Last year I conducted a short, anonymous online survey of the non-Mexican, expat, retiree, second-home owning residents of the East Cape. Here I provide some basic summaries of the results. First, however, it's important to talk about the limits of the survey. One of the big problems with trying to do a survey of this population is that there actually isn't much information about it. Anywhere. This includes population estimates--and that makes sampling particularly difficult. During the survey I did ask people to provide general population estimates for the community where they lived, but those estimates have to be taken for what they are: non-scientific estimates.
In Cabo Pulmo, for example, the self-reported estimates ranged from 25 to 200 people. That's a pretty big range. Based upon estimates during my research in Pulmo, I'd put the range at somewhere between 125 and 200 people. That number drops dramatically in the off-season, however. In Los Barriles, which is one of the largest enclaves of non-Mexican residents on the East Cape, self-reported estimates ranged from 40 to 2,500 people. The most common response was 2,000 (4 of 8 people reported that number). During my time on the East Cape in 2012 I heard various estimates, ranging from about 500 to 2,000. Despite the rough estimates, it's pretty clear that this survey doesn't have enough responses to be considered a representative sample. I had a total of 39 responses, which isn't bad considering the highly
mobile nature of this population. Still, since the sample is so small,
the survey results are by no means definitive.
The survey is also limited, in part, because of how the sample was taken. All surveys have potential sources of bias and/or error, and this one is no exception. This was an online survey, in which people made the choice to participate (or not participate). This is not a random sample taken from a larger population in which every person had an equal mathematical chance of being selected. You can read more about sampling bias/error here. I wrote the survey, posted it online, and then invited people to participate, mostly through the contacts I obtained during my year of research, and by posting the survey on a well-known online forum (Baja Nomad). This is known as an "opt-in" or "self-identified" sample because the participants are non-random volunteers. In this case, the data from the survey have not been weighted to reflect the larger population, primarily because I don't have reliable information about that population (as discussed above). Another obvious source of bias is the fact that the survey was online--this means that anyone without online access was automatically excluded. Ultimately, what this means is that it's not possible to calculate a sampling error for this survey, and that we can't make any generalizations about the larger non-Mexican/retiree population on the East Cape.
Regardless, the survey does provide some interesting and useful information about the sample of people who did respond. It gives us some preliminary insights into the lives of these people and opens up some good avenues for future investigation. Let's take a look at the results.
Of the people who responded, the dominant majority were between 61-70 years old (25 total or 64% of those who took the survey). Eight people were between 51-60, three were 71 or older, two were between 41-50, an one person reported being between 31-40 years old.
When I asked if the East Cape was their primary residence, 20 people said yes, while 18 said no. Next I asked people where they live when they are not on the East Cape. Twenty-six people reported living in the USA (67% of the total), six people didn't answer, three people said they only live on the East Cape, two people reported living in Canada, one person said they lived in another part of Mexico, and finally one other person said they lived in Europe.
Next I asked where people were born. The USA was the number one response, with 31. Europe was next closest, with a total of four, and Canada came after that with a total of three. One person did not answer the question. When asked about their living situation on the East Cape, 25 people said they own a house there. Four people said they rent a room, house, or apartment, three people said they own land but do not have a house, and two people didn't answer. Five people chose "other."
As for the amount of time they spend on the East Cape each year, 11 reported that they are full-time residents. Nine people said they live there between 4-6 months per year, eight reported 7-11 months, seven said 1-3 months, and four people said they are there less than one month per year.
Ten people said they first visited the East Cape between 1981 and 1990. Another nine said they first visited between 2001 and 2010. Eight people reported first visiting between 1971 and 1980, and another eight said their first visit was between 1991 and 2000. Four people said they first visited before 1970.
Here's the breakdown of respondents in terms of geographic location on the East Cape: Nine people were from Cabo Pulmo; Eight from Los Barriles; Four from Buena Vista; Four from Castillo de Arena; Three from Spa Buena Vista; Two from La Ribera; One from Bahia Terranova; One from the Boca del Salado area; One from El Encanto; One from La Capilla; One from Lighthouse Point, One from Los Frailes; and finally One from the Palo Blanco area. Two people did not respond.
Then came the question about which identity term people prefer. Eleven people said they prefer to be called "gringos." Ten picked the term "retiree," while eight people chose the term "American." Four people picked "Second Home Owner," another four chose "Other," one person said they preferred to be called "Canadian," and finally one person picked the term "expat." This was a bit of a surprise because I have heard many people use the term "expat" in the past. I assumed it was a fairly accepted term. When I first started my research in 2009 I thought that was the preferred term. During my fieldwork I learned that was not necessarily the case: more than one person told me they did not like to be called "expats" because they were still connected to their country of origin. This survey provides a little more evidence that the term expat might not be a preferred term. That was clearly the case among the sample here.
When it comes to proficiency in Spanish, 24 people said they speak "a little Spanish." Another seven said they are proficient. Four reported being fluent speakers, three said they don't speak any Spanish, and one person didn't answer. When I asked whether or not people were retired, 24 said yes, and 15 said no.
When asked why they moved to the East Cape, people gave a variety of answers. The number one response was that people moved there because of the ocean/sea and beaches (11 total). Eight people specifically said they moved there because of the fishing. Seven people moved there because of a general love/attraction to the place itself. Six people moved there for economic reasons (affordability, cheaper real estate), and another six cited the Mexican people/culture as a primary attraction. Six more people moved there because of sports/outdoor activities (windsurfing, diving, hiking, mountain biking). Five people said they moved to the East Cape because of "nature," and another four specifically mentioned the mountains and/or desert landscape.
The survey also asked people for their opinion about the now-cancelled project "Cabo Cortes." The overwhelming majority were against the project, with 23 responding that they were "strongly against" it and another five saying they were "against" it. Six people said they were neutral, two people were "for Cabo Cortes," and one person was "strongly for Cabo Cortes."
When asked if they had any further comments about Cabo Cortes, 22 people responded. Here are five randomly selected answers* to shed some light on what they said:
1 - "Would destroy the coral reef at Cabo Pulmo."
2 - "I was initially for Cabo Cortes but it seems to become a monster with each new iteration of overall planning. The size, scope and density was off the charts ridiculous in the end, but originally it was an interesting concept."
3 - "Roads, people, destruction of the reef. No redeeming positives."
4 - "With proper environmental protection it will be a good project, but only if the density is reduced to less than 8,000 units/beds. There needs to be an assessment of the number of Mexicans it would require as the current ratio is 15 people for each bed/unit---equals 120,000 people."
5 - "Too large of impact on environment and East Cape, Cabo Pulmo marine park."
***
Regarding Cabo Riviera in La Ribera, 13 people said they have "very negative opinions" about the project, 12 said they have "negative" opinions, and nine people answers that they are "neutral" about it. Four people said they have "positive" opinions, and one person said they have "very positive" opinions about Cabo Riviera.
When asked if they had any additional comments about Cabo Riviera, 24 people responded. Of those 24, here are five randomly selected answers:
1 - "This project and many others are stalled. Developers should have to complete work within a timeframe or forfeit their rights and be required to restore the environment. A coordinated Mexican development plan would restrict approvals to those which are viable and demonstrate a high standard of environmental stewardship."
2 - "Pipe dream, wrong location for large scale development. Too windy."
3 - "I hope it brings employment and prosperity to La Ribera."
4 - "We need to keep vigilant or other projects like it will pop up. Research needs to be done to inform govt policies, enforceable by law."
5 - "Should never [have] been approved."
***
The next question was "Which of the following best summarizes your opinion about 'development' on the East Cape?" Seven people said they were neutral about development on the East Cape. One person was "strongly in favor" of more development, and another seven were "in favor" of more development. A total of 14 people reported being "against" development, and another nine said they were "strongly against" it. One person chose "none of the above."
Then respondents were asked to elaborate on the previous question about development. The survey asked: "What does 'development' mean to you? What comes to mind when you hear the word 'development'?" Since the meaning of development is one of the focal points of my research, I am going to share all of the answers given in their entirety (32 out of 39 people answered this question). Here they are:
1 - "If development is well planned - meaning that there is sufficient fresh water to supply the development and that it will not severely damage natural resources on land or in the sea it would be a positive way to create jobs and develop revenue. To build another tourist center identical to that in Cabo San Lucas is probably not good business. The rooms there are not fully booked. Probably smarter to build an alternative kind of center (eg ecotourism) that would draw a different group of tourists. Better to build in stages - build a small sector and see if there is a market - when that market proves to be there - then expand. That's how Cabo San Lucas developed - and it worked well."
2 - "Development is providing housing and recreational opportunities for Mexicans and tourists/retirees/expatriates and provides economic opportunities."
3 - "More people, more land, water and light pollution."
4 - "Capitalistic dominance with no regard for locals."
5 - "Development is being done without any consideration to how the local infrastructure can support it, as well as the environmental impacts."
6 - "Population will grow but resources need to be managed. The environment can be protected if people are careful and go green. The number of people should be sustainable."
7 - "In the past 3 years, there have been many newcomers who are rejuvenating old, smaller properties and there should be an incentive to do this. In the future, be for every new house that is put up, there should be a requirement that a portion of building costs a returned to the community to ensure people have a minimum standard of shelter. The community is highly segregated with many families living in substandard structures. With most Mexicans living well below the poverty line, there should be increased social capital return to the local citizens beyond philanthropy."
8 - "Small project only...we do not want another Cabo."
9 - "To take something raw in nature and turn it into something man made for more people to beable to come and live here. It's when the scope of such projects become huge and nonsustainable that problems arise that wouldn't of if more thought about how to protect the environment went into the plan instead of more greed for more money!"
10 - "I know my existence there is contradictory to my attitude, but I love the wild nature of the area."
11 - "More and better infrastructure, roads, access to sewer, water and electric. Better schools, hospitals etc."
12 - "As previously expressed, the area deserves a cohesive vision with an overall direction and sentiment that includes environmentally sensitive planning while allowing access, in many forms, to residents, tourists, nature lovers, adventurers, artists and local workers."
13 - "Development means lots of foreigner's enclaves. Living in the area should be a conglomerate of local Mexicans as well as foreigners. If one surrounds itself with like citizens...what is the point of retiring or living in a foreign land?"
14 - "Traffic, bad guys coming to town. I've witnessed an increased number of thieves [on] the East Cape."
15 - "Development to me means structures that are out of scale with community standards. more then 3 stories, small lot size (less than 500sq meters) hotels with over 50 rooms, parking lots for 200 cars just not the East Cape 'Way'. Ticky tacky similar, to Cabo."
16 - "Development means large money trap, all inclusive resorts that build golf courses, roads, and phony experiences for lazy tourist unwilling to truly earn and enjoy one of the worlds most special places."
17 - "Bring it into the 21st century."
18 - "Development normally means not caring about the environment, and getting the rich even richer."
19 - "Conscientious and well planned development with a clear mission which considers the realistic long term effects on the land, sea and people would be welcomed by me."
20 - "More people, faster lifestyle, more crime, higher cost of living."
21 - "I think of building projects, large or small, and the resources that go with it."
22 - "Development has meant a developer ruining a pristine area, and running off with the quick money, and leaving the problems created to someone else. Development in the East Cape must set new, higher, standards, truly respecting the ecosystem in which it sits, and allowing no pollution to poison the land or sea."
23 - "Increased tourism with large hotels, residential areas and the necessary infrastructure."
24 - "Pollution for one. Development would only hurt the people who live there. Prices would go up and its hard for the people who live there to make ends meat now."
25 - "The end of the peace and beauty of the East Cape."
26 - "If it brings in sustainable income to the community like teaching them how to create a product to improve their lives that is one thing. If it is to build another golf course that sucks up our water here in the desert, a hotel that leaves a big foot print and brings in staff, that is not development."
27 - "Not opposed to homes but very opposed to resorts, condos and anything over two stories tall."
28 - "I am in favor of individual home building but against large scale land purchasing and home building. One marina in the area is good; 2 or more is too many. The ocean cannot support too many more boats and fishermen. I like the available shopping 50 miles away. I do not need it close by."
29 - "To me 'development' can best be described as what has happened to Cabo San Jose and San Jose Del Cabo: a massive stretch of time share resorts."
30 - "Reason for being here is the way that it is. This is not an investment opportunity."
31 - "A pub."
32 - "Developers, in my mind, are about profit at the expense of anything that gets in their way. Often a beautiful area becomes completely ruined when the 'developers' get ahold of it. There is little, if any, concern for the local people, the animal habitat, or the land and plant life."
***
I made a quick word cloud that shows some of the most common words people used to talk about "development." It's an interesting, graphic way of looking at the data and seeing which terms people used more frequently (words used more often are bigger in the image):
This brings us to the final question. To wrap up the survey, I asked: "In terms of development, what would you like to see happen on the East Cape? Ideally, how should the East Cape look in 10-15 years?" Once again, I'll share all of the raw answers (28 people responded to this final question):
1 - "The same as it does today."
2 - "Development will happen but it needs to happen in a thoughtful way in regards to the overall impact of the people the area and the environment. Just look at the water, sewage and traffic in Cabo San Lucas."
3 - "Off the grid, self-sufficient. Creating its own power, creating some of its own water (through dew-catching, flash distilling sea water), creating power through solar thermal, micro wind, waste to energy and cactus biofuel and ethanol. Growing its own food through permaculture, vertical farming, and using existing desert farming techniques."
4 - "Development must exceed standards for the best environmental protection and compensation needs to be returned to the communities. Those who use the new developments should not be able to consume more than they need, therefore new developments should not be built on the usual over-consumption template. The history and culture of Baja must be protected as well. There are several older closed resorts on the cape that could be updated before new ones are allowed to move forward."
5 - "More single family homes, if anything."
6 - "Small, sustainable type projects that fit into the landscape without overpowering it."
7 - "The same as now."
8 - "I would hope that the area would be developed with a better long term plan than the Cabo San Lucas area."
9 - "It could be a world class area as described by Jacques Cousteau decades ago - the World's Aquarium. It requires a collaboration and change in mindset between the high density development camp and the environmental groups who want to keep everything as is...in primitive form. There will always be elite groups that circumvent both camps so it would be better to try and accommodate both points of view for conservancy and commerce. Why not a collaboration between the Nature Conservancy and a high end developer?"
10 - "We don't want the East Cape to become another Cabo."
11 - "Nothing should change...leave it as is."
12 - "La Ribera is just like San Jose del Cabo was 30 years ago."
13 - "Same as now."
14 - "No traffic lights, no deep water harbor, the SOC [Sea of Cortez] blue with smiling people."
15 - "And because I know development is inevitable, I would like to see slow single home and small local business growth with strong over site by the young educated mexicans with an appreciation of just what a treasure they have left here."
16 - "Same as now."
17 - "I would like to see most of the East Cape set aside as protected land. I can visualize some Eco tourism development and a few 'boutique' hotels which would give reasonable opportunity for people to benefit from the natural resources that the East Cape has to offer. Appropriate development and usage which considers the rights of nature and protects the uniqueness of the area."
18 - "Slow steady growth. Retain laid back feeling."
19 - "This area should set the clean, sustainable bar so high that the rest of the planet learns how to develop correctly, by studying how it was done here. Above all, the Mexicans who live here, should benefit, grow, learn, and prosper from EcoTourism that sees the reef continue to be a rich nursery for the Sea of Cortes."
20 - "I would like to see it remain much the same as it is now. The beauty of the area is that it does not look or feel overly Americanized."
21 - "The same as it does now."
22 - "Nothing. Go back to the states if you want McDonalds and shopping Malls."
23 - "At the rate we are disrespecting the sea there will not be enough fish left to bring in tourists. We must look to the next thing. Bring in eco-tourism in a way that is sustainable and doesn't drain resources. Finding a way to provide for the children, community and future."
24 - "Like it does now."
25 - "Ideally, more single family homes will be constructed. One 'Cabo Riviera' resort is more than sufficient for this area."
26 - "The same."
27 - "As it is now."
28 - "Ideally, it should keep its pristine beauty. Any development should be done with every concern for the environment, and all the living creatures, maintaining harmony and balance in all aspects."
The most common response was that people wanted the East Cape to stay the same as it is now/remain unchanged (11 of 29 people responded with this sentiment). As with many of the other answers, the respondents to this survey tend to have a tendency toward being against development and change on the East Cape. This could be representative of the non-Mexican population as a whole. or could be a factor of sample bias. It's impossible to tell. The next step, of course, would be to get better, more reliable population estimates of the various non-Mexican/retiree communities and undertake a more rigorous and in-depth survey of the population. Perhaps that's something I can do once I'm finally done with my dissertation.
*Note: I used this page from Random.org to generate random numbers, which I then used to make my selections.
No comments:
Post a Comment