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Top Three Things South Dakotans Say They Would Do to Help People Who Are Struggling To Make Ends Meet

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ST. PAUL, Minn. January 18, 2008: Paying off bills and going to the doctor are basics many take for granted, but these things are rarities for the 37 million people in America who live in poverty. In South Dakota, 86 percent say they know someone in their community who is working one or more jobs and is still struggling to make ends meet. Ninety percent of South Dakotans say they want to help those who are struggling and would most likely do the following things:
1. Participate in a church project (88 percent)
2. Attend a discussion on ways to help (79 percent)
3. Talk to elected officials about the problem (73 percent)

That list of priorities comes from a national poll commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation on people’s perceptions of those who are struggling to make ends meet. In South Dakota and nationally, respondents also said a family of four needs $40,000 a year to make ends meet, a figure nearly twice the federal poverty threshold.

The Northwest Area Foundation’s mission is to help communities reduce poverty long term. The Foundation's service area includes Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington – the states once served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill, established the Foundation.

The Northwest Area Foundation commissioned Lake Research Partners to conduct a national tracking survey among 4,000 Americans age 18 and older, from March 2 -22, 2007. Over-samples were conducted and weighted down to reflect their true proportion in the country in each of the following eight states: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The margin of error is +/-3.5 percentage points for the national results and +/-5.0 points for the state results. This is the second survey of its kind. The first findings were released in April 2006.