Home
RDI Studies
Community Resident Studies
Beginning with 99 small towns in 1994, and adding 15 urban cities in 1997, residents were asked to evaluate their communities by participating in a Rural Development Initiative Study.  A similar, follow-up study was conducted in the 99 small towns again in 2004.  The term “resident” included individuals living in and near each community's city boundaries.  This was done to extend the meaning of community beyond political jurisdictions so that rural farm and non-farm residents would be treated as community residents.  Probability sampling procedures were used to select both communities and households.  The results for each study, including complete details about the research design, were distributed in a series of reports which are available in the Publications and Reports section of this website.  Click here for a list of communities in the study and their corresponding counties.
Business Studies
Another important facet of community life, the business sector, was examined in 1995 in the small towns and 1997 in the urban cities.  Businesses in 30 small towns and 10 urban places were studied.  The definition of a “business” was that it be a for-profit organization which has a business listing in the telephone directory.  This allowed us to include businesses which do not pay sales tax, but are important components of the small town business scene, such as attorneys, accountants, hospitals, farm suppliers, nursing homes, physicians, etc.  For a full description of the research design and the results from the business studies, see the reports which are available in the Publications and Reports section of this website.  Click here for a list of communities in the business studies.
Community Development Study
In 1997, yet another part of small town life was addressed—community development.  For this study, community leaders in the 99 small towns were asked to participate in a survey about community development occurring in their towns.  The purpose of the survey was to identify recent commmunity development activities and problems communities face when engaging in development efforts.  Up to five individuals were invited to take part in the study, representing five segments of the community:  city government, businesses, the local media, churches, and civic organizations.  The results of this study can be found in the Publications and Reports section of this website.