Amherst Together Survey for Residents

Here is the link to the survey:  https://umassresearch.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9S3HK77nmThsN4V

Dear Friends,

Amherst Together is a creativity hub for advancing community, collaboration, equity and inclusion in Amherst. Through collective impact, Amherst Together continues to evolve as an organizing infrastructure for effective community engagement, connecting people, ideas, and resources for building sustainable progress in everyday social practices. Encouraging cross-cultural interaction across social and economic lines further expands the core experience and skills that hold the potential for a healthier and happier community.

Amherst Together seeks to expand its reach in order to ensure an aligned commitment to these goals. To understand and transform the environments and conditions that matter to people and assure well-being for all, collaborative action requires participation to accelerate change.

This letter is to invite your participation in the Amherst Together public participation survey, developed from a partnership between the Amherst Together initiative and the Public Participation class, from the Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department (LARP) at UMass Amherst.

This fall, outreach was conducted within various segments of the Amherst population to gather input about our community. http://www.gazettenet.com/home/14317226-95/amherst-together-sponsors-survey-in-effort-to-improve-community-for-all-residents. However, in order to obtain a reliable sample of community opinion, we need to hear as many voices as possible. We are asking for your help.

The survey asks about the quality of life for those who live in the Amherst region. Our goal is to study what people value in our community, in order to respond to our diverse needs; to help us learn more about the factors that contribute to well-being and life-satisfaction for members of the Amherst community.

Participation from your organization’s membership is very important to this process. To make sure we obtain a reliable picture from Amherst’s people, we need to hear from all sectors and all walks of life. The online survey can be taken in less than 15 minutes. The survey data will not include any personally-identifying information. Responses are completely confidential.

A press release is attached, as well as a flyer publicizing this study, with a web link to the survey (and a QR code for smartphone users to scan). We are asking organizations to circulate this information by email, or through newsletters or meeting announcements.  If you have an upcoming event where flyers can be distributed, please let us know and we will supply you with the appropriate number. We are also asking employers to offer employees up to 15 minutes of time, during regular working hours if needed, to privately complete the online survey.

LARP will administer the survey, analyze the data, and prepare the reports.  The results of the survey will help identify priorities for the Amherst Together collective impact plan. We will report the results on the Amherst Together web site, which will allow community members to make suggestions for actions based on what we learn.

For more information, please visit us online at www.amhersttogether.org or take the survey at https://umassresearch.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9S3HK77nmThsN4V.  If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Professor Flavia Montenegro-Menezes at LARP (flaviamont@larp.umass.edu or 545-1784).


Thank you in advance for your help! We look forward to using the results in our continuous efforts to support the wellbeing of our community.

~Carol Ross

Carol Ross
Media & Climate Communications
Amherst Together

170 Chestnut Street
Amherst, MA 01002
4 Boltwood Avenue
Amherst, MA 01002

413-362-1820
rossc@arps.org
rossc@amherstma.gov