Guide for Interviewers Seeking Community Estimates

Transcription

1 North American Jewish Data Bank US Jewish Community Population Estimation Procedure: Guide for Interviewers Seeking Community Estimates Arnold Dashefsky, Ph.D. Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies Professor Department of Sociology, University of Connecticut and Director, Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life University of Connecticut and Director, Berman Institute-North American Jewish Data Bank University of Connecticut and Ira M. Sheskin, Ph.D. Director of the Jewish Demography Project of the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies and Associate Professor Department of Geography and Regional Studies University of Miami

2 Finding Contacts 1. places for which we can find an addresses. s should be sent out individually, and while we should attach the Excel spreadsheet with the population estimates, we should individualize each by putting their current population estimate in the body of the so that they need not open the spreadsheet to approve their current estimate as okay. 2. Use Google to try to find an estimate, particularly for small places. For example, if one were trying to find an estimate for Dothan, Alabama, Google Dothan Alabama Jewish. Even if you find an estimate you should continue with step 3 for this community and can tell your contact that you found this estimate and does it seem reasonable. 3. Call communities for which we cannot get an addresses or who fail to reply to the . a. Use www. u s c j. o r g, a n d and Orthodox web sites for leads on contacts in different communities. b. Google name of state and the words Jewish, Hebrew, synagogue, temple c. Map your potential communities and compare to current listings in the Excel spreadsheet. d. See if there are large places on the map that look like there should be some Jews there and then google the place name with the words Jewish, Hebrew, synagogue, temple e. Google names of existing communities in Excel spreadsheet with the word Jewish as well. (So, if you are looking for information on Fargo, North Dakota, Google Fargo, North Dakota Jewish.) Thus, you may have more than one contact in a community. 4. Check back periodically with Dr. Dashefsky or Sheskin to report an problems.

3 Introduction Hello, this is I am calling you from the University of Connecticut on behalf of the North American Jewish Data Bank. Dr. Sheskin of the University of Miami and Dr. Dashefsky here at the University of Connecticut are responsible for producing annual estimates of the Jewish population throughout the United States for the North American Jewish Data Bank. These estimates become the official estimates in a sense. We are currently trying to make an estimate for your community. This will probably take five minutes or so. Is now a good time to talk? DO LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH A CALL BACK NUMBER. In our current report, your community includes (define geography). Is this okay, or are there other places that should be included? Keep a map in front or you. If they start to name places too far from the principal city, we need to question it. The number of Jews shown for your community in the most recent report is. I would like to ask you a few questions and then we can decide if this estimate is reasonable for your area. (If they try to give you an estimate here, thank them, but say that you would also like some additional information.)

4 Questions for Jewish Community Population Contact Reporting Form, First, we need an estimate of the number of known households. Do you have a community-wide list of Jewish households? a. IF YES: How many households, not persons, but households who live in your area are on that list? OR b IF NO: How many synagogues do you have? Approximately how many households, not persons, but households belong to each synagogue? 2. Do any significant number of households spend at least four months of the year out of your area? What percentage might that be? 3. What percentage of households can you estimate belong to a synagogue? Before you answer, in almost all American Jewish communities, the percentage of households who belong to a synagogue is generally between 30% and 60%. Nationally, about 40% of Jewish households belong to a synagogue. (Give them a few examples that are geographically relevant.) See Table Do you have a Jewish Community Center? See Table 2. a. IF NO: Go to Question 4. b. IF YES: How many Jewish households, not persons, are members of the JCC? 5. Is this a mostly younger or a mostly older Jewish community? 6. Now we need an estimate of the household size in your area. How many persons do you think you have in the average household. Household size varies from 1.9 to 3.1 in American Jewish communities. Nationally, there are 2.3 persons in the average Jewish household. (Give them a few examples that are geographically relevant.) See Table What percentage of couples in this community are intermarried? 8. The next piece of information we need is the percentage of people in Jewish households who are Jewish. This varies from 69% to 96% depending on the community. Nationally, 78% of people in Jewish households are Jewish. (Give them a few examples that are geographically relevant.) See Table Do you have a guesstimate of the number of Jews in your area? OR So, is a good estimate of the number of Jews in your area. 10. Is there anyone else in this community who we might want to talk to before we come up with an estimate? Thank the respondent.

5 Table 1 Current Synagogue Membership Community Comparisons Base: Jewish Households Community Year % Community Year % Cincinnati % Tidewater % St. Paul % Essex-Morris % St. Louis % Minneapolis % Rochester % Pittsburgh % Hartford % San Antonio % Baltimore % Cleveland % Lehigh Valley % Detroit % Bergen % Columbus % Jacksonville % Charlotte % Harrisburg % Palm Springs % Monmouth % Milwaukee % Westport % Wilmington % Sarasota % York % Richmond % Middlesex % Atlantic County % Boston % New York % Rhode Island % Chicago % St. Petersburg % Miami % Howard County % Washington % Philadelphia % Martin-St. Lucie % Los Angeles % Orlando % Portland (ME) % Atlanta % S Palm Beach % Denver % Tucson % W Palm Beach % San Diego % Phoenix % Broward % San Francisco % Seattle % Las Vegas % 1 NJPS % 1 NJPS 2000 data are for the more Jewishly-connected sample.

6 Table 2 Current Membership in the Local Jewish Community Center Community Comparisons Base: Jewish Households Community Year % Community Year % St. Paul % Charlotte % Harrisburg % San Antonio % Rochester % York % Monmouth (Deal) * % Jacksonville % Cleveland % Milwaukee % St. Louis % Richmond % Pittsburgh % Wilmington % Hartford % Bergen (Palisades) * % Tidewater % Lehigh Valley % Minneapolis % Tucson % Orlando % Detroit % Atlantic County % New York % Miami (Alper) * % San Francisco % Sarasota % Washington (Gr. Wash) * % Los Angeles % Atlanta % Miami (Russell) * % Washington (DCJCC) * % Rhode Island % Bergen (YJCC) * % St. Petersburg % Philadelphia % W Palm Beach (Kaplan) * % Broward (Posnack) * % W Palm Beach (Boynton) * % Miami (Miami Beach) * % Washington (NOVA) * % Seattle % Monmouth (Western) * % S Palm Beach % Las Vegas % iddlesex % 1 Westport % Broward (Soref) * % Total in Communities with 2+ JCCs Bergen % Monmouth % Miami % Washington % W Palm Beach % Broward % 2 NJPS % See footnotes to Table 7-20.

7 Table 3 Average Household Size Community Comparisons Community Year Average 1 Community Year Average 1 Howard County Monmouth Portland (ME) Bergen Buffalo Baltimore Westport Columbus Harrisburg Charlotte Wilmington Cincinnati Cleveland Detroit St. Paul New York Pittsburgh York Orlando San Diego Atlanta Minneapolis Tidewater Richmond Boston Rochester Hartford Los Angeles San Antonio Essex-Morris Lehigh Valley Denver Milwaukee Washington Phoenix Philadelphia Jacksonville Rhode Island St. Louis Chicago Seattle Middlesex San Francisco St. Petersburg Atlantic County Miami Martin-St. Lucie Tucson Las Vegas Palm Springs Broward W Palm Beach Sarasota S Palm Beach NJPS U.S. Census Average number of persons in Jewish households.

8 Table 4 Persons in Jewish Households Who Are Jewish Community Comparisons Base: Persons in Jewish Households Community Year % Community Year % S Palm Beach % Miami % Middlesex % Detroit % Bergen % Baltimore % Cleveland % W Palm Beach % Monmouth % St. Louis % Sarasota % Broward % Hartford % Atlantic County % Palm Springs % Martin-St. Lucie % New York % Philadelphia % Westport % Los Angeles % Buffalo % Chicago % Milwaukee % St. Petersburg % Cincinnati % Lehigh Valley % Minneapolis % Harrisburg % San Antonio % St. Paul % Rochester % Orlando % Washington % Jacksonville % Rhode Island % Howard County % Boston % Tidewater % Wilmington % Richmond % Phoenix % Pittsburgh % Tucson % Atlanta % Las Vegas % York % San Diego % Essex-Morris % Charlotte % Denver % San Francisco % Portland (ME) % Seattle % Columbus % NJPS %

9 The North American Jewish Data Bank State Cover Page Your Name: State: Date: Community Institution Name Type of Institution * Contact Name Phone Completed? * O = Orthodox, C = Conservative, R = Reform, Rec = Reconstructionist, Fed = Jewish Federation, JCC = Jewish Community Center

10 The North American Jewish Data Bank Contact Calling Record Use one form for each contact in a community Your Name: State: Community: Contact Name: Phone: Date of Call Time of Call Result Try calling both day and night. Never call on Friday after 4 PM or anytime on Saturday or on any Jewish holiday.

11 The North American Jewish Data Bank Contact Reporting Form Use one form for each contact in a community Your Name: State: Institutional Affiliation of Contact: Contact Name: Define Community Boundaries: Current Estimate: Fill in the above prior to making the contact. Question Year of Current Estimate: Response 1a) # households on com munity-wide list 1b) List synagogues and households 2) % households spend < 8 months in area 3) % Synagogue membership (Table 1) 4) # of JCC member households (Table 2) 5) Mostly younger or older 6) Household size estim ate (Table 3) 7) % couples intermarried 8) % in Jewish households who are Jewish (Table 4) 9) Respondents best guesstimate 10) Add contacts to state cover page Comments: