For Second Year, Survey to Measure Quality of Life in Lafayette
LAFAYETTE, La. – For the second year, Lafayette Parish residents who want to help improve quality of life in the community are being encouraged to “answer the call.” A literal call. Taking approximately 15 minutes, the QOL Survey will be conducted through both landlines and cell phones across Lafayette Parish. A randomly sampled cross section of residents will receive this call.
One Acadiana has commissioned the survey through Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, a nationally recognized independent polling firm. Mason-Dixon will conduct the phone survey between Sept. 21 – Oct. 4, asking residents about key factors impacting quality of life, including economic conditions, job security, educational opportunities, cultural opportunities, and safety.
One Acadiana conducted its first QOL Survey in 2021 following the organization’s Vibrant Community Summit with Pensacola business and community leader Quint Studer. Studer recommended the survey as a best practice for providing objective data and encouraging civic engagement. This is the second year One Acadiana is conducting the QOL Survey, and the organization plans to continue the survey annually.
The QOL Survey was a topic of discussion at One Acadiana’s recent Leadership Exchange trip to Pensacola from Sept. 14-16. Pensacola has been conducting the QOL Survey since 2008. Over that time, results show an improvement of 14 percentage points in respondents rating overall quality of life as good or excellent.
“Objective data helps your community challenge assumptions and make decisions based on facts,” says Pensacola’s Quint Studer. “This is a great way to promote civic engagement. Good objective data gives you the information you need to start a real conversation about the future of the community and start building momentum and excitement.”
“This is a unique opportunity for Lafayette Parish residents to share their perspective on the place we call home,” One Acadiana’s President & CEO Troy Wayman said. “By having this objective data, we can shine a light on the bright spots and more clearly see what needs improvement. As Quint Studer says, ‘What gets measured gets improved.’”
Through the survey, Mason-Dixon aims to reach 625 Lafayette Parish residents, which will provide results with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. A 4 percent margin of error means the results will be within 4 percentage points of surveying every resident, which is important for demonstrating the data will be representative of the community.
A wider geography than Lafayette Parish would have increased the margin of error too much for this survey, but One Acadiana is committed to working with leaders in other Acadiana parishes who might be interested in doing a similar survey in their community.
One Acadiana will hold a CivicCon Acadiana event with Quint Studer in Downtown Lafayette on Nov. 14 to present the survey results to the public.
Learn more at VibrantAcadiana.com.
About One Acadiana
One Acadiana is the leading economic development organization for the nine-parish Acadiana region located in south Louisiana. With more than 600 investors, members, and partners, One Acadiana serves as the voice of the regional business community. The organization is located in the city of Lafayette and serves a region of nearly 700,000 people with a vibrant culture and unique entrepreneurial spirit. Learn more at OneAcadiana.org