Vermont Business Roundtable Releases 2010 Pulse of Vermont: Quality of Life Report
Study Represents 20 Years of Trend Analysis on Vermonters Attitudes
At its 24th Annual Membership Meeting held on January 13th at Topnotch Resort & Spa in Stowe, the Vermont Business Roundtable (Roundtable) released the fifth Pulse of Vermont: Quality of Life Survey conducted since 1990. Each of the studies, conducted every five years, was directed by Dr. Vince Bolduc and Dr. Herb Kessel of the Center for Social Science Research at Saint Michael’s College under the sponsorship of the Roundtable. Since the first study in 1990, more than 2,000 Vermonters have been interviewed, allowing for the documentation of numerous longitudinal trends.
According to Steve Voigt, President and CEO of King Arthur Flour, and Chair of the Roundtable, “This report focuses on issues related to life in Vermont, such as confidence in Vermont-based institutions, trust in other Vermonters, aspects of life that seem to be “under threat”, and public priorities. There are numerous policy implications contained in the report that lawmakers and Vermonters themselves will want to understand in depth.”
Because of the timing of the survey, which ran during the months of March and April 2010, no single issue stood out so prominently as the state of the economy. In higher proportions than previously, “Vermonters expressed a greater desire for job creation and were more persuaded than ever that economic growth contributes to an improved quality of life. “said Roundtable President, Lisa Ventriss.
The study surveyed 400 randomly selected Vermonters during the months of March and April 2010 and enjoyed a response rate of 60 percent. The complete report may be found at the Roundtable’s website www.vtroundtable.org.