From the pages of
Sublette Examiner
Volume 8, Number 22 - August 21, 2008
brought to you online by Pinedale Online

Quality Of Life Survey Underway

by Tiffany Turner

In yet another attempt to understand the changes that have taken place in Sublette County since the energy boom and to help determine whether they have been an aid or a hindrance, Sublette County’s former socioeconomic analyst Jeff Jacquet and his replacement Mike Coburn will administer a Quality of Life Survey this week to long-time residents.

“We will be conducting face-to-face interviews with long term Sublette County residents in locations of their choosing between Aug. 18 through the 25,” Coburn said. “Participants will be selected using a purposive key informant/snowball methodology – we are seeking a diversity of long term residents from throughout Sublette County.”

Coburn added the two main themes of the survey will be quality of life and community satisfaction.

“Essentially we are trying to assess how the community has been affected by the oil and gas development,” he said. “If the influx of people have changed the culture, friendliness, civic pride etc. of the county, or if the increased environmental impacts have altered the quality of life within the county. Of course, these impacts could have both positive and negative impacts on the community and its residents.”

Some items Coburn said would be discussed might include the monetary gain to the county as well as the change in traffic and crime.

“What we hope to accomplish with this survey is to gain a general understating of how the boom is affecting long term residents, taking the pulse of the county,” he said. “With this information local government officials will have a great data set at their disposal with which to potentially mitigate deleterious consequences of oil and gas exploration.”

According to Coburn, this survey will allow the governments to have a legitimate, verifiable way to show others what is going on in the county and how the residents who lived here prior to the boom really think of it.

“Within the county you hear complaints and opinions regarding the boom. With these interviews we will be able to compile a concise data set, which will tell us what the longer term residents believe are the most salient social issues facing the county,” Coburn said.

Coburn and Jacquet also plan to publish their findings in the International Sociological Journal, allowing it to join the large library of literature that discusses boomtowns.

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