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Just under half of the residents in the state's southwest quadrant fail to identify with the southwest region, according to a poll taken by students at Southwest State University in Marshall.

Only 54.3 percent of those polled identify with southwest Minnesota, according to the survey. Another 22 percent identify with the west central region, 21.5 percent with the central region and 2.1 percent with none of these regions. One person failed to respond.

"We had quite a debate in class of what exactly is southwest Minnesota, and we couldn't figure it out, so we thought we would ask the people we were polling to answer it for us," student Joe Sanow said.

Telephone interviews were conducted on five nights in mid October by students in the political research class to determine some priorities and concerns in this part of the state, said David Sturrock, professor of political science.

Thirteen questions on a broad range of topics -- from terrorism, to Internet connectivity and obstacles to long-term regional prosperity -- made up the poll.

Total responses numbered 632 out of some 2,000 telephone calls to random names generated by a professional firm. A 3.88 percent margin of error exists in either direction, said Chuck Myrbach, director of research and institutional grants, who "crunched" the numbers.

"Southwest Minnesota is often defined as what it isn't," Sturrock said. "We have a challenge to overcome that absence of a regional identity."

The results came as no surprise to Sherry Ristau, one of four guest panelists and president of the Southwest Minnesota Foundation.

"For the first time ever, we have research to back up what I've been saying, that half of southwest Minnesota doesn't consider itself southwest Minnesota," Ristau said.

The lack of identity holds future consequences, said Howard Miller, panelist and vice president of communications in public affairs for Schwan's Sales Enterprises in Marshall.

"The thing that I probably find most amazing is that half of the people who were interviewed really didn't know which region, or area of the state of Minnesota that they lived in," Miller said. "I see that as a significant issue for Southwest State University to address.

"Until such time as we can give ourselves an identity which people who live here are comfortable with, and feel a part of, we are going to continue to have a number of difficult problems attempting to unify for whatever purpose it might be, be it highways, be it jobs, whatever."

The problem reaches beyond the university, SSU President David Danahar said.

"It's a problem for all the forces in the region to come together and provide some kind of definition of what that means," Danahar said. "Now, that's not going to be a short-term issue, that's going to take some time."

 

Other poll results include:

• 90 percent support U.S. military actions in Afghanistan.

• 24.5 percent expect better economic conditions a year from now, and 25.3 percent expect conditions to worsen. Males are most optimistic, with 33.3 percent expecting better times. Only 16.8 of females feel the same, and 53 percent of them expect conditions to remain the same. At the same time, 46.5 percent overall give Pres. George W. Bush an excellent rating and 48.4 percent rate consider his performance good.

• 49.2 percent rate Gov. Jesse Ventura's performance as good, 13 percent give him an excellent rating, 25.8 percent rate his performance as not so good and 10.9 percent say his performance is poor.

• 66 percent rate health care as good. Those aged 65 and older are most apt to rate health care as excellent, although only 27 percent of this age group give it the highest rating.

• 36 percent view the condition of the farm economy as the greatest obstacle to the region's long-term prosperity, while 31.8 percent consider the lack of good-paying jobs the greatest obstacle. Age factors into responses, with 46.6 percent of older interviewees naming the farm economy and 38.7 percent of young adults naming a lack of jobs. Another 12 percent cite the quality of education.

• 66.9 percent rate the region's highways as good, or excellent, while about 26 percent rate them not so good, or poor.

• 66 percent have access to a computer for personal use, 7.1 percent intend to purchase a computer within the year and 57 percent have Internet access.

 

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