
Satisfy the recreational needs of citizens and visitors	41%	47%	9%	3%	1%
Preserve farmland	68%	25%	6%	-	1%
Diversify & improve the economy	59%	33%	6%	1%	1%
Protect forest lands	68%	25%	6%	1%	1%
Conserve open space and protect natural & scenic resources	67%	23%	9%	-	1%
Provide additional housing	24%	45%	22%	9%	2%
Maintain & improve the quality of air and water	74%	21%	4%	-	1%
Prevent urban sprawl	56%	31%	7%	4%	3%
Protecting cultural & historic resources	58%	34%	7%	-	1%
Provide a safe & convenient road system	71%	19%	8%	1%	1%
Protect Civil War battlefields	56%	31%	11%	2%	1%

 

QUESTION: How would you describe the rate of residential growth and development in your county? Is it growing much too fast, a little fast, at about the right pace, or too slow?
MUCH TOO FAST 38%
A LITTLE FAST 31%
ABOUT RIGHT 23%
TOO SLOW 6%
NOT SURE 1%

QUESTION: How would you describe the rate of commercial growth and development in your county? Is it growing much too fast, a little fast, at about the right pace, or too slow?
MUCH TOO FAST 32%
A LITTLE FAST 24%
ABOUT RIGHT 28%
TOO SLOW 15%
NOT SURE 1%

QUESTION: Do you believe there is an appropriate balance between development and the conservation of open space, farmland and natural resources in your county, or not?
YES 56%
NO 29%
NOT SURE 15%

QUESTION: Do the existing natural, scenic, cultural and historic resources of the Greater Shenandoah Valley Region significantly enhance your quality of life, or not?
YES 80%
NO 12%
NOT SURE 8%

QUESTION: Are you concerned that residential growth and commercial development threatens the quality of life in your community, or not?
YES 60%
NO 32%
NOT SURE 7%

QUESTION: Do you believe the natural, scenic, cultural, and historic resources in your community are being threatened, or not?
YES 59%
NO 33%
NOT SURE 8%

QUESTION: Do you believe these resources are being threatened by:

	YES	NO	DK
Residential growth?	50%	42%	8%
Commercial & industrial development?	39%	52%	10%
Local land use policies that encourage development over preservation?	36%	50%	14%
State or federal policies?	23%	59%	18%

QUESTION: Would you favor or oppose enacting stricter zoning laws in order to protect farmland, open space, and other natural and historic resources in your county?
FAVOR 67%
OPPOSE 20%
UNDECIDED 13%

QUESTION: Do you favor or oppose using public funds to protect farmland, open space, and other natural and historic resources in your county?
FAVOR 63%
OPPOSE 24%
UNDECIDED 13%

QUESTION: Would you be willing to pay higher taxes in order to increase funding for the protection of farmland, open space, forest land and other natural, cultural and historic resources in your community, or not?
YES 40%
NO 48%
NOT SURE 12%

QUESTION: Would you favor or oppose giving local governments more authority to regulate how a private property owner uses or develops their land, if that use or development impacts the natural or historic integrity of the surrounding community?
FAVOR 45%
OPPOSE 43%
UNDECIDED 12%

QUESTION: There are a number of ways to voluntarily protect lands. Would you favor or oppose increasing incentives, such as tax benefits, to allow people to voluntarily protect farmland, open space, and natural, cultural, and historic resources?
FAVOR 64%
OPPOSE 25%
UNDECIDED 11%

QUESTION: Would you favor or oppose a dedicated state fund that would allow the purchase of development rights on land, or the outright purchase of land, to protect farmland, open space, and natural, cultural, and historic resources in Virginia?
FAVOR 52%
OPPOSE 28%
UNDECIDED 20%

QUESTION: In the past, have you ever been involved in protecting open space, farmland, forest land, historic, natural, or cultural resources?
YES 25%
NO 73%
NOT SURE 1%

QUESTION: In the future, how likely is it that you would become involved in protecting these kinds of land resources in your community: very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely?
VERY LIKELY 23%
SW LIKELY 34%
NOT TOO LIKELY 24%
NOT AT ALL LIKELY 16%
NOT SURE 2%

QUESTION: Are you familiar with the Valley Conservation Council? (IF YES) Do you have a favorable, unfavorable, or neutral opinion of the Valley Conservation Council? Familiar, favorable 21%
Familiar, unfavorable 9%
Familiar, neutral/no opinion 19%
Not familiar with VCC 51%

QUESTION: The Valley Conservation Council educates landowners on voluntary options to protect their land. Would you be interested in learning more about these options for your community?
YES 39%
NO 57%
NOT SURE 4%

DEMOGRAPHICS:
SEX:
Male 547 (49%)
Female 567 (51%)

AGE:
18-29 151 (14%)
30-44 378 (34%)
45-59 253 (23%)
60+ 316 (28%)
Refused 16 (1%)

How long have you lived in the Greater Shenandoah Valley region?
Less than 5 years 76 (7%)
5-9 years 106 (10%)
10-19 years 254 (23%)
20 years or more 660 (59%)
Refused (DO NOT READ) 18 (2%)

Which of the following best describes your residence:
Lived in the Shenandoah Valley region all or most of my life 54%
Moved to the Shenandoah Valley region from Northern Virginia 9%
Moved to the Shenandoah Valley region from somewhere else in VA 12%
Moved to the Shenandoah Valley region from another state 24%
Refused (DO NOT READ) 2%

Do you own:
Less than 5 acres of land 748 (67%)
5-50 acres, or 264 (24%)
More than 50 acres 66 (6%)
DK/Refused (DO NOT READ) 36 (3%)

Do you hunt, fish, camp, hike or otherwise actively participate in the outdoors?
Yes 686 (62%)
No 416 (37%)
Refused 12 (1%)

Are you interested in the Civil War and/or other historical events that occurred in the Greater Shenandoah Valley Region?
Yes 715 (64%)
No 388 (35%)
Refused 11 (1%)

EDUCATION:
High school (or less) 390 (35%)
Some college/technical school 304 (27%)
Four year college graduate 209 (19%)
Graduate/professional degree 107 (10%)
Refused (DO NOT READ) 94 (8%)

INCOME:
Less than $30,000 303 (27%)
$30,000 to $49,999 290 (26%)
$50,000+ 305 (27%)
Refused (DO NOT READ) 216 (19%)

Do you have any children under the age of 18 currently living in your household?
Yes 397 (36%)
No 699 (63%)
Refused 18 (2%)