Perhaps the most important indicator of quality of life is how Ohio citizens feel about the environment. The only way to obtain an understanding of these feelings is to survey people. Some survey work has been done in Ohio to gauge citizen opinions and use of the environment. Some of the results of these surveys are presented below.
| PUBLIC OPINION | ||
|---|---|---|
| INDICATOR | VALUE | DATA SOURCE |
| Percentage of Ohioans who feel it is somewhat to extremely important to acquire land for parks, forests, and recreational areas | 75.6% | The Tarrance Group Survey: Ohio Initiative 6394 (7/23/94) |
| Percentage of Ohioans who feel it is somewhat to extremely important to protect/develop land for hunting and fishing | 80% | The Tarrance Group Survey: Ohio Initiative 6394 (7/23/94) |
| Percentage of Ohioans who feel it is somewhat to extremely important to set aside areas for endangered species | 84.5% | The Tarrance Group Survey: Ohio Initiative 6394 (7/23/94) |
| Percentage of Ohioans who reported that they closely watched or tried to identify types of wildlife living near their homes | 65% | 1991 ODNR Survey |
| Percentage of Ohioans who reported that they took one or more trips or outings to observe, photograph, or feed wildlife | 43% | 1991 ODNR Survey |
| Percentage of households who participated in wildlife/nature observation as an outdoor recreation activity | 48.9% | 1990 ODNR Survey (reported in 1993 SCORP) |
| Top three recreational activities with percentage of participants | Fishing: 28.8% Fall foliage tours: 12.6 Hunting: 8.1% |
Ohio Dept. of Transportation, Travelers survey (4/92-5/93) |
| Number of Ohioans who participated in wildlife recreation in 1991 | 5.2 million | 1991 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation |
| Percentage of Ohioans who stated that educating and informing the public about wildlife issues was either important or very important | 92.9% | ODNR, Division of Wildlife, 1992 Public Attitude Survey |
| Percent of survey responses to the question: "Over the past few years, do you think the environment in Ohio has gotten better, stayed about the same, or gotten worse?" | gotten better: 30% stayed same: 41% gotten worse: 26% don't know: 3% |
Public survey for Ohio Comparative Risk Project, June 1995 |
| Percent of respondents who view dealing with environmental problems that threaten people health to be a higher priority than dealing with problems that harm the environment | 82% | Public survey for Ohio Comparative Risk Project, June 1995 |
| Five most important environmental problem facing Ohio, in order with percent respondents | 1. outdoor air pollution (20) 2. unsafe drinking water (17) 3. water pollution in lakes and streams (16) 4. toxic and hazardous waste (15) 5. people being unaware of safe environmental practices (8) |
Public survey for Ohio Comparative Risk Project, June 1995 |
| ECONOMICS | ||
|---|---|---|
| INDICATOR | VALUE | DATA SOURCE |
| Employment (thousands) Manufacturing: 1,068.3 Services/Health: 1,200.7 Retail: 892.5 Government/ public education: 726.9 Wholesale: 262.6 Finance/Insurance: 257.2 Transport/Utilities: 210.7 Construction: 176.3 Agriculture: 117.5 Mining: 16.1 |
Ohio Dept. of Development ,1991. Annual Report | |
| Amount spent on improvements to roads and bridges (Ohio Public Works Awards) | 1989: $71,914.169 1994: $51,691,397 |
Ohio Public Works Commission |
| Number of companies that either located, expanded or started a business in Ohio since 1991 | 1,141 | Bottom Line, Ohio Dept. of Development |
| Number of jobs created since 1991 | 45,000 | Bottom Line, Ohio Dept. of Development |
| Ohio: 689 Texas: 386 North Carolina: 376 Florida: 286 California: 198 Kentucky: 166 Louisiana: 166 Virginia: 144 South Carolina: 131 Indiana: 122 |
Site Selection, Ohio Dept. of Development, 1994 | |
| % change in statewide public environmental spending from fiscal year 1989 to fiscal year 1995 (in constant dollars) | 120.1% | Ohio EPA ,1994. Office of Fiscal Analysis |
| Dollars spent on outdoor-related recreation per household in Ohio in 1993 | $1,300 | ODNR, 1993. Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan |
| Total 1992 expenditures by Ohio state parks and natural areas' users | $6,000,000,000 | ODNR. Resource Ohio: Protecting our Natural Resources |
| Annual public expenditures on governmental park and recreation providers | $370,000,000 | ODNR. Resources to Treasure: A Study of the Condition and Needs of Ohio's Parks and Recreation Resources |
| Ohio apportionment of Land and Water Conservation Fund monies | 1979: $14,4000,000 1992: $700,000 |
ODNR, Division of Real Estate and Land Management |
| FY89: $218,564,340 FY90: 376,939,200 FY91: 340,678,052 FY92: 396,182,385 FY93: 455,892,070 FY94: 537,988,412 FY95: 581,095,575 |
Ohio EPA, Office of Fiscal Analysis, 1994. Memorandum: Comparison of Environmental Expenditures FY89-FY95. | |
| Amount of grant funds for lead poisoning prevention in Ohio (largest federal grant in the country for this program) | $1,300,000 | Ohio Dept. of Health, 1992 Annual Report |
| Statewide Averages:
1989: $19.51/ton |
Ohio EPA, 1993. Ohio Solid Waste Facility Report | |
| Average loss to flood | $4,000 | ODNR, Division of Water, 1994 |
| Monies awarded for projects to control nonpoint source pollution | 1993: $2,603,150 (state contribution: 40%) 1992: $1,763,557 (state contribution:44%) |
Ohio EPA, State of Ohio Section 319 Report |
| Manufacturing payments to governmental units for public sewage service, 1990 | $107.8 million | National Economic, Social and Environmental Data Bank on CD.ROM, Pollution Abatement Expenditures Survey |
| Motor vehicle inspection test fees--state share | 1994:$2,753,861 | State of Ohio Accounting System Records |