Everly to be part of ISU survey

All households in the 51338 zip code will receive a special survey this spring as part of an Iowa State University research project.

ISU Associate Professor Dr. David Peters met with the city council on March 2 to encourage Everly's participation in the survey, which is part of his class' research project. A questionnaire will be written and approved this month, and later distributed and analyzed in April. Results will be presented to the council in May.

According to City Clerk Kristi Fliss, the contents of the survey are still vague. She said the council suggested including questions on community involvement and city services other than utilities and streets.

The cost of the study will be covered by ISU. The city's only responsibility will be to encourage residents to participate via social media and other postings.

According to his bio on ISU's website, Peters' primary research areas include demographic and socioeconomic change in rural communities, rural health, rural poverty and inequality, and rural crime. He has published in top-tier journals in rural sociology, agricultural economics, public health and criminology.

Peters is also affiliated with the Iowa Small Towns Project, an integrated research and extension effort to better understand the conditions and issues facing small Midwestern communities in the 21st Century. The study has existed since 1994 and has surveyed residents living in 99 Iowa small towns to learn about their assessment of local services and amenities, social conditions, participation in local organizations, and perceptions of local quality of life.