In November 2019, the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) launched the Y Strong Communities Study to explore how experiences with the YMCA (or "the Y") have affected the lives of Y participants and their communities. NORC fielded a survey with over 3,000 individuals who were Y members or who had participated in activities at the Y. Topics covered by the survey included Y engagement (duration and frequency of Y participation), reflections on the Y (e.g., whether the Y helps them develop connect to resources), community involvement, and health and well-being. Additional information collected by the survey includes work status, volunteer activity, attendance of faith-based services, gender identity, age, ethnicity, race, and educational attainment.
NORC also fielded 2 rounds of questions on the AmeriSpeak Omnibus survey in November 2019 and March 2020 to collect a general population comparison for the Y participant survey.
