This is an abstract of a survey conducted in Quay County for the ASAP Coalition by W. Larry Gregory Ph.D. and Karen Kaufman, Ph.D. of New Mexico State University.
The surveys were given to 398 people (respondents) in Quay County.
Respondents were asked to rate 43 different items representing various community concerns.
| Problem | % indicating moderate or major problem |
| Drunk driving | 75.1 |
| Teen smoking | 74.3 |
| Drunk Driving among youth | 71.8 |
| Alcohol use among youth | 71.6 |
| Disrespect for traditions | 71.4 |
| Drug abuse | 71.3 |
| Drug abuse among youth | 70.6 |
| Unemployment | 70.1 |
| Anger and violence among youth | 69.4 |
| Alcoholism | 67.9 |
| Vandalism, theft, or burgary | 67.6 |
| Lack of youth recreation | 65.1 |
| Teen pregnancy | 61.9 |
| Availability/affordability of medical care | 60.3 |
| Shortage of recreational facilities/programs | 59.6 |
| Family violence or abuse | 59.3 |
| Lack of employment for youth | 59.3 |
| Sexually transmitted diseases | 56.1 |
| Affordable housing | 55.2 |
| Gang-related activity | 54.8 |
| Assault, rape, or violent crime | 54.8 |
| Neighborhood safety | 53.5 |
| Quality of public education> | 51.5 |
| Racial or ethnic tension or distrust | 48.2 |
| Affordability of child care | 47.5 |
| Lack of support for teen parents | 46.5 |
| After school programs | 45.7 |
| Safety of children at school | 44.5 |
| Illiteracy | 43.2 |
| Public transportation | 42.7 |
| Tension between haves and have-nots | 41.4 |
| Shortage ot child day care | 40.9 |
| Availability, accessibility of family planning | 37.9 |
| Inadequate home health for disabled/dying | 36.7 |
| Emergency food and shelter | 36.2 |
| Services and access for the disabled | 35.6 |
| Overcrowded hcus!ng | 35.4 |
| Adequate senior services | 35.0 |
| Availability of health care during pregnancy | 32.6 |
| Mental illness | 32.6 |
| Teen suicide | 28.6 |
| Affordability, accessibility of legal services | 19.6 |
| Environmental concerns | 8.1 |
When asked to indicate which of the community problems should receive the most attention and funding, respondents most often cited alcohol and other problems, followed by teen problems, youth recreation, unemployment, and pregnancy.
The next section of the interview asked respondents to rate 36 different items representing various personal concerns.
| Concern | % indicating moderate or major problem |
| Anxiety and stress | 57.6 |
| Adequate access to health care specialists | 53.6 |
| Affordability/accessibility of medical insurance | 45.7 |
| Enough money for physician visits/prescriptions | 45.4 |
| Adequate access to gereral health care | 45.3 |
| Feeling safe and secure walking the streets | 46.3 |
| Affording recreational activities | 40.2 |
| Finding work | 39.7 |
| Feeling safe and secure at home | 38.5 |
| Affordability of legal help | 36.7 |
| Depression | 34.9 |
| Enough money for utilities | 34.9 |
| Enough morey for housing | 34.4 |
| Enough money for food | 33.1 |
| Home needing major repairs | 31.1 |
| Difficulties finding or using social services | 30.9 |
| Affording child care | 30.2 |
| Having a child care provider you trust | 30.1 |
| Adequate educational opportunities | 29.1 |
| Child/teen's behavioral or emotional problems | 28.6 |
| Alcohol and/or drug problems | 28.5 |
| Chird's safety at school | 27.1 |
| Finding child day care | 26.2 |
| Physical conflict/violence in household | 25.4 |
| Home health for elderly, disabled | 24.9 |
| Lack of effective social services | 24.7 |
| Finding after school child care | 24.3 |
| Getting adequate help for child at school | 22.9 |
| Reading well enough to get along | 22.8 |
| Transportation for elderly, disabled | 22.6 |
| Adult day care for elderly, disabled | 22.4 |
| Enough room in house | 22.0 |
| Getting prenatal care | 19.4 |
| Getting electrical hook-ups | 18.9 |
| Getting parenting training | 18.1 |
| Enough money for clothing | 14.9 |
These survey questions were asked of three different groups of respondents as indicated below. The 1999 survey was done in person, which might make it more accurate than the earlier surveys that were conducted by telephone.
| Item | 1999 % | 1998 % | 1997 % |
| Have you used marijuana in the last 6 months? | 36.9 | 16.1 | 8.8 |
| Have you used cocaine or crack in the last 6 months? | 14.3 | 5.0 | 1.6 |
| Have you used amphetamines/speed in the last 6 months? | 26.9 | 16.0 | 20.3 |
| Have you used hallucinogens such as LSD, mescaline, peyote, or ecstasy in the last 6 months? | 17.4 | 21.6 | 13.7 |
| Have you used heroin in the last 6 months? | 11.8 | 6.1 | 0.0 |
| Have you used inhalants in the last 6 months? | 16.3 | 17.2 | 10.6 |
| In the last 6 months, have you driven a car or truck after having more than 3 or 4 drinks in a couple of hours? | 51.7 | 26.7 | 29.8 |
| Do you have a family member who has a drug or alcohol problem? | 50.1 | 38.3 | 36.7 |
| Have any members of your family been beaten by another family member in the past year? | 40.8 | 15.2 | 10.4 |
Medical Care:
Employment:
Education: [Those with school age children contributed to the following results.]
Familiarity with community services/programs:
Other Questions:
| Statement | % Agreed | % Neutral | % Disagreed |
| Sex education in schools should only teach students to not have sex until marriage. | 26 | 24.3 | 49.6 |
| Teenagers should be able to obtain birth control from school clinics | 38.7 | 23.1 | 38.1 |
| People in our community don't get involved in social problems | 36.1 | 32.6 | 31.4 |
| It is a major problem in this community that people dont' get involved to help make life better here | 34.6 | 34.6 | 30.9 |
| Nobody in this community cares about getting involved to solve social problems | 28.6 | 33.8 | 37.6 |
Overall, 68.8% of respondents said that they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their lives. If they could do anything they wanted to improve the community, they would bring in more businesses and better paying jobs, eliminate drugs and alcohol, bring in more entertainment, and clean up and paint within the community.