Community Belonging Measurement Project

Project Overview

The Community Belonging Measurement Project’s goals are:

To measure belonging and resilience in Central Oregon (Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Northern Klamath Counties, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs).
Inform the creation of programs and strategies that promote a sense of belonging for all Central Oregonians.

Belonging is the feeling of value and respect that you gain through sharing experiences or characteristics with others.

Resilience is a process of adapting well to challenges. Belonging and resilience are important for physical and mental health and can be strengthened through healthy relationships and community support.

To measure belonging and resilience, the study team conducted a survey with Central Oregon residents and a series of focus groups in 2023. We plan to conduct a similar assessment in the future to understand changes over time.

The Central Oregon Health Council contracted with the Oregon Health & Science University Community Research Hub and Oregon State University-Cascades' researchers to lead this project. The project has received additional funding from United Way of Central Oregon and the St. Charles Community Benefit Department.

If you are interested in speaking with our team about using the data or developing strategies to promote belonging, please contact us .

Research Approach

Community-Engaged Research Approach

The Community Belonging Research study is community-engaged research study which means that community voice and input is incorporated into every phase of the project, including development of the data collection tools (survey and focus group guide), outreach strategy, and even data analysis.

Figure 1. Community Engaged Research Process for the Community Belonging Measurement Project

We interviewed 17 community leaders over one month (August 2, 2022 – September 7, 2022). Project team leaders identified an initial outreach tier of individuals based on past relationships, often through similar work to understand and promote community well-being and resiliency. We used snowball sampling through “community conversations” to identify additional important individuals to engage. Our sampling plan focused on three domains: geographic region, priority population, and sector. Participant characteristics are depicted in Table 1.

Table 1. Community Conversation Participant Characteristics

Individuals were considered rural if they lived or worked outside of a metropolitan statistical area, this included the communities of Gilchrist, Madras, Warm Springs, and Prineville.

Participant Profile

We collected demographic information from the 1,019 participants who completed the survey. The tables below display the percentage of total respondents by age range, gender, race/ethnicity, household income, education level, and town cluster or reservation residence. Town clusters represent multiple zip codes assigned to the closest service area, as defined by the Oregon Office of Rural Health.

Table 2. Survey Participant Demographics

We conducted focus groups with 42 individuals representing seven priority populations. We took a data-informed approached to determining the priority populations by monitoring low response rates to the survey (men and young people) and the distinct ways belonging was experienced by specific community groups (LGBTQ+, residents of rural areas, parents/caregivers, older adults, Spanish-speakers). The table below displays some information about the focus group participants.

We collaborated with five community partners to coordinate data co-interpretation sessions with community members from five of our priority groups. Community members shared their perspectives on trends in the data and provided recommendations for how the findings will be used by community organizations. Our community partners assisted with recruitment for small group discussions. We did not collect demographic information from co-interpretation session participants.

Co-Interpretation

We shared our findings in 5 community co-interpretation sessions. The purpose of these sessions was two-fold: To seek validation of our findings and to interpret the meaning of key discoveries for priority populations.

Each session was focused on a priority population with an open invitation to interested community members who shared the priority identities. Two of the sessions were held in-person and three took place online in a virtual meeting. All were co-facilitated by OHSU’s Central Oregon community research liaison and a community member. The findings were shared to participants verbally and via posters and slide presentations with visual representations of quantitative and qualitative data. Participants were given time to reflect and share their views, but facilitators had also prepared activities to invite comments and written feedback on post-it notes. The feedback received from each session was carefully collected and written down.

The co-interpretation panels of each priority population can be found here:
Parents/Caregivers
LGBTQ+
Spanish speakers
Older Adults
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

Dissemination

Dissemination & Implementation

Our community partners helped develop materials that highlight the key findings and recommendations from five priority populations. Select the tab to view the materials and guidance for how these population-specific data may be used to leverage strengths and provide support for areas of opportunity.

Thank you to our community partners who helped coordinate and design our co-interpretation sessions and develop these dissemination materials: Better Together Central Oregon, Family Resource Center of Central Oregon, Gender Hive, La Pine Activity Center, and Restorative Justice & Equity Group.

The Community Belonging Measurement Team has also presented findings to academic and local community organizations.

For more information, contact the project manager, Camilla Dohlman, at dohlman@ohsu.edu.

Study Team

Investigators
Brianne Kothari, PhD , Oregon State University-Cascades
Shannon Lipscomb, PhD , Oregon State University-Cascades
Jackilen Shannon, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University

Project Staff
Camilla Dohlman, MPH, Oregon Health & Science University
Kaitlin Greene, MPH, Oregon Health & Science University

Graduate Research Assistants
Christina Jäderholm, OHSU-PSU School of Public Health
Beth Phelps, Oregon State University

Undergraduate Research Assistants
Allie Barr, Oregon State University-Cascades
David Ngo, Oregon State University

Community Partners
With special thanks to the various community partners who have been instrumental in making this project a reality, including the community organizations who helped to facilitate community data analysis sessions. They include the Central Oregon Family Resource Center, Better Together, Gender Hive, and the Restorative Justice & Equity Group.

Key Findings and Community Perspectives

1. Most Central Oregonians feel they belong among family members. Over 50% of Central Oregonians highlighted the following three communities or groups as those where they feel like they belong:

Family (86%)
Hobbies/recreational activities (67%)
Lived experience (53%)

Various groups, including those connected by religion, language, culture, race/ethnicity, LGTBQ+, disability, and military affiliation, were also cited among the top contributors to a sense of belonging for some demographics. For instance, more than half of Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) participants indicated that they feel like they belong with individuals who share their racial/ethnic background (52%), surpassing hobbies (51%) and lived experiences (50%).

In focus groups, participants emphasized how family serves as a vital link to the community, particularly through children's school and sports involvement. Moreover, family-friendly activities were noted as crucial for fostering a sense of belonging. However, the affordability of such activities is a concern for parents and caregivers, as certain costs and equipment requirements can pose barriers to participation.

Focus groups with men and older adults highlighted a transition from family-centric activities to pursuits like hobbies, volunteerism, and recreation to cultivate a sense of belonging. Some individuals expressed facing obstacles such as reluctance to try new activities or feeling the need to ask for help. Many found fulfillment and a sense of belonging through service-oriented activities like volunteer work or serving on boards, leveraging their skills and experiences.

Conversely, focus groups with LGBTQIA+ individuals and young adults (several identifying as BIPOC) emphasized the importance of diversity and inclusion in fostering a sense of belonging. Exposure to people from varied backgrounds and representation across race/ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation were cited as key factors. Conversely, barriers to belonging included encountering explicit or implicit displays of racism and anti-LGBTQ+ symbols, as well as signage endorsing specific political figures.

2. Sense of belonging varies across groups. When asked about their community, the majority of Central Oregonians agreed ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ that they feel safe (73%), have something to give (70%), and participate in recreational activities (69%) within their community.

In contrast, a smaller proportion of community members who agreed ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ that the energy they put into their community comes back to them (54%), that many of their family or friends live in the community (53%), or that they have influence or control over decisions being made in their community (34%).

For specific groups, these percentages varied; for example, only 52% of people who identify as LGBTQIA+ agreed ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ that they feel safe in public spaces. Additionally, 31% of people who identify as BIPOC and 28% of people who identify as LGBTQIA+ agreed ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ that they had influence or control over decisions being made in their community.

In focus groups, young adults, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC individuals underscored the significance of diversity both in public spaces and within their community for fostering a sense of belonging. The absence of representation could sometimes act as a deterrent to participation, as individuals may feel unwelcome or unsafe in predominantly white spaces.