Community, Trust, and Social Belonging

• Rural West residents feel a strong sense of belonging and connection to their communities, even amidst the pandemic.

• Respondents reported feeling respected and supported by their families and neighbors overall: Nearly two-thirds of people feel supported and respected in their community. 69% think that people in the community care about each other. 67% think they can count on relatives and friends if their household needs help and 63% think others they do not know would help out in an emergency.

• There is recognition of social differences within communities:  45% see their community as characterized by divides in the community based on income, ethnic background, age or gender. 

• A majority think most want to make their communities a better place: 75% see most people as trying to make their community a good place to live and 58% think people in their community work together to solve problems.