unity and divisiveness
Is Portland civic life more defined by our sense of unity or our differences? 47% of Portlanders see the city as “deeply divided.” People of color are the most likely to say that the city is divided (58%). Those who are younger, have less formal education, live in District 1 (East Portland), earn a lower income, or identify as a Republican or are politically Unaffiliated are also most likely to say that Portland is divided.
getting into the data and trends
background
From May 17- June 18th, 2024, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (OVBC) designed and administered the OVBC 2024 Portland Your City, Your Choice Survey to discover insights about Portlanders values and beliefs related to charter changes, civic life, and quality of life.
It is OVBC's hope that this research will assist individuals and organizations in Portland with planning, policymaking, and communications and serve as a baseline for future research to monitor changes in Portlander's values and beliefs about their city.
about the data
Period of Time: May/June 2024
Sources: The online survey consisted of 1,14 Portland residents ages 18+ and took approximately 15 minutes to complete. Respondents were contacted by using professionally maintained online panels, community partner outreach, and public engagement through local media and social media. In gathering responses, a variety of quality control measures were employed, including questionnaire pre-testing, validation, and real- time monitoring of responses. To ensure a representative sample, demographic quotas were set per US Census information, and the data was statistically weighted by area of the city, gender, age, race/ethnicity, political party, and education.
Types of Data: Survey Data
Geography: City of Portland, OR
Statement of Limitations: Based on a 95% confidence interval, this survey's margin of error for the full sample is +2.30%. Due to rounding or multiple-answer questions, response percentages may not add up to 100%.
good to know
race data in this survey
OVBC surveys currently use aggregated data to analyze the opinions of BIPOC residents in comparison to the opinions of residents who identify as white and not another race. BIPOC residents are not a homogeneous population, instead they represent a wide diversity of races and ethnicities. The findings included in this memo should not be construed such that all people of color are believed to share the same opinions. Disaggregated race data wil be provided when sample sizes permit reliability.
other resources
In 2022, the Portland City Budget Office, in partnership with the Regional Research Institute for Human Services at Portland State University, conducted the Portland Insights Survey to assess community perceptions and needs in Portland. The Portland Insights Survey was conducted between October 17, 2022 and January 10, 2023. They collected 5,290 completed surveys provided a rich dataset to help the City understand the sentiments and opinions of its community members.
The Portland Insights Survey asked the same questions that OVBC asked in May 15 - June 15 2024: “Is there someone in your neighborhood who would check on you in severe weather?” and “Is there someone in your neighborhood who you would check on in severe weather?” 2022 respondents to the Portland Insights Survey were less likely to say that there was someone who check on them (52%) than 2024 Your City, Your Choice respondents (72%).