Indicator: 47 - Parent's Satisfaction With Youth Recreational Programs                                                                                                                                    

Why This Is Important

An important part of healthy physical and social development for children is opportunities
to play. Community-based recreational programs are a vital resource for families who
desire to provide this type of structured recreational opportunity for their children.

 

 

Where We Stand

Parents who had children under the age of 18 were asked “How much do you agree or

disagree with the following statement: I am satisfied with youth recreational programs in

my community?” About 62% of the respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with that
statement in 2004, a similar percentage compared to 2000 and 2001. Similar to the
findings for Indicator 46, parents in higher income households reported more satisfaction
with youth recreation programs than those in lower income households.

 

Data Sources and Context

Data on this indicator comes from a statewide telephone survey of Maine households
with children present who are age 18 or younger. The respondents to this survey were
adults in the household who self-identified as a parent. The indicator is similar to
indicators used by the Maine Development Foundation in their previous surveys of Maine
citizens, or other national surveys of families, so that the data could be used to monitor
trends over time and to compare Maine to the nation. This 2004/5 survey was conducted
by Critical Insights, a strategic marketing research firm in Portland, Maine. During the
months of December 2004 and January 2005, 400 Maine adults responded to the survey.

The adults were asked the following: “Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

I am satisfied with youth recreational programs in my community.”

Only the data in the “all” column is statistically representative of adults in households
with children under the age of 18 in Maine. The information that is provided by
category of household income is a rough estimate using weighted data based on the
2003 American Communities Survey of the U.S. Census, household income report
for Maine. These categories are estimates only for descriptive purposes and should
not be used to make inferences about all households in Maine with children under the
age of 18.