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The quality of community life in the Detroit metropolitan area and factors influencing it were the main focus for this Detroit Area Study. To gauge perceptions of the quality of life in the Detroit tri-county area, respondents were asked how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with the tri-county area in general, with their neighborhoods, and with the quality of local community services, such as quality of local roads, public schools, police and garbage collection. In addition, the survey measured respondents' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their own education, income, health, amount of leisure time, marriage, family life, job, home, and other aspects of their lives. Respondents also were questioned about their expectations for the future, their friendships in the tri-county area, friendliness with neighbors, use of recreational facilities, and where their children played. The survey also sought respondents' opinions on a wide range of other issues such as race relations, social stratification, abortion, the benefits of the free enterprise system, whether or not the United States was a meritocracy, and the meaning and value of democracy. Additional information gathered by the survey includes duration of residence in the tri-county area and at the current residence, place of previous residence, home ownership, rent payments, value of the home, number of separate bedrooms, motor vehicle ownership and use, use of public transportation, employment status, occupation and industry, independence and authority at work, number of siblings ever born, religious preference, social class identification, political preference, and information on age, sex, place of birth, income, race, ethnicity, and household composition.

The 2001 Detroit Area Study (DAS) is a survey of over 4,300 adults in metro Detroit and addresses their perceptions, expectations, satisfaction, and behaviors associated with community living. The 2001 DAS, conducted in the spring and summer 2001, consisted of two parts. Initially, face-to-face interviews were conducted with a probability sample of 315 adult respondents (18 years of age and older) living in the tri-county area of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. Subsequently, a questionnaire was mailed to a sample of adults throughout the seven counties; 4,077 were returned. Response rates were 59.8 percent for the face-to-face sample and 56.7 percent for the mail sample. In addition to survey responses, DAS 2001 compiled contextual information about the minor civil divisions (MCDs) or communities and environments associated with each respondent. Contextual information includes housing and demographic characteristics, land use characteristics, and other characteristics of the communities where respondents live (growth rates, employment, school information). Questions on the survey asked about residential history; public services and transportation; government and taxes; schools; police; parks, recreation and where kids play; shopping and other community issues; community participation and involvement; neighborhood and neighboring; housing and prospective mobility; safety; employment and journey to work; health and health care facilities; other Detroit and regional issues; demographics; and observations. The 2001 DAS presents a unique opportunity to explore and record changes over time by measuring people's opinions and behaviors and the conditions in their communities. The 2001 DAS is different from earlier DAS surveys in several ways. First, the study has been expanded from three to seven counties in southeast Michigan, often referred to as the metro Detroit area. That is, the study contacted residents in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Wayne, and Washtenaw counties and in the city of Detroit. Second, the number of people contacted is greatly increased using a combination of face-to-face interviews and questionnaires sent by mail. Over 4,000 households in the region were contacted. Third, the questionnaires were designed in consultation with stakeholder groups representing government, industry, and nonprofit organizations in the region. Finally, indicators associated with the sampled households are being compiled and analyzed (along with the survey responses) using statistical and spatial analytic techniques including Geographic Information Systems (GIS).