Life and Attitudes in Fairbanks
What are lifestyles in Fairbanks? How do Fairbanksans view the changes during the oil boom? How do they view their own future and what concerns them most? Answers to these and many other questions are contained in a report released in December 1976 by the University's Institute of Social and Economic Research. Based upon 415 interviews, the report entitled "Fairbanks Community Living" attempts to provide a representative cross section of the community. Some of the results:
The estimated borough population is 42,000. These persons live in 15,000 housing units of which 64% are in the urban area, the other 36% live elsewhere in the borough. Roughly half live in single-family detached dwellings and either own or are buying their home.
Eighty-three percent of heads of households are employed; 50% of wives are employed. The average workweek for the head of household (man or woman) is 53.9 hours, and 40.9 hours for the working wives. More than half say that the main source of work satisfaction is the job itself rather than the amount of pay.
The interviewed households report that they think the most important community changes these last three years are increase in cost of living, overcrowding and deterioration of the natural environment. Fifty-six percent say the problems of Fairbanks are serious and must be dealt with; 8% say the problems are disastrous and will ruin Fairbanks, but 34% say the problems are either temporary or much exaggerated and 2% say the problems do not exist. More than half say Fairbanks has changed for the worse the past three years; 14% say it has changed for the better. Television and indoor hobbies are the most important winter activities. Visiting friends rates third, and fighting the challenge of winter and watching the northern lights rates tenth.
Most people in Fairbanks seem happy and satisfied with life as a whole. But only 25% are satisfied with the performance of local government, and the satisfaction with national government rates a lowly 15%.
Slightly more than half want limited economic growth and development and think that such changes will improve the quality of life.
What do you think?
