2002 Vermonter Poll Press Release
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New Study Shows Sprawl Still A Top Issue in Vermont
CRS/Forum on Sprawl poll finds strong support for taking action now
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Elizabeth Humstone, VT Forum on Sprawl
(802)-864-6310 <> ehumstone@vtsprawl.org
Thomas P. DeSisto, Center for Rural Studies
(802)-656-3021 <> tdesisto@zoo.uvm.edu
Burlington, VT - For the second consecutive year, Vermonters have said that “urban sprawl and land use” are among the most important issues facing the state in the coming decade. According the 2002 Vermonter Poll conducted by the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont on behalf of the Vermont Forum on Sprawl, “urban sprawl and land use” was the third most frequently mentioned issue in 2002, following only the economy and education. In last year’s poll, when Vermont’s economy was stronger and before recent legislative battles over school funding, sprawl was the number one issue.
General awareness of the issue of sprawl development has remained high over the past four years. In 2002 approximately 70% of the Vermont population had heard of the term sprawl development. This is up slightly from 2000 when 67% of Vermonters were aware of the term sprawl, but up significantly from 1998 when 53% of Vermonters were aware of the term. The results also indicate that younger Vermonters are more likely to have heard of the issue than older Vermonters.
When asked the question, “How likely is it that current trends in development and land use will lead to sprawl in Vermont?” 80% percent of Vermonters said they believe it is likely or very likely that current trends will lead to sprawl, while only 6 percent believed it to be unlikely. This is up significantly from 2001 (62%), 2000 (61%) and 1998 (57%). Vermont residents who live in urban or rural areas (82%) are more likely to believe that current trends will lead to sprawl than people who live in suburban areas (75%).
Seven of ten Vermonters now believe that action should be taken to prevent the spread of sprawl development in Vermont. This reflects a consistent and growing desire for changing current development trends in Vermont. (See Table 1).
Table 1
Percent of respondents who believed that action should be taken to prevent sprawl
Year 2002 2001 2000 1998
Take action 70% 66% 65% 61%
People who are aware of the issue of sprawl development prior to the poll are more likely to support taking action to prevent sprawl. Seventy six percent of the population who had heard of sprawl prior to this poll believe that action should be taken to prevent sprawl, while only 55% of those who had not heard of sprawl supported taking action.
Overwhelmingly, when asked where they would most like to see future commercial development, Vermonters declared that they would like to see vacant properties in urban areas or village centers redeveloped (89%), rather than have new developments created (11%).
These findings were based on the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Vermonter Polls conducted by the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont, and the 1998 Vermont Forum on Sprawl Poll conducted by Macro International. Respondents were all at least 18 years-of-age and registered voters in Vermont. Results based on these polls’ sample sizes have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points with a confidence interval of 95 percent. *
The Center for Rural Studies (CRS) is a nonprofit, fee-for-service research organization which addresses social, economic, and resource-based problems of rural people and communities. Based in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Vermont (UVM), the Center provides consulting and research services in Vermont, the United States, and abroad. For more information on the Center for Rural Studies visit their Web site at http://crs.uvm.edu.
The Vermont Forum on Sprawl is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve Vermont’s unique working landscape and quality of life while encouraging economic vitality in community centers. The Forum accomplishes this mission through research, public policy, community capacity building, education and partnerships. For more information on the Vermont Forum on Sprawl, visit their website at http://www.vtsprawl.org.
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* Sample sizes for the polls were as follows: 1998 (n= 2,325); 2000 (n=697); 2001(n=720), and 2002 (n=734).
Comments to: crs@uvm.edu
Reviewed on
02/21/02
Visitors since 1/14/97