Cleveland We Care Survey Monte Sahlin Director of Research & Special Projects Ohio Conference

Basic Human Needs Four out of five people interviewed (81 percent) expressed “a great deal of concern” or “quite a bit of concern” about having good health. This is the highest ranked human need among the twelve included in this survey. Respondents over 60 years of age are more likely to express this need, as are White Collar workers. Seven in ten people interviewed (71 percent) expressed a high level of concern about peace of mind, one of the spiritual need indicators included in this survey. Those over 60 years of age are more likely to express this need. Two thirds of the people interviewed expressed a high level of concern about personal finances or making a decent living, being successful at their job, and their relationship with God. Those under 43 years of age and White Collar workers are more likely to express concern about being successful in their job. White Collar workers are significantly more likely than Blue Collar workers to express concern about their relationship with God. Nearly two-thirds of the people interviewed expressed high levels of concern about time pressures in their life, their weight and “bringing up my children right.” In each case women are far more likely than men to express these needs. Professional and managerial employees are more likely to be concerned about time pressures. Older people are more likely to be concerned about weight and raising children.

Most Important Needs in the Cleveland Area After the standard questions about basic human needs, the respondents were asked an open-ended question. “What do you think are the most important needs of people in the Cleveland area that community organizations and churches need to do something about?” The largest number of people (18 percent) mentioned issues related to crime and neighborhood safety. “Help get more police presence, deal with the slow response time, drug dealing and prostitution,” said one person. “Help bring people together against drugs,” said another. “Hire better police … too much crime … stop drugs.” One in six (16 percent) said that churches should focus on the spiritual and religious needs in the community. “Get the world of God out on the streets … teach people about God … turn to God more than programs … Let everyone know that Jesus loves them!” Almost as many (14 percent) urged the churches to get involved in the community. “Get out of the church and hit the streets; get out of building and go to work … outreach to neighborhoods that don’t have a good quality of life … reach out to those outside the church … be accessible … talk to the people … get involved.” Some of these respondents mentioned “interfaith involvement in the community … the churches should get together and reach out more to the community.”

Have you ever heard of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? A little more than half of the people interviewed (52 percent) responded, “Yes,” when they were asked about name recognition of the Adventist Church: Have you ever heard or read about the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Respondents over 40 years of age were more likely to have heard of the Adventist Church. In fact, there is a strong correlation between age and name recognition. The older a person is, the more likely they are to have heard of the Adventist Church. Respondents with professional and managerial occupations were also more likely to know about the Adventist Church. Women were much more likely than men to have heard of the Church.

Name recognition of the Adventist Church by the general public This survey does not constitute a random sample of the entire population of the Cleveland metropolitan area. It is specific to people who spend time in Edgewater Park on Sundays during the summer. At the same time, the level of name recognition found in this survey is quite similar to recent national surveys conducted for the North American Division by the Center for Creative Ministry. It is also similar to a survey conducted in 2000 in the Columbus metropolitan area as part of the Columbus Metro Initiative. The finding is quite different than the consistent results in four other major metropolitan areas in the Northeast—Baltimore, Newark, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In each of these surveys, name recognition was about one third of the sample in each case. The demographics, ethnography and religious profile of the Cleveland metropolitan area are not significantly different from these four Northeastern metros and it is most likely that a random sample survey of the entire metropolitan area would get similar results.

What comes to mind? Those respondents who said, “Yes,” they had heard of the Adventist Church, were immediately asked a follow-up question: What comes to mind when you hear the name Seventh-day Adventist Church? Most of these respondents (25 percent of the total sample) said that nothing came to mind or they did not know how to answer the question. These individuals have heard or seen the name Seventh-day Adventist, but they recall no information about it. About ten percent of the total sample mentioned that “they worship on Saturday” or “have church on Saturday” or something similar. The Sabbath is clearly the most memorable fact about the Adventist Church for people in Cleveland, although unknown to nine out of ten. A somewhat smaller number of respondents (about nine percent of the total sample) made general remarks affirming the spirituality of the Adventist Church. “Giving your life and time to God seven days a week,” stated one person, perhaps mishearing the question. Very small numbers of respondents mentioned dietary restrictions or specific outreach programs such as “free Bibles,” and made general negative reactions as if they thought the survey interview was actually a method for evangelism; “I am not interested,” or “I have my own religion.”

Contact with Adventists One in five of the people interviewed in Edgewater Park during the We Care event said they personally knew someone who they identify as a member of the Adventist Church. Of course, this may include some cases in which the person thought to be an Adventist really is not. We have no way of confirming the facts of the situation. One in eight of the people interviewed (13 percent) reported that they had at some point in their life visited an Adventist church. This very likely includes those who have attended a Revelation Seminar or some other public meeting sponsored by Adventists even if it was held in facilities not owned by the denomination. For both questions, those over 60 years of age were more likely to say “Yes,” as were those employed in White Collar occupations, while those employed in professional, managerial and Blue Collar jobs were more likely to say, “No.” In each case the response in the We Care survey was double that in the most recent national survey. The presence of the We Care event in Edgewater Park on the day of the survey may have influenced the answers received. Or, the type of people who come to the park on Sundays in the summer may be more likely to fall into this category.

Summary: Public Awareness To the degree that this survey is an indicator of the general population in the Cleveland area, about half of the residents have never heard of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and another third recognize the name of the denomination but have no concrete information about the message or ministries of the Church. About one in six know at least one true fact about Adventist beliefs or activities. Only one individual mentioned a contribution by the Adventist Church to community needs, “free food.” The overall picture that emerges from this study is an Adventist Church that is largely unknown and not making a valued contribution to the needs in the community. It is not seen as addressing the needs identified by the respondents. At the same time, no one described the Adventist Church as a “cult” or expressed a negative attitude other than the evident fear on the part of a few respondents that our survey interviews were actually an unwelcome recruiting technique. As is true in most major metropolitan areas in the United States, the Adventist Church is simply invisible and not perceived as relevant to community concerns. There is little evidence of negative prejudice, but a clear lack of communication or involvement.

Suggestions for the Church At the end of each interview, each individual was asked for specific suggestions. “What would you recommend to a church that wants to make a stronger contribution to the needs of the people in this area?” The largest number of people urged the Adventist Church to do something about poverty in the Cleveland area. “Reach out to people in poverty … get involved with poverty … help people find jobs … help the homeless and feed the hungry … adopt families in need … serve the community … Almost as many (19 percent) urged the church to simply get involved and learn the needs in the community. “Listen to people instead of preaching to them … spend time with people … reach out to all needs … help all people, no matter who they might be … offer things that people really need (food) … be realistic about today’s needs … get out into the community and put action to words.” Less than one in six respondents (14 percent) suggested that the church stick to religious activities. “Go around and spread the word in the community … get the community to have more faith in religion … stand for Christ … prayer services … get people more involved with the church … spread the word … be more involved with nonbelievers … help people know Jesus as Lord and Savior.”