Survey results indicate that Forsyth County residents are volunteering and participating in community-building activities at a higher level than they were in 2000.  Forsyth County continues to be a place where residents are generous in giving money to organizations that serve the community, especially to religious organizations.  According to the Foundation’s president, Scott Wierman, “People in Winston-Salem have long been good at doing things for others, but not as good at doing things with others.  Initial findings from the 2006 indicate that there continues to be a strong ethic of ‘doing for’ others, and possibly some movement toward ‘doing with’ others.”

The 2000 survey suggested that Forsyth County was more trusting than the rest of the country when it came to people within one’s social network (at church, in the neighborhood); but less trusting than the rest of the country when it came people outside that network (e.g., people in general) and people of a different race.  This pattern seems to have turned around to some extent.  Residents are socializing more often with others in public places as well as socializing with people of another race inside their homes

Monetary Giving

Forsyth County continues to be a place where residents are generous in giving money to organizations that serve the community, especially to religious organizations.

• A greater proportion of Forsyth Co. respondents (72%) donated money to nonprofit organizations in 2005 than did respondents in the national sample (67%)
• In 2005, there was an even greater difference when we look at giving of at least $500: Forsyth County (27%) vs. national sample (20%).
• Forsyth County exceeds national norms even more when it comes to giving to religious organizations.
  • % who gave any money: Forsyth (80%) vs. national sample (70%)
  • % who gave at least $500: Forsyth (48%) vs. national sample (34%)

Engagement in Activities that serve the community

Residents in Forsyth County are now volunteering and participating in community-building activities at higher levels than they were in 2000, in contrast to the country as a whole where engagement has remained relatively flat.  With this increase, the levels of volunteering and civic engagement in Forsyth County are now significantly higher than they are in the country as a whole (in 2000 the levels were comparable).

Volunteering

• The proportion of Forsyth Co. respondents who had volunteered at least once in the past year increased from 53.4% to 64.7% from 2000 to 2006. This 11.3% increase was much greater than the 4.3% increase that occurred nationally (54.3% to 58.6%).
• Forsyth County also saw a greater-than background increase in frequent volunteering.
  • The proportion of Forsyth Co. respondents who volunteered at least 5 times in the past year increased from 32.4% to 42.8% from 2000 to 2006.  This 10.4% increase was much greater than the 3.0% increase that occurred nationally (35.6% to 38.6%).
  • The proportion of Forsyth Co. respondents who volunteered at least 13 times (more than once a month) increased from 15.0% to 20.8% from 2000 to 2006. This 5.8% increase was much greater than the 1.9% increase that occurred nationally sample (17.3% to 19.2%).
• An increase over time was also observed in working to fix things up in the neighborhood.  The proportion doing this in the past year increased by 4 percentage points (from 29% to 33%), compared to a 1-point increase among the national sample (31% to 32%).

Involvement in Service-Oriented Organizations

• Whereas involvement in neighborhood associations declined nationally between 2000 and 2006 (from 23.3% to 20.5%), it increased in Forsyth County (from 26.7% to 29.3%)
• Residents in Forsyth County are more likely than their counterparts across the country to be involved with organizations that provide services that support health and well-being (41.6% vs. 33.9%).  The proportion increased more in Forsyth than it did among the national sample (4.9% vs. 2.1%).

Involvement in Organizations that Support Youth

• There was a noteworthy increase [from 16.2% to 27.8% (11.6 percentage points)] in the proportion of Forsyth County respondents who were involved with a parents' association (like the PTA or PTO, or other school support or service group).  Nationally, the figure stayed the same (21%).  
• The Forsyth sample (all over 18 years of age) also reported increased involvement in youth-serving organizations (e.g., youth sports leagues, scouting, 4-H clubs, Boys & Girls Clubs).  The proportion increased from 17.5% in the 2000 survey to 22.3% (4.8 percentage points), slightly greater than the3.5 percentage point increase among the national sample (21.3% to 24.8%).

Leadership within Community Organizations

In the 2000 survey there was evidence that leadership positions in community organizations were held by a relatively small group of “elite” (e.g., higher income, higher education level, and predominantly Caucasian) residents.  The results from the 2006 survey suggest that more residents and a more diverse group of residents are now serving in these roles, in contrast to trends in other communities. Several caveats exist for this portion of the research: we need to be cautious due to the small numbers within sub-samples and the survey does not contain as many items on leadership as desired.

• The proportion of respondents playing a leadership role within an organization (i.e., serving as an officer or on a committee) increased from 15.6% to 19.3% in Forsyth (3.7 percentage points), while remaining constant within the national sample (17.6%).
• The increase was particularly pronounced among African Americans in the Forsyth sample (from 15.9% to 23.5%).

Social Interaction (including interaction across race)

Possibly because of the increased opportunities afforded by a revitalized downtown, residents in Forsyth County are socializing more often with others in public places.  Given the racial diversity of the group that is going downtown, this affords more potential for interacting with and getting to know persons of a different race.  Correspondingly, there is increased socializing across race within homes.

• Residents of Forsyth County are now more likely to hang out with friends in public places, and there seems to be a growing group that does this on a regular basis.
  • At least once:  increased from 73% to 80% in Forsyth, but virtually no change in national sample (76% to 75%)
  • At least twice a month:  increased from 16.8% to 25.2% in Forsyth, while staying virtually the same nationally (23.8% to 23.4%)
• There is a modest increase in reports of residents socializing in their homes with residents of a different race
  • The proportion of Forsyth Co. respondents who reported that they had been in the home of a friend of a different race (or had them in their home) within the past year increased from 67% to 71%.  There was virtually no change among the national sample (68%).
  • The proportion reporting that they had done this at least 4 times in the past year also increased by 4 percentage points:  from 43% to 47%.

Social Trust

The 2000 survey suggested that Forsyth County was more trusting than the rest of the country when it came to people within one’s social network (at church, in the neighborhood); but less trusting than the rest of the country when it came to people outside that network (e.g., people in general) and people of a different race.  This pattern seems to have turned around to some extent since 2000, in part because the rest of the country has become less trusting over the past 6 years, whereas Forsyth County is showing signs of increased trust.  However, the picture is complicated and depends on the particular survey item one is examining.

General Trust

• In the 2000 survey, the proportion of respondents who reported that “most people can be trusted” was lower in Forsyth County than in the national sample (40.5% vs. 48.1%). Conversely, Forsyth was higher on “you can’t be too careful” (53.3% vs. 45.2%). Nationally, there was a drop in “people can be trusted” from 48.1% in 2000 to 43.5% in 2006. National sample responses to “you can’t be too careful” moved from 45.2% in 2000 to 51.7% in 2006.
• Among African Americans, the proportion indicating that “people can be trusted” increased from 22% to 30% in Forsyth. Among the national sample, the increase was smaller (26% to 28%).
• African Americans in Forsyth County are less likely than whites to report that “people can be trusted” (30% vs. 48%).  However this difference has declined from what it was in 2000 (African Americans - 22% vs. whites - 48%). 

Trust People in the Neighborhood

• African Americans in Forsyth County report more trust of their neighbors in 2006 than in 2000:  “Trust them a lot” increased from 22% to 28.6%, while “Trust them not at all” decreased from 14% to 9.7%.  These changes are greater than was observed among African Americans in the national sample – although the figures improved there as well.
• Among whites, there was a slight decrease in the proportion indicated that they trust people in your neighborhood “a lot” – from 57% to 54.5%.  A similar decline occurred nationally.
• Despite these changes, there continue to be large racial differences in the degree to which respondents reported that they could trust people in their neighborhood.  For example, 30.6% of African Americans trust their neighbors either “only a little” or “not at all,” compared to 6.9% among whites.  The disparity is similar within the national sample.

Inter-Racial Trust 

• Whites in Forsyth County report higher levels of trust in African Americans in 2006 than in 2000
  • 24% in 2000 vs. 29% in 2006 respond “a lot”
  • 80.4% vs. 87.4% respond either “a lot” or “some”
• Whites also report increased trust for Hispanics and Asians from 2000 to 2006
  • 73.7% vs. 78.0% trust Hispanics either “a lot” or “some”
  • 77.1% vs. 80.3% trust Asians either “a lot” or “some”
• African Americans report less trust in whites from 2000 to 2006
  • 19.8% vs. 15.3% trust whites “a lot”
  • However, there was also a drop in the proportion who trust whites “not at all” – from 5.4% to 1.5%
• A similar mixed picture results for how African Americans’ trust of Hispanics has changed from 2000 to 2006
  • Declined from 11.4% to 9.7% trust Hispanics “a lot”
  • But the percentage who trust Hispanics either “a lot” or “some” increased from 66.3% to 72.5%.
• Whites report trusting African Americans more than African Americans report trusting whites
  • 29% of whites trust African Americans “a lot”; while 15.3% of African Americans trust whites “a lot”
  • 87.4% of whites trust African Americans either “a lot” or “some”; while  81.1% of African Americans trust whites either “a lot” or “some”
• Whites report somewhat less trust of African Americans than of whites
  • 31.4% trust whites “a lot” vs. 29.1% trust African Americans “a lot”
  • 88.7% trust whites either “a lot” or “some,” while 87.4% trust African Americans either “a lot” or “some”
• African Americans report trusting whites at about the same level as they trust African Americans
  • 14.5% trust African Americans “a lot,” while 15.3% trust whites “a lot”
  • 82.1% trust African Americans either “a lot” or “some,” while 81.1% trust whites either “a lot” or “some”