Page 13 - Shreveport-Bossier Destination Master Plan 2023

RESIDENT SENTIMENT SURVEY
Visit Shreveport-Bossier conducted a comprehensive resident sentiment survey in October 2022 to empirically gauge how locals feel about living in their communities. A total of 1,068 residents participated — 645 who live in Shreveport/Caddo Parish and 423 who live in Bossier City/Bossier Parish. Generalized top-line takeaways include the following:
• Residents perceive Shreveport to be a diverse and artsy community, while those living in Bossier City perceive their community to be family-oriented
• Residents in Bossier City perceive their communities to be more safe than those in Shreveport, although residents in Shreveport were widely split in terms of their perceptions of safety
• Residents in Bossier City overall showed a higher degree of civic pride than those in Shreveport
• Residents in both cities agreed their communities are rooted in faith; they eagerly support local businesses; and they’re well known for their festivals and events
• Many residents focused on the negatives of the cities. Others chose to focus on the potential for each city and what they can be if more people work together to create more unified communities
The resident sentiment survey also asked several open-ended questions, such as
“What does ‘community’ mean to you?” One of the key takeaways from the survey showed that residents in both Caddo and Bossier parishes have similar definitions of community. A mixed sample of their answers are shown here (edited for typos/grammar):
• “Locals getting together to help and lift up one another”
• “Community means the coming together of all people, no matter what gender, race, color, ethnicity or religion one may be, in the hopes of living in a peaceful society where everyone is respected and appreciated for any service they provide for the community”
• “A group of people that collectively live in a certain area that have a mutual pride for that area”
• “Good neighbors, good schools and a clean and safe place to live”
• “Community not only is a group of people living in the same place, but it’s also a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common interests, attributes and goals for our city and lives”
• “A sense of caring for people who live near you and looking out for each other’s welfare, all sharing a similar sense of purpose in maintaining a safe, stable and thriving socioeconomic climate in a shared geographic area”
• “A community is a group of people living in the same place, but community is also a feeling of partnership and belonging”
• “Community means the people, places, traditions and culture that define the taste, smell, look and just overall experience of an area”
Shreveport-Bossier Destination Master Plan 2023 13