The Helper City Council was joined virtually by Dr. Courtney Flint during its Thursday evening meeting for a review of the wellbeing survey results. She stated that they have conducted a couple of surveys in Helper and the surrounding areas and wished to discuss the second round.
Dr. Flint said that she has been glad to have Helper as a partner for the last few years and that over 30 cities have participated since 2019, with Helper joining each year.
Through the surveys, it is easier to see a real variety of cities from rural to urban areas, with the real goal of the project being to provide Utah city leaders with information on the wellbeing and perspective of residents. This information may be useful for some investing plans and the results come as a statewide report.
Dr. Flint then explained that there were 100 surveys that were recorded and about 90% of surveyors were longtime Helper residents, though newcomers did also participate in the survey. It was found that personal wellbeing overall was quite high in Helper, with 78% answering a four or five on the scale.
The number was down slightly from the survey results from February of 2020, though Dr. Flint stated that it was to be expected with everything that happened in light of the pandemic. Helper was above average when compared to other rural communities.
Personal wellbeing is typically higher than community wellbeing in these surveys, though Helper still did well compared to other communities in that aspect. Dr. Flint went a bit deeper into the survey and results, saying that the higher the community connection was, the higher the wellbeing was.
Concerns were fairly high in Helper about opportunities for youth, substance abuse and employment opportunities, though Dr. Flint explained that those concerns are common in rural areas. The people in Helper do enjoy the small-town feel and remarked that they do feel safe and enjoy the access to nature.