Journal of Arboriculture 31(3): May 2005 133 respondents had participated in urban and community forestry programs, while the other 44% had not. The survey instrument was kept short to increase the response rate. It contained 21 questions on three pages. Eighteen of the questions were multiple choice. Questions on level of participation and expected future participation were scaled. In addition to demographic data, participants were asked to describe the types of activities they have participated in, why they participated, when they participated, and what their attitudes toward these programs were. Nonparticipants were asked why they have not participated, whether they think they will participate in the future, and what could be done in the future to make these programs more appealing. The three open-ended questions gave respondents the opportunity to provide specific information that might have been overlooked had we provided a set of answer choices. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Participant and nonparticipant characteristics can be seen in Tables 1 through 6. Some of the tables represent descriptive data that did not lend itself to statistical analysis. Statistical analysis is included where appropriate, and key differences are analyzed. All chi-square test statistics relate to significant differences between participants and nonparticipants, unless otherwise stated. The majority of the respondents were male (66%). Participants tended to be younger than nonpartici- pants. Forty-eight percent of the participants were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, while 43% of the nonpartici- pants were between 50 and 65 years of age. The majority of both groups were married (80% and 78%, respectively). Many (42%) of the participants were from South Carolina’s lower coastal plain region, likely due to the dramatic role played by tourism in the Charleston area. At the 0.05 level of significance, only age showed a significant difference between participants and nonpartici- pants, suggesting the two populations are very similar in the other categories surveyed. Close observation of age groups (Table 1) suggests that participants were much more likely than nonparticipants to be 30 to 49 years old. Therefore we tested the 30- to 49-year age group against all other ages and found participants to be significantly more likely to be 30 to 49 years old (sample size = 191, chi-square = 8.22, P = 0.04, DF = 3). Table 1 data also suggest that participants are much more likely to come from upstate and the lower coastal plain than the upper coastal plain. However, we did not find a significant relationship concerning geography (sample size = 189, chi-square = 2.22, P = 0.33, DF = 2). Educational level was high (Table 2). The majority of both groups graduated from college, and over one-third of each group earned a graduate-level degree. Only 22% of the participants worked as arborists, horticulturist, or foresters (Table 3). Given that this occupation group is likely to be heavily involved in U&CF projects, this is an encouraging Table 1. Comparison of gender, age, marital status, and region of residence of participants versus nonpar- ticipants. Characteristic Genderz Male Female Agey <30 years old 30–49 years old 50–65 years old >65 years old Marital statusx Never married Married Separated Widowed Divorced Region of residencew Upstate % of participants % of nonparticipants 63 37 3 48 38 11 9 80 0 0 11 32 Upper coastal plain 26 Lower coastal plain 42 70 30 10 31 43 16 8 78 2 4 8 28 36 36 zSample size = 192, chi-square = 1.12 (P = 0.29, DF = 1). ySample size = 191, chi-square = 8.22 (P = 0.04, DF = 3). xSample size = 190, chi-square = 6.88 (P = 0.14, DF = 4). wSample size = 189, chi-square = 2.22 (P = 0.33, DF = 2). statistic. Certainly, information and education programs are least effective when “preaching to the choir.” The audience of these programs appears to be people newly introduced to U&CF concepts. Only 14% of nonparticipants belonged to the arborist/horticulturist/forester occupational group. Both groups tended to be “middle-income” families (Table 4). Educational level, occupation group, and income level did not produce significant differences between the two groups. However, a related question is whether the arborist/horticul- turist/forester is more likely to be a participant than other occupation groups. No significant difference was found to exist between that group and the other occupational groups. One aspect of the survey questioned whether there would be a difference in participation based on the environ- ment where a person was raised, as compared to the environment where they now lived (Table 5). Just over half of both participants and nonparticipants were raised in an urban or suburban area, and nearly two-thirds of both groups now lived in the urban or suburban area. Because likely participants of U&CF programs were surveyed, this geography is not surprising. Table 6 shows that the majority of both groups were represented by people living in family households (roughly 80%). Significant differences between the two groups did not exist due to early environment, current residence, or household environment. Why people did or did not participate in these programs is of interest to program managers and administrators. ©2005 International Society of Arboriculture
May 2005
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