WIPPS Releases Lincoln and Marathon County Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Welcomeness Survey Report
The Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS) has released a report from a 2022 survey designed to gauge attitudes and perceptions toward diversity, inclusion, and community welcomeness in Lincoln and Marathon Counties.
The “Lincoln and Marathon County Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Welcomeness Study” was open from May to June, 2022, and received over 1,500 responses. The survey was mailed to randomly selected households in the area and was also available online. A report of the findings can be found at wipps.org.
The topics of diversity, inclusion and welcomeness have been the focus of conversations nationwide, and Central Wisconsin is no exception. Despite these widespread discussions, community leaders, and organizations found a lack of concrete information on how residents of Lincoln and Marathon Counties feel about these issues.
“This survey was initiated to collect information on how residents of the area feel about the topics of diversity, inclusion, and community welcomeness,” said Eric Giordano, WIPPS executive director. “We hope that the results of this survey will provide organizations, leaders, and community members a deeper understanding on how the community feels about these issues.”
Participants were asked to express their opinion on how welcoming their community is, as well as their personal attitudes toward people of different backgrounds. The survey was open to residents of Lincoln and Marathon Counties, ages 18 years and older, and responses were anonymous.
The study was conducted by WIPPS, a unit of the University of Wisconsin System. Funding was provided by Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I., and the B.A. and Esther Greenheck Foundation. Key partners include the Aware and Active Citizen Group from Merrill and the Mosaic coalition from Marathon County.