The Real Poll For The Expats

[NALs]

Regarding the many issues beind discussed on this board, among the most popular has been the debate of whether crime in itself is the problem or simply the severity of crime, comes to mind what Monfongo said in another thread: "all you [expats] live in a vacuum" or something along those lines.

What's better than to have the expats themselves tell us if they do live in a "vacuum" which distorts their view points of the DR and everything that entail or whether they live exposed to the "nitty gritty" by living in a community that is not gated.

So if you are an expatriate and currently living in the Dominican Republic, cast your vote so we can all have a better idea.

I have chosen to also make votes public, in other words people in general will be able to see who voted, as a way to root out those who might not be expatriates living in the DR but who may have an agenda in skewing the results here.

Only EXPATRIATES votes are welcomed, everybody else (even Dominicans living in DR) should please not vote. Thank you in advance.

DEFINITIONS:

GATED COMMUNITY: Any neighborhood or development that requires passing through a gate in order to enter/exit the private road(s) of the community.

AN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS/UPPER CLASS NON-GATED COMMUNITY: Any urban or rural subdivision neighborhood composed of moneyed people, whether mixed with Dominicans or exclusively foreigners. These neighborhoods must have public streets where anyone could drive into the neighborhood despite the upper income residences in order for this vote to be valid.

IN A TYPICAL CAMPO: Any of the rural communities across the DR. This vote option mostly reflects areas of poverty, so if you live in a poor urban neighborhood or lower middle class urban neighborhood, please choose this option as well.

ALONE IN A VERY RURAL AREA: Choose this option if you live in a rural area and your closest neighbors houses are not visible from your parcel of land.

DISCLAIMER: THIS AND ALL POLLS ONLY REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF DR1 MEMBERS WHO CHOOSE TO VOTE.

-NALs

[Ken]

I think that your options are too limited.

In the Sosua area, there are expats living in La Union, for example. That very large apartment complex doesn't really fit in any of the categories.

We have expats living in apartments in Santo Domingo in areas that are not for the rich.

I live in a condo, there is no subdivision here. And not all condos and apartment buildings are equal. Some apartments cost US$30,000 some cost US$300,000. I don't see that reflected in your choice list.

To make a good poll that means something, it takes a lot of work to design a good instrument. I recommend you go back to the drawing board with yours.

[Rick Snyder]

Might be limited but I voted.

Edited to add;
Nal's I think it would be a good idea to rework the choices and broaden things out.

Rick

[NALs]

The choices are limited for a particular reason. Each choice has a higher or lesser degree of "risk" regarding the probability an expatriate will be exposed to crime or not and thus, his/her views on the DR right now.

That is the main "hidden" purpose of this thread, it's not so much to know in what sorroundings expatriates decide to reside in.

If you live in anything that can be considered gated (gated community or gated apartment complex, vote option 1.

Non gated community or non-gated apartment complex vote option 2.

So on and so forth.

-NALs

[Hillbilly]

And i have never thought of myself as an "ex-pat" hehehe

so there...

HB

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Ken

In the Sosua area, there are expats living in La Union, for example. That very large apartment complex doesn't really fit in any of the categories.

I'm not familiar with La Union, but if its the apartment complexes visible from the airplanes when they are either on final or departing, then that complex can be considered a non-gated community.

Or if its gated, well then a gated community.

Originally Posted by Ken

We have expats living in apartments in Santo Domingo in areas that are not for the rich.

Those expats should vote option number 4 since its also meant to pinpoint areas of poverty. Since they have to pass through the non-wealthy areas just outside their complex to go where ever they want, it counts as living in a poor area or "campo" which again in this poll also means poor area.

Originally Posted by Ken

I live in a condo, there is no subdivision here. And not all condos and apartment buildings are equal. Some apartments cost US$30,000 some cost US$300,000. I don't see that reflected in your choice list.

Those aparment/condo complexes that have a variety of residents from different socioeconomic classes can vote option 1 if its gated or option 2 if its not gated.

Anyone who lives in an apartment with a cost of 30K or more (US) can be considered middle class, no?

In a country with a percapita income that ranges between 2k to 7k depending on the sources, a person living in an apartment/condo valued at 30k can be considered middle class in my book.

Originally Posted by Ken

To make a good poll that means something, it takes a lot of work to design a good instrument. I recommend you go back to the drawing board with yours.

These polls are made on the spur of the moment and mostly for entertainment purposes. While this poll does regard the typical or atypical sorroundings of a typical expat, it does requires some usage of the brain cells from the part of the voters in order to make their vote reflect their reality.

Each option can be broadened by each member to include all types of sorroundings, as I have done on this poll and in the definitions themselves above.

If people here want an actual scientific research poll, then I'll suggest for all of you to chip in and hire a research institute.

-NALs

[Chris]

Originally Posted by NALs

The choices are limited for a particular reason. Each choice has a higher or lesser degree of "risk" regarding the probability an expatriate will be exposed to crime or not and thus, his/her views on the DR right now.

That is the main "hidden" purpose of this thread, it's not so much to know in what sorroundings expatriates decide to reside in.

If you live in anything that can be considered gated (gated community or gated apartment complex, vote option 1.

Non gated community or non-gated apartment complex vote option 2.

So on and so forth.

-NALs

I don't like hidden purposes, for entertainment or otherwise. If you want gated or non-gated, why not just say so in the poll?

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Chris

I don't like hidden purposes, for entertainment or otherwise. If you want gated or non-gated, why not just say so in the poll?

Because not all non-gated communities are the same.

While gated communities varies in security level, development style, etc. they are still gated and thus gives the impression that people who live in those enclave may not have a "real" sense of the country.

On the other hand, a person who lives in a non-gated community, it may not say much since non-gated communities covers the gamut from highly prized neighborhoods such as colinas de Arroyo Hondo and Cerros de Gurabo to not so highly prized neighborhoods such as Capotillo or Guachupita.

Also, living in a rural setting is different from an urban setting.

Each option does covers most types of sorroundings found in the country, if people were inclined to notice it.

And it's not so much a "hidden" purpose (otherwise I would not had placed the quotations) because I did included the following paragraph in my initial post:

"Regarding the many issues beind discussed on this board, among the most popular has been the debate of whether crime in itself is the problem or simply the severity of crime, comes to mind what Monfongo said in another thread: "all you [expats] live in a vacuum" or something along those lines."

-NALs

[bienamor]

Originally Posted by NALs

Because not all non-gated communities are the same.

While gated communities varies in security level, development style, etc. they are still gated and thus gives the impression that people who live in those enclave may not have a "real" sense of the country.

On the other hand, a person who lives in a non-gated community, it may not say much since non-gated communities covers the gamut from highly prized neighborhoods such as colinas de Arroyo Hondo and Cerros de Gurabo to not so highly prized neighborhoods such as Capotillo or Guachupita.

Also, living in a rural setting is different from an urban setting.

Each option does covers most types of sorroundings found in the country, if people were inclined to notice it.

And it's not so much a "hidden" purpose (otherwise I would not had placed the quotations) because I did included the following paragraph in my initial post:

"Regarding the many issues beind discussed on this board, among the most popular has been the debate of whether crime in itself is the problem or simply the severity of crime, comes to mind what Monfongo said in another thread: "all you [expats] live in a vacuum" or something along those lines."

-NALs

And were would an apartment in the Zona Colonial in SD fit?

[Rick Snyder]

Bienamor,

AN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS/UPPER CLASS NON-GATED COMMUNITY