Differences in Public Understanding of and Reactions to
GSPED Based on Urban-Rural Residency
Arizona Workforce Development Briefing Paper #2

November 1998

by Judith A. Vandegrift, Morrison Institute for Public Policy
in consultation with Joel Wright, Wright Consulting Services

In the spring of 1998,

the Office of Workforce
Development Policy (OWDP) of the Arizona
Department of Commerce commissioned a statewide
opinion poll to assess public attitudes toward the
state’s plan for economic development as
implemented through GSPED (“G-Speed”) — the
Governor’s Strategic Partnership for Economic
Development. The poll was designed to assess both
the public’s understanding of GSPED and their
reactions to using the concept of industry clusters as
a tool for organizing both economic and workforce
development efforts.
More than 2,000 Arizonans participated in the poll,
including 600 parents, 600 businesses, 500 teachers
and 500 school administrators (i.e., principals and
superintendents). These sample sizes yield results
that are statistically accurate within a 95% level of
confidence (with margins of error not exceeding +
4.5 percentage points). Results of the poll, discussed
in an earlier briefing paper1, were summarized in
relation to:
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overall public awareness of GSPED,
support for GSPED,
attitudes toward GSPED as a tool for economic
development,
attitudes toward workforce development, and
linking workforce development with GSPED.

Polling results showed that awareness, or “brand
name” recognition, of GSPED was low. However,
once the concept of industry clusters was explained
to respondents, support for the initiative and related
workforce development efforts was higher than
opposition for every question posed. Even so, results
also indicated that many respondents were unsure
about GSPED and its implications.
One question posed by members of the Governors’
Council on Workforce Development Policy pertained
to whether polling results vary by urban versus rural
residency. Specifically, the question was raised as to
whether the responses of rural residents differ from
those who live in urban areas. Therefore, at the

request of the Council, results of the polling were
analyzed in order to answer the question:
Does urban versus rural residency affect
respondents’ answers?
The answer to this question is, in short, No.
For the purposes of this analysis, residents of
Maricopa and Pima Counties are considered
“urban” and those from all other counties are
considered “rural.” Of the 2,200 respondents to the
survey, 71% (n = 1,566) are urban and 29% (n =
624) are rural.
Among the rural respondents are 39% of all school
administrators surveyed, 35% of the teachers, 24%
of the parents and 20% of the businesses..
In general, there are no statistically
significant differences in survey results
between urban and rural respondents. As
groups, urban and rural respondents are likely to
support or oppose specific questions in the same
proportions (+ 4.5 percentage points) regardless of
their residency. Table 1 illustrates this pattern of
responses as it pertains to the question of using
GSPED as a tool for economic development.
Table 1

Percentage of Urban and Rural Arizonans Who Are
Supportive of Using GSPED As a Tool to Develop the
Economy
Urban
(n = 1,566)

Rural
(n = 624)

Administrators

64

60

Businesses

62

62

Parents

60

61

Teachers

56

55

Morrison Institute for Public Policy • College of Public Programs
School of Public Affairs • Arizona State University • (480)965-4525

However, whereas in the aggregate urban and rural
residency is not predictive of results, there are urbanrural differences within and between specific
constituent groups in response to select questions.
For example:
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Urban teachers (42%) are nearly twice as likely to
disagree with the notion that GSPED is for “high
tech industries only” compared to rural teachers
(24%) who, for the most part, “not sure” in
response to this question.

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More urban teachers (56%) than rural teachers
(49%) say that the notion of industry clusters
helps them better understand business
opportunities and challenges.

‚

More urban teachers (23%) than rural teachers
(15%) agree that people coming out of high
school are well-prepared for the world of work
than their rural counterparts, of whom only 15%
agree.

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All school personnel (i.e., both urban and rural
teachers and administrators) are more likely to
say that GSPED does not “smack of government
interference” compared to both urban and rural
businesses and parents.

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Nearly one-third of all businesses, regardless of
their locale, agree that employees are satisfied
with their jobs and not interested in additional
education and training — more than any other
group.

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Nearly two-thirds of all businesses and parents,
regardless of residency, agree that workforce
development efforts like GSPED will result in
better-prepared and more productive employees
more than both urban and rural school
personnel.

In terms of “what it would take” to develop a
workforce development system linked with GSPED,
responses were analyzed with respect to four
issues—whether people support or oppose:
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targeting resources to specific populations (e.g.,
high school students, the working poor),
working to establish closer cooperation and
communication between business/community
leaders and state government in deciding how
education and training programs are developed
and how funds are spent,
obtaining greater business commitment to help
develop the system, and

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consolidating of at least some existing publicly
funded workforce development programs.

Urban and rural businesses are the most supportive
of all four concepts. In terms of opposition, which in
no case exceeds 20% of a specific constituent
group, urban parents and teachers oppose these
initiatives most frequently. Both rural and urban
school administrators, and rural teachers, are most
unsure about these issues.
In conclusion, residency alone does not appear to
make a great deal of difference in terms of survey
responses. However, the residency of a specific
constituent group (e.g., businesses) can and does
make a difference with respect to select questions.
For example, urban and rural businesses most
frequently express support for the concepts
measured by the survey. By the same token, urban
businesses also most frequently oppose select
concepts (albeit in lower percentages than for
support). This suggests that urban businesses are
somewhat polarized.
Similarly, while rural parents frequently express
support for the issues discussed on the survey, a
proportion of urban parents (ranging from 4%-31%)
represent a pocket of opposition.
In general, rural educators (both teachers and
administrators) represent higher percentages of
respondents who are “not sure” compared to all
other groups, whereas their urban counterparts
appear much more likely to take a stand either for
or against specific issues.
Endnote: Baseline data on GSPED polling results are reported in

Public Understanding of and Reactions to GSPED, Arizona School
To Work Briefing Paper #12 (August 1998).Tempe, AZ: Arizona
State University, Morrison Institute for Public Policy.

For additional information about
Arizona’s Workforce Development efforts contact:
C. Diane Bishop, Director,
Office of Workforce Development Policy or
Gary Abraham, Director, Workforce Development
Division
at (602) 280-8130.
Divisions of the Arizona Department of Commerce
Jackie Vieh, Director

2 Morrison Institute for Public Policy !! School of Public Affairs !! College of Public Programs !! Arizona State University !!
(480) 965-4525