June 21, 2023 3:20 a.m.

A survey released on Tuesday by The Ford Family Foundation and research partners at ECONorthwest and Portland State University share insights about the lived experiences in households around Oregon.

A first-of-its kind survey, Oregon Voices focuses on people’s lived experiences. The resulting data pairs statistics with personal stories. Responses from rural and urban residents alike reveal areas of common cause, including these topics where there was higher consensus across counties:

*Oregonians share pride for where they live and for the natural beauty of the state

*Everywhere, the majority report that people take care of each other during hard times and show up for community events

*In all counties, people share concern for the lack of affordable housing and the rise of homelessness where they live

*People observe that families in their community are having trouble making ends meet

*Everywhere, it was felt that youth do not have places to hang out, although this trend was even more pronounced in rural counties

Foundation Director of Learning and Knowledge Management Kasi Allen said, “Oregon Voices is data by people, not about them”. Allen said, “The power of the data comes from the honest, authentic reflections from people across Oregon about the realities they experience day to day”.

More than 4,300 residents in the state responded to the 46-question Oregon Voice survey, yielding more than 60,000 open-ended responses to a variety of questions.

Go through all the data at: https://orvoices.org/

Kasi Allen and TFF Learning Officer Mandy Elder were on Inside Douglas County Tuesday on News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN talking about Oregon Voices. That interview is a KQEN Podcast at www.541radio.com