The perception of the quality of life in Cary over the past two years was assessed with a 5-point scale. The response categories for this question were much worse (1), somewhat worse (2), the same (3), somewhat better (4), and much better (5).
Overall, a very large percentage of the respondents (77.1%) perceived the quality of life in Cary as the same over the past two years (Table 32). This year the mean has increased from 3.01 in 2008 to 3.11. This indicates a slight increase in the perception that the quality of life is “better” from the last survey. Keep in mind, higher means indicate perceptions of an improvement in the quality of life. It is important to note the percentage on the “better” side (above the midpoint of 3) of the scale exceeded the percentage on the “worse” side (below 3) of the scale 15.3% to 7.5%. These percentages were reversed in 2008 with more on the “worse” side. To gain more insight into the lower ratings, the respondents who answered with a rating below 3 were asked the reason for the low rating (Appendix I). There were only 23 comments (142 last year) and the two primary reasons for the lower quality of life ratings were growth issues (8 comments) and crime (5 comments). Other concerns mentioned were increased traffic (3 comments), road conditions (3 comments), and school issues (2 comments).
Year |
Mean |
Much Worse1 |
Somewhat Worse 2 |
The Same3 |
Somewhat Better4 |
Much Better 5 |
% Below 3 |
% Above 3 |
| 10 | 3.11 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 77.1 | 12.3 | 3.0 | 7.5 | 15.3 |
| 08 | 3.01 | 0.8 | 25.3 | 51.0 | 18.1 | 4.8 | 26.1 | 22.9 |
| 06 | 3.24 | 1.9 | 10.2 | 57.3 | 22.9 | 7.7 | 12.1 | 30.6 |
|
04 |
3.44 |
0.5 |
7.9 |
50.0 |
30.6 |
11.0 |
8.4 |
41.6 |
|
02 |
3.18 |
1.0 |
18.6 |
49.0 |
23.9 |
7.5 |
19.6 |
31.4 |
|
00 |
3.05 |
1.6 |
22.8 |
49.2 |
22.0 |
4.4 |
24.4 |
26.4 |
Quality of Life Crosstabulations
The crosstabulations for age, housing type, income, race, voter status, and years in Cary are shown in Tables B224-B229 in Appendix B. The subgroups with the highest means were Hispanics (3.42), 56-65 age group (3.27), 18-25 age group (3.24), $30,001-$50,000 income level (3.21), and those not registered to vote (3.21). The lowest means were for the African-Americans (3.00), $20,001-$30,000 income level (3.05), Asians (3.05), townhouse/condo dwellers (3.05), and 0-1 year residents (3.05). In the 24 crosstabulations conducted this year, the “better” percentages exceeded the “worse” percentages by 21 to 0 (with 3 the same). This highlights the shift in the perception that the quality of life has improved in the past two years.