C O M M U N I T I E S H AV E P R O B L E M S , J U S T L I K E P E O P L E

W H AT I S A C O M M U N I T Y P R O B L E M ?
W H AT I S A N A LY Z I N G C O M M U N I T Y P R O B L E M S A L L
A BO U T ?
W H Y S H O U L D I A N A LY Z E A C O M M U N I T Y P R O B L E M ?
H O W S H O U L D I A N A LY Z E A C O M M U N I T Y P R O B L E M ?
W H E N S H O U L D I A N A LY Z E A C O M M U N I T Y P R O B L E M ?
G O I N G B E YO N D T H E B A S I C S - - D O E S A N A LY S I S
R E A L LY W O R K ?

COMMUNITIES HAVE PROBLEMS, JUST LIKE

PEOPLE
Problems are part of life -- they go together with being alive. And every
community has problems, too; they go together with being a community.
That's just a fact of community life.
Two more basic facts:

Communities, like people, try to solve their problems.

And analyzing those problems helps in their solution.

Example, A community problem. The downtown area of a community

is declining. Stores are closing, and moving out; no new stores are moving
in. We want to revitalize that downtown. How should we do it?
Our thinking here is simple:

We'd be better off analyzing why that decline is taking place, why
the problem is occurring, rather than simply jumping in and trying to
fix it.

A good analysis will lead to better long-run solutions. And therefore:

A good analysis is worth taking the time to do.

So this section explains what analyzing community problems is about, and

why it can be helpful -- and then how to do it.

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY PROBLEM?

This covers a lot of ground. There's a long list of nominees. And you
probably know some of the main contenders. Can you name the leading
problems in your own community? Chances are you can at least start the
list.
Below are examples of community problems:
Example Community Problems: Adolescent pregnancy, access to clean
drinking water, child abuse and neglect, crime, domestic violence, drug
use, environmental contamination, ethnic conflict, health disparities, HIV/
AIDS, hunger, inadequate emergency services, inequality, jobs, lack of
affordable housing, poverty, racism, transportation, violence.

W H AT O T H E R S W O U L D YO U A D D ?
Rather than aim for a complete problem list, here are some criteria you
may consider when identifying community problems:

The problem occurs too frequently (frequency)

The problem has lasted for a while (duration)

The problem affects many people (scope, or range)

The problem is disrupting to personal or community life, and

possibly intense (severity)

The problem deprives people of legal or moral rights (equity)

The issue is perceived as a problem (perception)

This last criterion -- perception -- is an important one, and can also help
indicate readiness for addressing the issue within the community.
Keep in mind that what is seen as a problem can vary from place to place,
and from group to group in the same place. Although there's no official
definition of a community problem, the above examples and criteria above
should help you begin to name and analyze community problems.

WHAT IS ANALYZING COMMUNITY PROBLEMS

ALL ABOUT?
Analyzing community problems is a way of thinking carefully about a
problem or issue before acting on a solution. It first involves identifying
reasons a problem exists, and then (and only then) identifying possible

solutions and a plan for improvement. The techniques for analyzing

community problems require simple logic, and sometimes the collection of
evidence.

WHY SHOULD I ANALYZE A COMMUNITY

PROBLEM?
To better identify what the problem or issue is.
Kids gather on a street. Sometimes they drink; sometimes they get rowdy.
What is the problem here? The drinking? The rowdiness? The gathering
itself? Or, the possible fact that kids have nowhere else to go and few
positive alternatives for engagement? Before looking for solutions, you
would want to clarify just what is the problem (or problems) here. Unless
you are clear, it's hard to move forward.
To understand what is at the heart of a problem.
A problem is usually caused by something; what is that something? We
should find out. And often the problem we see is a symptom of something
else.
To determine the barriers and resources associated with
addressing the problem.
It's good practice and planning to anticipate barriers and obstacles before
they might rise up. By doing so, you can get around them. Analyzing
community problems can also help you understand the resources you
need. And the better equipped you are with the right resources, the
greater your chances of success.
To develop the best action steps for addressing the problem.
Having a plan of action is always better than taking a few random shots at
the problem. If you know where you are going, you are more likely to get
there.
In general, when you tackle a problem, it's almost always smarter to
analyze it before you begin. That way, you've got a deeper understanding
of the problem; and you've covered your bases. There's nothing worse for
member involvement and morale than starting to work on a problem, and
running up against lots of obstacles -- especially when they are avoidable.
When you take a little time to examine a problem first, you can anticipate
some of these obstacles before they come up, and give yourself and your
members better odds of coming up with a successful solution.

WHEN SHOULD I ANALYZE A COMMUNITY

PROBLEM?
Every community problem should benefit from analysis. The only possible
exception is when the problem is an immediate crisis that requires
action this very moment. And even then, analysis should help later.
However, there are conditions when analysis is especially
important. And these are:

When the community problem is not defined very clearly

When little is known about the community problem, or its possible

consequences

When you want to find causes that may improve the chance of
successfully addressing the problem

When people are jumping to solutions much too soon

When you need to identify actions to address the problem, and find
collaborative partners for taking action.

HOW SHOULD I ANALYZE A COMMUNITY

PROBLEM?
The ultimate goal is - to understand the problem better and to deal with it
more effectively, so the method you choose should accomplish that goal.
We'll offer some step-by-step guidelines here and go over a couple of
specific ways to determine the causes of the problem.
1. Justify the choice of the problem.
Apply the criteria weve listed above frequency, duration, range,
severity, equity, perception as well as asking yourself whether your
organization or another can address it effectively, in order to decide
whether the problem is one that you should focus on.
Lets take the problem we used as an example earlier: The percentage of
overweight and obese children in the community has been steadily
increasing, and now approaches 25%. Since we know that childhood
obesity tends to lead to adult obesity, and that obesity and being
overweight are linked to chronic conditions diabetes, heart disease,
stroke this is a problem that needs to be addressed now. Our
organization has the will and the ability to do it.

2. Frame the problem.

State the problem without implying a solution or blaming anyone, so that
you can analyze it without any assumptions and build consensus around
whatever solution you arrive at. One way is to state it in terms of a lack of
a positive behavior, condition, or other factor, or the presence or size of a
negative behavior, condition, or other factor.
There are too many children in the community who are overweight or
obese. The problem is particularly serious among low-income families.
3. Identify whose behavior and/or what and how environmental
factors need to change for the problem to begin to be solved.
This can be as straightforward as individuals changing their behavior from
smoking to not smoking, or as complex as persuading legislators to
change laws and policies (e.g., non-smoking ordinances) in order to
change others behavior (smokers dont smoke in buildings or enclosed
spaces used by the public) in order to benefit yet another group by
changing the environment (children are protected from secondhand
smoke in public.)
All, and particularly low-income, children should have the opportunity and
the motivation to eat more healthily and exercise more. Parents may need
to change their childrens and perhaps their own diets, and schools
may need to adjust their lunch programs and exercise schedules. In lowincome neighborhoods, there needs to be greater access to healthy food
and more safe places for children to play or participate in sports, both
outdoors and indoors.
4. Analyze the root causes of the problem.
The real cause of a problem may not be immediately apparent. It may be
a function of a social or political system, or may be rooted in a behavior or
situation that may at first glance seem unrelated to it. In order to find the
underlying cause, you may have to use one or more analytical methods,
including critical thinking and the But Why? technique.
Very briefly, the latter consists of stating the problem as you perceive it
and asking But why? The next step is to answer that question as well as
you can and then asking again, But why? By continuing this process
until you get an answer that cant be reduced further, you can often get to
the underlying cause of the problem, which will tell you where to direct
your efforts to solve it.
The difference between recognizing a problem and finding its root cause is
similar to the difference between a doctors treating the symptoms of a

disease and actually curing the disease. Once a disease is understood well
enough to cure, it is often also understood well enough to prevent or
eliminate. Similarly, once you understand the root causes of a community
problem, you may be able not only to solve it, but to establish systems or
policies that prevent its return.
There are too many children in the community who are
overweight or obese. The problem is particularly serious among lowincome families. (But why?)
Because many low-income children dont eat a healthy diet and dont
exercise enough. (But why?)
Because their parents, in many cases, dont have the knowledge of what a
healthy diet consists of, and because, even if they did, they lack access in
their neighborhoods to healthy foods no supermarkets, produce markets,
farmers markets, or restaurants serving healthy food and therefore shop
at convenience stores and eat out at fast food places. Kids dont play
outside because its too dangerous gang activity and drug dealing make
the street no place for children. (But why?)
Parents may never have been exposed to information about healthy food
they simply dont have the knowledge. Market owners view low-income
neighborhoods as unprofitable and dangerous places to do business. The
streets are dangerous because there are few job opportunities in the
community, and young men turn to making money in any way possible.
By this point, you should have a fair understanding of why kids dont eat
healthily or get enough exercise. As you continue to question, you may
begin to think about advocacy with local officials for incentives to bring
supermarkets to low-income neighborhoods, or for after-school programs
that involve physical exercise, or for parent nutrition education or for antigang programsor for all of these and other efforts besides. Or continued
questioning may reveal deeper causes that you feel your organization can
tackle.
5. Identify the restraining and driving forces that affect the
problem.
This is called a force field analysis. It means looking at the restraining
forces that act to keep the problem from changing (social structures,
cultural traditions, ideology, politics, lack of knowledge, lack of access to
healthy conditions, etc.) and the driving forces that push it toward change
(dissatisfaction with the way things are, public opinion, policy change,
ongoing public education efforts, existing alternatives to unhealthy or
unacceptable activity or conditions, etc.) Consider how you can use your
understanding of these forces in devising solutions to the problem.
Forces restraining change here include:

The desirability and availability of junk food kids like it because it

tastes good (were programmed as a species to like fat, salt, and
sugar), and you can get it on every corner in practically any
neighborhood.

The reluctance of supermarket chains to open stores in low-income

neighborhoods.

The domination of the streets by gangs and drug dealers.

Some forces driving change might be:

Parents concern about their childrens weight.

Childrens desire to participate in sports or simply to be outdoors.

Media stories about the problem of childhood obesity and its

consequences for children, both now and in their later lives.

A full force field analysis probably would include many more forces in each
category.
6. Find any relationships that exist among the problem youre
concerned with and others in the community.
In analyzing root causes, you may have already completed this step. It
may be that other problems stem from the same root cause, and that
there are other organizations with whom you could partner. Understanding
the relationships among community issues can be an important step
toward resolving them.
Weve already seen connections to lack of education, unemployment, lack
of after-school programs, and gang violence and crime, among other
issues. Other organizations may be working on one or more of these, and
a collaboration might help both of you to reach your goals.
7. Identify personal factors that may contribute to the problem.
Whether the problem involves individual behavior or community
conditions, each individual affected by it brings a whole collection of
knowledge (some perhaps accurate, some perhaps not), beliefs, skills,
education, background, experience, culture, and assumptions about the
world and others, as well as biological and genetic traits. Any or all of
these might contribute to the problem or to its solutionor both.
A few examples:

Genetic predisposition for diabetes and other conditions.

Lack of knowledge about healthy nutrition.

Lack of knowledge/ skills for preparing healthy foods.

8. Identify environmental factors that may contribute to the

problem.
Just as there are factors relating to individuals that may contribute to or
help to solve the problem youre concerned with, there are also factors
within the community environment that may do the same. These might
include the availability or lack of services, information, and other support;
the degree of accessibility and barriers to, and opportunities for services,
information, and other support; the social, financial, and other costs and
benefits of change; and such overarching factors as poverty, living
conditions, official policy, and economic conditions.
Sample environmental factors:

Poverty

Lack of employment and hope for young men in low-income

neighborhoods

Lack of availability of healthy food in low-income neighborhoods

General availability at school as well as elsewhere of snack foods

high in salt, sugar, and fat

Constant media bombardment of advertising of unhealthy snacks,

drinks, and fast food

9. Identify targets and agents of change for addressing the

problem.
Whom should you focus your efforts on, and who has the power to
improve the situation? Often, these may be the same people. The best
solution to a particular problem may be policy change of some sort, for
instance, and the best route to that may be to mount an advocacy effort
aimed at officials who can make it happen. People who are suffering from
lack of skills or services may be the ones who can do the most to change
their situation. In other cases, your targets may be people whose behavior
or circumstances need to change, and you may want to recruit agents of

change to work with you in your effort. The point of this step is to
understand where and how to direct your work most effectively.
Targets of change might include:
Parents of children in low-income neighborhoods (or all parents in the
community) for education purposes
The children themselves
Elementary and middle school teachers
School officials responsible for school food programs
Executives and Public Relations officers of supermarket chains
Gang members and youth at risk of becoming gang members
A short list of potential agents of change:
Parents of children in low-income neighborhoods (or all parents in the
community) as controllers of their childrens diets
The Superintendent of Schools, School Committee, and school
administrators, as well as those directly responsible for school food
programs
Local public officials who could create incentives for markets to move into
underserved neighborhoods
Community Recreation Commissions, school officials, YMCAs, and other
entities that might create safe outdoor and indoor physical activity
programs for children
Community hospitals, clinics, and private medical practices
Public relations offices of national or regional fast food restaurant chains
With your analysis complete, you can develop a strategic plan that speaks
to the real causes of the problem and focuses on those targets and/or
agents of change that are most likely to contribute to improving the
situation.

GOING BEYOND THE BASICS -- DOES ANALYSIS

REALLY WORK?
Try this analysis out with a current problem in your own community
setting.
What do you conclude? We hope you'll find some value in analysis. We do
know that when we have tried this method with real problems in our own
communities, we have drawn some additional conclusions of our own,
going beyond the basics:

Analyzing community problems can be hard work. It takes real

mental effort. We're not used to sitting down and thinking deeply
about a problem. (We're too busy!)

Real community problems are likely to be complex. Economic

development may depend on the global economy, a force you can't
have much effect on. You may have opposition, either from within
the community itself, or from powerful forces trying to protect their
own interests.

When you go looking for reasons and underlying causes for

significant problems, you are likely to find more than one. Several
different reasons may be influencing the problem, in different
amounts, all at the same time. It may not be an easy task to
untangle all the reasons and their relative strengths, but it may be
necessary in order to reach a solution.

The problem may not only have more than one reason; it may have
more than one solution too. Problems often call for multi-pronged
solutions. That is, difficult problems often must be approached from
more than one direction. So in revitalizing the downtown, you might
want to (a) beautify the streets; (b) expand the staff of the chamber
of commerce; (c) run sidewalk sales; (d) look for outside loans; and
(e) recruit new businesses. These are all parts of the solution. Many
different types of actions might be necessary for revitalization.

When analyzing real community problems, the analysis may show multiple
reasons behind the problem. The analysis may not always be easy. The
solution may be more difficult still.
But that's why problems are problems. Community problems exist
precisely because they often resist clear analysis and solution. They
persist despite our efforts. They can be real challenges.
Yet this doesn't mean we are helpless. Analysis, including the analytic
methods we have described, can take you a long way. With good analysis,
some resources, and enough determination, we believe even the most
troublesome problems can be addressed, and ultimately, solved.
Contributor
Bill Berkowitz
Online Resources
Addressing Community Gang Problems: A Practical Guide by
Bureau of Justice Assistance Is a useful resource that provides a
prototype to assist communities in identifying, analyzing, and responding
to gang-related problems as well as assessing the effectiveness of their
responses.

Assessment Primer: Analyzing the Community, Identifying

Problems and Setting Goals is provided by the Community Anti-Drug
Coalitions of America and the National Community Anti-Drug Coalition
Institute. This helpful primer is designed to provide clear guidelines for
anti-drug coalitions in defining their communities and assessing the real
needs within them.
Defining and Analyzing Community Mental Health Issues is a useful
resource from the California Mental Health Association.
Framing the Issue, by Trudy Rice, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel and Karla
Trautman, is a useful resource that explains how to analyze community
problems and access community data. It includes a detailed step-by-step
presentation.
Print Resources
Avery, M., Auvine, B., Streibel, B., & Weiss, L. (1981). Building united
judgement: A handbook for consensus decision making. Madison, WI:
Center for Conflict Resolution. (Available from the Center at P.O. Box 2156,
Madison, WI 53701 -2156).
Cox, F. (1995). Community problem solving: A guide to practice with
comments. In Rothman, J., Erlich, J., & Tropman, J. (eds.), Strategies of
community intervention (5th ed., pp. 146-162). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock.
Dale, D., & Mitiguy, N. (1978). Planning for a change: A citizen's guide to
creative planning and program development. Amherst, MA: University of
Massachusetts, Citizen Involvement Training Project.
Johnson, D., & Johnson, F. (1997). Joining together: Group theory and
group skills (6th ed.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Lawson, L., Donant, F., & Lawson, J. (1982). Lead on! The complete
handbook for group leaders. San Luis Obispo, CA: Impact Publishers.
Mondross, J., & Wilson, S. (1994). Organizing for power and
empowerment. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.