Chadron and Crawford Community Survey Results
CHADRON –
From November 2017 through January 2018, Northwest Nebraska Tourism partnered with Hollman Media and researchers at the University of Nebraska Kearney to collect surveys assessing how communities are performing in categories known to be important to both residents and visitors. A total of 26 Nebraska communities participated in this survey, including Chadron and Crawford.
This was an early step in a year-long process to update the Dawes County Travel Board’s strategic plan that will guide priorities for the tourism office and other tourism stakeholders and partners in Dawes County.
“We are excited to have these results back and are eager to share this information with all our community partners,” said Kristina Reeves, Northwest Nebraska Tourism Director. “These results provide valid insights on strengths and areas of improvement that we can immediately start implementing.”
As a brief overview of the survey, Chadron scored at or above the state average in safety, affordability, friendliness, quality education, acceptance of people, opportunities for involvement, nearby friends, and supportive people in the community. Areas of improvement that came in below the state average include, employment opportunities, proximity to family, and amenities.
All of Crawford’s results came in below the state averages, but the highest rankings were for safety and affordability.
Rather than looking at the composite ranking alone, it is encouraged groups study the research to identify strengths and weaknesses and implement solutions for weaknesses in strategic planning.
The final page of the survey results includes additional comments and feedback from participants.
“We strongly encourage both communities and community leaders to study this research and implement changes that can further strengthen Dawes County as a whole,” Reeves said. “I’m appreciative to all those who filled out the survey.”
View the surveys:
Chadron Community Survey Results
Crawford Community Survey Results
Tips and disclaimers from Hollman Media:
- It should come as no surprise that some of you ranked at the top and some of you near the bottom. For those of you who ranked near the bottom of the 26 ranked communities, please don’t shoot the messenger. You have the most potential to improve. Those who ranked near the top might find it the most difficult to improve. Additionally, every community had its ups and downs when looking at all the different attributes that were measured.
- Please remember that our Memorandum of Understanding prevents you from using the results of this study in an unfettered promotional manner. So if you scored #1 in the composite ranking, please don’t advertise on billboards that “We are the #1 community according to the Community Strengths project.” The idea behind this restriction was to prevent bias and a “voting” mentality during the data collection process. We were more interested in gathering accurate results that we can all learn from than figuring out who was the most popular town around.
- The answers to some of your questions may lie in the open-ended questions. People offered a lot of open-ended feedback. We are appending those comments for your community to the end of your reports.
- Our Memorandum of Understanding gives you the opportunity to take advantage of (up to) a one-hour phone consultation with me to discuss your report. If you would like to do this, please schedule it with me a couple weeks in advance.
- Other than the optional consultation, our delivery of your final report fulfills our remaining obligations to your community as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding. In return, we greatly appreciate the effort you put in to collecting responses so that we may use the raw data on our end to further our research. We believe that you will find your report very insightful. If, however, you would like us to dig deeper into your results (e.g. comparisons between your community’s demographics) or would like professional assistance with your strategic planning, marketing, or branding, Angela and I would be happy to discuss ways you can retain our company’s services outside the original scope of this project. Please just ask.
Travis Hollman – travis@hollmanmedia.com.
Since 1981, the Dawes County Travel Board has been actively promoting Dawes County as an ideal tourist destination. The Dawes County Travel Board believes there is always something to discover in Northwest Nebraska. Among the Northwestern Nebraska charm is the rich history and natural beauty of Fort Robinson State Park and Chadron State Park, the abundant public lands in the Pine Ridge known for outdoor recreation opportunities and diverse landscapes, and not to mention friendly, small town atmospheres.
Get off the beaten path and start your journey at DiscoverNWNebraska.com and get social with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact: Kristina Reeves, Northwest Nebraska Tourism Director
director@discovernwnebraska.com, 308-432-3006