Jefferson Area Community Survey
The fourth edition of the Jefferson Area Community Survey was conducted by the Center for Survey Research (CSR) in order to assess swimming skill and access in our community. This telephone survey of 904 randomly selected individuals living in Charlottesville City, Albemarle County, Nelson County, Fluvanna County, Greene County, and Louisa County was conducted in the fall of 2013, with all phone interviews completed between November 2013 and January 2014. To allow meaningful comparison, the 904 respondents were divided into the following subcategories: area of residence, gender (women and men), age, education level, household income, race/ethnicity, and home ownership. The population breakdown of respondents based on these categories is presented in detail in the report.
When asked to rate their ability to swim, over half of the respondents (56.1%) indicated that they can swim confidently more than 25 yards, and another 19.9 percent indicated that they could swim the length of a 25-yard pool. A combined total of approximately one quarter of respondents indicated that they could swim only a little in deep water (9.6%) or could not swim at all (14.5%). Among those unable to swim, 42.8% cited a fear of water and 51.1% said they never learned as a child. Notably, education level and income are both positively correlated with swimming ability. Results also point to a substantial racial disparity in the ability to swim, with Black respondents reporting lower levels of or no swimming skills. This puts Black children in our area at greater risk of death by drowning if they are involved in a water accident.
For the full report and all related material, download the files below.