Studying Community Well-Being

Rhode Island Life Index

In the state of Rhode Island, SCRI has conducted several annual surveys to help develop the Rhode Island Index in partnership with Brown University and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island. To learn more about this research, please visit the RI Life Index website

Yes, we are in the field calling Rhode Islanders! 

Connecticut Community WellBeing Index (DataHaven)

In the state of Connecticut, SCRI has conducted the community well-being research in partnership with Datahaven for over a decade. To learn more about the survey and its findings, please visit the DataHaven website. 

New York Community Wellbeing Index (DataHaven) 

Through a successful partnership with DataHaven, the Siena College Research Institute replicated their community-well being study in the state of New York. To learn more about the New York study, please visit the Academy of Medicine’s webpage on the research and SCRI’s website

Conceptual Framework

Stakeholders are interested in quantifying the health of a community.  Communities want to measure their community health to help decision makers target initiatives and funding toward improving the lives of residents.  A healthy community can cover a variety of different measures including community quality, civic engagement, health (physical and mental), life chances of young people, economic well-being, and the presence of discrimination. 

The Siena College Research Institute has developed and tested a survey instrument and analysis approach to help communities quantify the health and well-being of residents in a geographic area.  By empowering local governments and community organizations with this information, data-driven programs and initiatives can be implemented to improve the quality of life for residents. 

This survey instrument developed by SCRI in partnership with community stakeholders measures several different indices. Some are included below: 

Process of Building Better Communities With Research 

The process of conducting a community-well being study starts with establishing the expectation to conduct the study more than once to measure change over time. 

The Siena College Research Institute has worked with communities in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to measure well-being and progress made towards advancing the quality of life for all residents. This process entails:

Analyzing survey findings to develop a community baseline.

Presenting research results on indicators to stakeholders and residents. 

Implementing recommendations and initiatives to build a better community. 

Re-administering the survey to compare progress on goals and programs. 

General Methodology 

 Generally, the Siena College Research Institute (SCRI) will conduct thousands of interviews over the span of multiple months to residents age 18 and older within a geographic area to ensure a representative sample is collected. SCRI contacts respondents via landline telephone, cell phone, or online. Telephone surveys are conducted in English and Spanish. Web surveys can be conducted in a variety of languages based on the population in the geographic area. After data collection is complete, survey results are weighted by age, gender, education, race/ethnicity, and religion to ensure statistical representativeness. 

Community Utilization

The Siena College Research Institute proudly works with governments, nonprofits, and community partners to organize this research. Through this partnership, communities are able to pilot and measure the impact of initiatives and identify macro-trends impacting residents.