Methodology

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.

FLINT RESIDENT SURVEY

A total of 900 residents contributed to Focus on Flint by sharing their views about quality of life, challenges facing the community, and the performance of local, state and national leaders.

Opinions were collected through two telephone and online surveys conducted by FM3 Research, a nationally respected pollster, from February 26 through March 3 and May 4 through May 9. FM3 weighted results to reflect Flint demographics, resulting in a statistically valid sample with a margin of error of less than 5 percent at the 95 percent confidence interval.

Respondents answered many survey questions with a number from one to five to help capture intensity of feeling. For example, when asked about the importance of drinking water quality, a response of five meant that it was extremely important, while a response of one meant that it was not very important. The average response was 4.3. Seventy-one percent of respondents gave drinking water a five, the highest possible score.

In addition, FM3 asked questions to measure residents’ overall ratings for key aspects of life in Flint. The answers to those questions were used to calculate the ratings that appear in each section of the report.

SECONDARY DATA

To complement the resident survey, Focus on Flint includes data and statistics about life in the community from many different sources. It cites health statistics collected by the Greater Flint Health Coalition, public safety data from the U.S. Department of Justice and demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Information about attendance at local events and the use of city resources was provided by local agencies. Focus on Flint encourages readers to compare survey results with secondary data.

Focus on Flint