Indicators2002 cover - Boston Indicators

CIVIC VITALITY / A Summary of the Boston Indicators Report 2009Boston Public Library CirculationPercent Change by Branch, 2007-2008BPL TOTALElectronicLower MillsCirculationSouth EndGrove HallMattapanEgleston SquareOrient HeightsDudleyAdams StreetJamaica PlainWest EndFields CornerRoslindaleConnollyCodman SquareWest RoxburyCharlestownSouth BostonHyde ParkEast BostonFaneuilDudley LiteracyBrightonCopleyNorth EndHonan-AllstonParker HillUphams CornerWash Village-20% -10% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%Source: Boston Public LibraryBoston Globe CirculationPercent Change March1998-March 20090.050-0.05-0.1-0.15-0.2-0.25-0.3-0.35-0.4March-98March-99March-00March-01March-02March-03March-04March-05March-06Daily CirculationSunday CirculationMarch-07March-08March-09Source: New York Times CompanyBostonians Who Feel TheirNeighbors are Willing to Help,Boston Neighborhoods, 2008North EndSouth BostonCharlestownRoslindaleJamaica PlainWest RoxburySouth EndHyde ParkFenwayBack BayBostonEast BostonAllston/BrightonSouth DorchesterRoxburyNorth DorchesterMattapan0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%70,00060,00050,00040,00030,00020,00010,000Source: Boston Public Health CommissionBoston Cares Volunteer HoursNet Change 1991-2008092 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08Source: Boston CaresVoter TurnoutCitywide: In November of 2008, 234,514 Bostonians—81% of registeredvoters and 39% of the total population—turned out to vote in the presidentialelection, amounting to a 14% increase over the 2004 presidentialelection and a 24% increase over 2000. According to MassVOTE, thiselection drew the highest turnout in Boston since that of John F. Kennedyin 1960, when 42% of all Bostonians voted.Boston Neighborhoods: Jamaica Plain (82%), West Roxbury (81%), BackBay/Beacon Hill (81%) and Roslindale (77%) had the highest rates of turnoutamong registered voters. However, neighborhoods with the greatest increaseover the 2000 election were Uphams Corner (26%), Grove Hall/Dudley(21%), Fields Corner (20%), and Mattapan/Franklin Field (18%).By Race & Ethnicity: Boston’s predominantly white precincts had thehighest turnout rate (85%). Turnout in Boston’s predominantly AfricanAmerican precincts was 82%—up 19% over 2000. Turnout in predominantlyLatino precincts increased 17% to 79% and predominantly Asian precincts4% to 70%.Access to InformationLibrary CirculationBook circulation increased by 8% during the Boston Public Library’s(BPL) 2008 Fiscal Year, when compared to the previous year, with a totalcirculation of 3,116,540 books. The fastest growing branches were inneighborhoods with high concentrations of children and families. Thebranches with the greatest increase in circulation were Dorchester LowerMills (28%), the South End (26%), Grove Hall 26%, Mattapan (25%),Egleston Square (24%) and Orient Heights (23%). With a total circulationof 62,352, the BPL’s “virtual” library of newspapers, scholarly journals andelectronic books had a circulation increase of 50% in FY 2008. Circulationthrough March 2009 shows this trend continuing through the economicdownturn, with circulation up 9% in all neighborhood branches and up 56%in Fields Corner. The new branch library in Mattapan is also attracting alarge new constituency, with a circulation of nearly 8,500 in its inauguralmonth of March 2009.Local News OutletsDeclining circulation continues to threaten the city’s largest newspaper.The Boston Globe’s daily circulation was down 36% and its Sundaycirculation was down 38% between March 1998 and March 2009. TheBoston Herald’s daily circulation was down 18% and its Sunday circulationwas down 13% from September 2006 to September 2008. Bostonranked 6th among US media markets in Integrated Newspaper Audience,with 85% of adults reading either a print or online newspaper in March2009, according to Scarborough Research. However, due to decliningcirculation, The Boston Globe was cited in early 2009 as the nation’s5th most endangered newspaper.22