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Making Ends Meet in the Making Ends Meet in the Rural Wabash ValleyRural Wabash Valley
Wabash ValleyWabash Valley
Quality of Life SurveyQuality of Life Survey
20052005
Brought to you by…Brought to you by…
The Sociology Research LabThe Sociology Research Lab The students of Soc 380 & PSCI 245The students of Soc 380 & PSCI 245 James Cassell & Tom Steiger, James Cassell & Tom Steiger,
Department of SociologyDepartment of Sociology
The SampleThe Sample
We randomly sampled 1,353 households We randomly sampled 1,353 households from the six counties surrounding Terre from the six counties surrounding Terre HauteHaute Clay, Park, Sullivan, Vermillion & Vigo counties in Clay, Park, Sullivan, Vermillion & Vigo counties in
IndianaIndiana Clark & Edgar counties in IllinoisClark & Edgar counties in Illinois
Calls were made between 5 & 9 PM, Sunday Calls were made between 5 & 9 PM, Sunday through Thursday from February 14through Thursday from February 14thth through March 10through March 10thth
482 interviews were completed for a 36% 482 interviews were completed for a 36% response rateresponse rate
Margin of error: Margin of error: ± 4%± 4%
Focus on “Making Ends Focus on “Making Ends Meet”Meet”
Our interview asks aboutOur interview asks about Regular paid employmentRegular paid employment Businesses run from homeBusinesses run from home Paid employment done at homePaid employment done at home ““Informal” economic activities done to save Informal” economic activities done to save
money, earn extra money, or in exchange money, earn extra money, or in exchange for something elsefor something else
Data refer to Data refer to householdshouseholds, not , not individualsindividuals
Household Survival Household Survival StrategiesStrategies
Term for how people go about “making Term for how people go about “making ends meet”ends meet”
For most families, this mainly involves For most families, this mainly involves paid employment at a “regular” job and paid employment at a “regular” job and budgeting to live within that incomebudgeting to live within that income
Survival strategies become more Survival strategies become more complicated in areas which …complicated in areas which … Have lost jobs, orHave lost jobs, or Had few jobs to begin withHad few jobs to begin with
We refer to this as sort of changes as We refer to this as sort of changes as economic economic restructuringrestructuring
Rural sociologists have found considerable Rural sociologists have found considerable economic restructuring in rural settings and small economic restructuring in rural settings and small townstowns
Result is often relatively fewer jobs in general & Result is often relatively fewer jobs in general & fewer well-paying jobs in particularfewer well-paying jobs in particular
Leading to more difficulty “making ends meet”Leading to more difficulty “making ends meet” One response is to move somewhere else with One response is to move somewhere else with
greater economic opportunity greater economic opportunity Question is how to those who stay “survive” in a Question is how to those who stay “survive” in a
more harsh economic climate more harsh economic climate
Percentage; N=482Percentage; N=482
““Is your family better off or Is your family better off or worse off than a year ago?”worse off than a year ago?”
23
32
45
0 10 20 30 40 50
Don't Know
Worse Off
Better Off
(Percentage; N=482)(Percentage; N=482)
Formal Economic ActivityFormal Economic Activity
21
15.8
7.3
76.1
0 20 40 60 80
None
Home Business
HomeEmployment
RegularEmployment
Informal Economic ActivityInformal Economic Activity
Refers to things people do to save Refers to things people do to save money, earn extra money, or in money, earn extra money, or in exchange for something elseexchange for something else
Most will be untaxed or outside the Most will be untaxed or outside the “formal” economy“formal” economy
Expect that some activities will be Expect that some activities will be done mostly to save money while done mostly to save money while others will be done to earn moneyothers will be done to earn money
We asked whether anyone in We asked whether anyone in household had done following in household had done following in
the past 12 monthsthe past 12 months Household repair or Household repair or
handiworkhandiwork Repair or service cars, Repair or service cars,
trucks, farm equipmenttrucks, farm equipment Sell Avon, Mary K, Sell Avon, Mary K,
Tupperware, etc.Tupperware, etc. Personal service (e.g. Personal service (e.g.
childcare, housework)childcare, housework) Raise farm animals for Raise farm animals for
foodfood Garden or sell fresh Garden or sell fresh
produceproduce
Can, freeze, or dry foodCan, freeze, or dry food Make hand craftsMake hand crafts Wood cutting (e.g. Wood cutting (e.g.
firewood)firewood) Have yard sales, flea Have yard sales, flea
markets, or sell item on markets, or sell item on the internetthe internet
Yard work or landscapingYard work or landscaping SewingSewing Bookkeeping or other Bookkeeping or other
financial workfinancial work Painting or wallpaperingPainting or wallpapering Some other activity Some other activity
Percentage; N=482Percentage; N=482
Informal Economic ActivitiesInformal Economic Activities
12.1
11.8
8.9
9.5
19.1
23.9
10.8
8.5
24.1
15.4
5.4
9.5
5.4
17.8
26.3
Other
Painting
Bookkeeping
Sewing
Yard work
Yard Sales
Wood Cutting
Hand Crafts
Can Food
Garden
Farm Animals
Personal Service
Sell Avon
Service Cars
Handiwork
Percentage; N=482Percentage; N=482
Number of Informal Economic Number of Informal Economic Activities Performed in Activities Performed in
HouseholdHousehold
34.2
19.3
16.6
10.4
19.5
0 10 20 30 40
None
1
2
3
4 or more
Percentage; Respondent May Cite Percentage; Respondent May Cite More than One Reason; N variesMore than One Reason; N varies
Reasons for Doing Informal Reasons for Doing Informal Economic Activities Economic Activities
43.9
27.9
34.8
35.9
5.2
36.5
29.3
50
48.6
38.5
17.4
3.8
44.2
42.5
5.3
20.9
15.2
10.9
47.8
11.5
24.4
2.6
9.5
19.2
26.1
34.6
11.6
12.6
3.5
2.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
9.6
7.3
3.4
5.4
3.8
8.7
7.7
5.8
7.9
Painting
Bookkeeping
Sewing
Yard work
Yard Sales
Wood Cutting
Hand Crafts
Can Food
Garden
Farm Animals
Personal Service
Sell Avon
Service Cars
Handiwork
Save
Earn
Exchange
Percentage; N=482Percentage; N=482
Government Benefit IncomeGovernment Benefit Income
9.5
2.1
31.3
2.5
32.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
UnemploymentCompensation
Workman'sCompensation
Social Security
TANF
Medicare /Medicaid
Who Performs Informal Economic Who Performs Informal Economic ActivitiesActivities
Just under two thirds of our sample Just under two thirds of our sample performed some informal economic performed some informal economic activityactivity
Raises the question of why some Raises the question of why some household do while others don’thousehold do while others don’t
““Common sense” suggests thatCommon sense” suggests that Household who feel they are “worse off” will do Household who feel they are “worse off” will do
more informal activities than those who are more informal activities than those who are “better off”“better off”
Households with higher incomes will perform Households with higher incomes will perform fewer informal activities because they don’t fewer informal activities because they don’t need to save or make moneyneed to save or make money
Common sense is wrongCommon sense is wrong(at least in our sample)(at least in our sample)
The percentage of “worse off” The percentage of “worse off” households who perform informal households who perform informal activities is about the same as “better activities is about the same as “better off” householdsoff” households
The percentage of “doers” is about equal The percentage of “doers” is about equal to “don’t doers” in each category of to “don’t doers” in each category of incomeincome
We suspect that some of these activities We suspect that some of these activities are part of rural culture or “way of life”are part of rural culture or “way of life”