Chico Enterprise Record · Article Launched: 08/07/2008 12:00:00 AM PDT


By Ryan Olson
Staff Writer

PARADISE -- A survey of ridge residents found that nearly two-thirds of respondents said it was important to live in a diverse community.

On Wednesday, leaders from the Paradise Center for Tolerance and Nonviolence discussed the results of a survey it mailed to 20,526 households in Paradise, Magalia and Stirling City. Gwen Nordgren, president of the center's board, said the number of returned surveys was phenomenal - 8.9 percent of households returned surveys. They were expecting around 3 percent.

Considering the findings, Nordgren said the ridge is a good place to live. She said the results show that racism and discrimination aren't huge problems. Still, the center was concerned about bullying, discrimination and similar behavior that affected 13.4 percent of respondents or their families. "We're going to learn from the community - negative and positive," Nordgren said.

Operating since 2001, Nordgren said the center wanted to survey the community's feelings about discrimination on the ridge and about the center. Survey respondents were slightly more racially diverse and older than the general population. About 87.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as white compared to 94 percent of the general population.

Among respondents, 64.9 percent said living in a diverse community was either "important" or "very important."

The data also provided two takes about attitudes toward different ethnic and cultural groups on the ridge. Respondents overwhelmingly felt the ridge accepted whites and senior citizens. On the other hand, around 40 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed with the claim that the ridge was accepting of two groups - blacks, and those who are bisexual, gay, lesbian, or transgender.

Asked about their personal attitudes, a majority of respondents said they felt warm or very warm toward nearly all groups, except those who are bisexual, gay, lesbian or transgender. The center noted that large numbers of people indicated they felt neutral toward different groups.

The center identified six programs to address issues raised in the findings. Center Director Susan Bordelon said many of the center's programs, including forums and an after-school bullying prevention program, already tackle the issues raised in the report. She said hopefully programs that promote diversity will reduce the perceptions of prejudice.

Nordgren said the center spent about $10,000 from a $37,000 grant from The California Endowment for the survey. The center is using the grant to revamp its fundraising efforts and to launch a redesigned Web site at pctn.org, where the survey results will be posted next week.

Adele James, an endowment program officer, noted there were underlying concerns about community safety and health - areas the endowment focuses on. She said there are resources from other communities that can be used to tackle a complex and common issue. "If it were easy, it would be solved already," James said.