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Western Oregon University survey: belonging falls for unhoused and Latino residents; many report witnessing discrimination
Summary
A 2026 community survey of 698 respondents found 54% of the general population feel a sense of community, while people experiencing homelessness and Latino respondents reported much lower belonging and large year‑over‑year declines; 63% of respondents witnessed discrimination and trust in the Salem Police Department was divided.
Western Oregon University researchers presented the results of the 2026 Community Belonging Survey to the Salem Human Rights Commission, reporting 698 total respondents gathered between April 27 and May 12, including an oversample of 105 people experiencing homelessness, 527 general‑population respondents, and 43 Pacific Islander respondents. The study aimed to measure belonging, discrimination, trust in the Salem Police Department, and awareness of the Human Rights Commission across key subgroups.
The presentation found that 54% of general‑population respondents said they feel a sense of community in Salem, but the experience is unevenly distributed. Nearly half (49%) of respondents who are currently experiencing homelessness reported that their sense of community had decreased "a lot" over the past 12 months; 33% of Latino respondents said their sense of community decreased "a lot." Professor Bradshaw highlighted a raw, open‑ended survey comment read during the presentation: "I don't feel safe anywhere in Salem, Oregon," noting that such answers underscore the human dimension behind aggregate statistics.
Discrimination was a frequent theme: 63% of respondents said they had witnessed discrimination in the preceding year while 23% reported personally experiencing it. Housing status, mental disability and physical disability emerged as the most frequent bases for repeated discrimination. The survey's location heat map found that businesses and public spaces were common places respondents reported witnessing discrimination.
Trust in the Salem Police Department was sharply divided: about 37% of respondents expressed some level of trust while roughly 40% expressed distrust. Trust tended to be lower among people experiencing homelessness and Latino respondents and higher among Pacific Islander respondents; younger respondents reported less trust than older age groups.
Awareness of the Human Rights Commission also varied: about 44% of the general population said they were aware of the HRC before taking the survey, but awareness was far lower among people experiencing homelessness (about 17%) and lower among Latino and Pacific Islander respondents (about 25%).
The student team recommended targeted outreach to marginalized groups, additional culturally responsive engagement with Pacific Islander and Latino communities, improved communication about community events, and partnership with existing efforts such as the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to measure and fund belonging initiatives. Commissioners discussed possible follow‑up, including incorporating the survey findings into the commission’s report to city council and working with partners to expand outreach and services.
