Surprisingly, only 22% of Occupiers say they feel unsafe around the police. Credit: Suji Allen
Surprisingly, only 22% of Occupiers say they feel unsafe around the police.
  • Suji Allen
  • Surprisingly, only 22% of Occupiers say they feel unsafe around the police.

A group of Lewis and Clark College volunteers [EDIT: It’s actually Lewis and Clark assisting members of Occupy Portland’s Transitions and Sustainability Working Group] conducted a big survey of Occupy Portland protesters last week about their views on the camp, Portland, and politics in general. The results are pretty interesting and give a good overall view of what people are talking about at the camp, rather than the on-the-spot-random-dude interviews that have dominated most media coverage of the protest so far.

From November 1st through 4th, the team distributed surveyed 545 people, both online and at the camp. Just over 80 percent of the respondents had spent one or more nights at the camp. Here’s what they said (and there’s the pdf results of the full survey!). [UPDATE: Link fixed!]

QUESTION: Overall, it feels safe to visit the Occupy Portland camp.
YES— 76%
NO— 24%

QUESTION: The police make me feel unsafe when they are at the camp.
YES—22%
NO—78%

QUESTION: Occupy should work with political parties.
YES— 47%
NO— 53%

QUESTION: The Occupy PDX movement should occupy other public spaces during the night.
YES— 43%
NO— 57%

QUESTION: Arguments or fights between people in the camp make me feel unsafe.
YES— 60%
NO— 40%

QUESTION: I worry that sexual assault or harassment might occur in the camp.
YES— 61%
NO— 39%

Questions about drugs and alcohol below the cut!

QUESTION: The use of alcohol in the camp bothers me.
YES— 70%
NO— 30%

QUESTION: Should people be encouraged to keep alcohol out of the Occupy Portland camps?
YES— 88%
NO— 12%

QUESTION: The use of drugs at the camp bothers me.
YES— 79%
NO— 21%

QUESTION: Should people be encouraged to keep drugs out of the Occupy Portland camp?
YES— 92%
NO— 8%

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.

12 replies on “Survey Says: 76% of Occupiers Feel Safe Visiting the Camp”

  3. Is that a picture from Occupy Portland? He looks like a skin head at a KKK rally.
    Well… I guess it could the Occupy Portland rally, no black people at they hate the Jews too.

  5. 1. It’s a big question, but it’s one wholly distorted by falsehoods and exaggerations by police and media.

    2. If you’d exercise reading comprehension, you’d see the respondents include a lot of people who have stayed the night.

    3. Cool story, bro. The man in the picture is actually a kind, graceful soul. He understands the value of political theater and simple, bold statements.

    4. lol

  8. It’s hardly a representative sample, or a useful survey, as the group of people heading down there is self-selecting. They’ve already heard the scary stories about the risks, they’ve decided that they aren’t concerned, and so they go down there. It would be like going to a tattoo convention and asking people if they are concerned about any social stigmas attached to people with tattoos.

  9. Dave, the survey was administered with academically rigorous methods from a sociological background. The people at the parks are self-selecting, but the survey methods legitimately represent a reasonable number of people who have and have not stayed at the parks.

    The surveys were conducted online and in-person. People worked very hard to survey as broad and deep of a sample as possible. These results are useful. You’re welcome to improve upon these efforts independently, or through occupation volunteers.

  12. Hey Blogtown, the link you provided goes to a survey of Lewis & Clark students re. their perceptions of diversity on campus–it has nothing to do with Occupy Portland.

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