Two-thirds of Arizonans who participated in the latest Arizona Indicators Panel are dissatisfied with how the Arizona Legislature is dealing with the state budget and tax issues. And of those respondents who keep close tabs on current news about the Arizona state budget, 80% disapproved of the legislature’s handling of the situation.
These new data are among the findings from a statewide panel of a representative sample of Arizonans. These and other results have just been released in a new AZ Views briefing “Arizonans on Edge…So Why Not Involved?” The panel survey tracks how Arizonans are thinking and feeling over time. AZ Views reports the data and analysis from the survey. The panel is part of Arizona Indicators, which is a project of Morrison Institute. These latest findings look at how attitudes have changed about a range of issues in the past year.
Compared with June 2008 when AZ Views reported that “Arizonans have a strong sense of job security, despite the national economic slump and the state’s budget crisis,” opinions have changed. Data from June 2009 shows that not only are Arizonans feeling insecure about their jobs, but in the past 12 months, those who said they feel “very secure” about keeping their jobs or keeping their businesses open declined by almost a third.
In addition, most panelists continue to rate the quality of life where they live as “good” or “excellent,” but they report a marked decline “in the last few years.” In 2008, more panelists reported an improved quality of life than those who said it had declined. In 2009, panelists who said “declining” outnumbered “improving” by 30%. Among those reporting the highest decline in quality of life are those who represent minority groups, are ages 45-59, or make $30,000 or less.
Yet despite concerns about declining quality of life and economic security, fewer than half of the respondents are keeping tabs on current public policy processes, including the state budget process.
Kenja Hassan talks about working toward developing a meaningful presence for ASU in targeted communities around the state.
Kenja Hassan is the assistant director of ASU for Arizona: Building Great Communities. She received a bachelor’s degree in religion from Princeton University and a master’s in religious studies from ASU, both with an emphasis on Navajo traditions.
She is currently finishing up a project called the State of Black Arizona which generates dialogue among African American communities in Arizona to find out what their successes and needs are. The project will culminate in a book and an online publication which are geared toward spurring focused research and inspiring a continued conversation within African American communities across the state.
I am writing to let you know about a post-doctoral fellowship opportunity with our Community-Campus Partnership (CCP). Please see the attachment. This initiative is located in the School of Government, but it will involve faculty and students from many other campus units. There is widespread interest in this project on our campus and among key stakeholders in North Carolina. I am biased, of course, but I believe this is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in a community-based research project that will make a practical difference in communities and advance our knowledge about engaged scholarship. What more could you want? Please forward this announcement to anyone who might be interested. If someone has questions about the project or the fellowship, the best person to call or email is the project director, Will Lambe, at (919) 966-4247 or whlambe@sog.unc.edu. Many thanks.
Manfred Laubichler talks about teaching, theoretical biology, historical biology and stretching the limit of what is known.
Manfred Laubichler is a professor in the School of Life Sciences at ASU. His research covers three distinct yet overlapping areas: theoretical biology, the history of biology, and evolutionary developmental biology. He is also an affiliated professor in Philosophy.
