Section 9. Community Readiness

Often, community members are expected to respond immediately to new projects and community change without adequate time to adjust to new ideas or gain the knowledge needed to fully understand them. This section is about how to understand and measure how ready a community is to address a particular issue, and how to use that knowledge to support community change.

What is community readiness?

Community readiness is the degree to which a community is ready to take action on an issue. That readiness can range from none at all – the issue may not yet be recognized in the community – to having established efforts in place and making progress. Community readiness has some specific characteristics that are important for community builders to understand:

• Community readiness is issue-specific. A community can be highly ready to address one issue while being at the earliest stages of readiness in relation to another. Readiness can also be assessed across multiple dimensions. We’ll discuss those dimensions in the next part of this section.
• Community readiness can vary across dimensions. A community may be more ready to address an issue in some ways than in others. It may know a great deal about the issue and recognize it as a concern, for instance, but have little experience with possible ways of addressing it.
• Community readiness can vary across different segments of the community. Some groups – those directly affected by the issue, for example – may be far more ready to address it than others. As we’ll see, there are ways to help move communities toward higher levels of readiness.
• Understanding community readiness is essential for addressing an issue. You can easily undermine an effort by trying to push a community into something it isn’t ready for. People are more likely to support what they see as reasonable, logical, and doable. You may be proposing something that is all of those, but if the community sees it differently, the effort is unlikely to be successful.

An understanding of community readiness allows you to tailor an intervention or strategy to what the community is prepared to consider, accept, and support. By taking small steps forward – by setting goals that require people to stretch, but not so far beyond their current knowledge, experience, or willingness that the effort becomes unrealistic – you can make steady progress.

What is the community readiness model?

The Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research at Colorado State University developed the Community Readiness Model to identify dimensions and levels of community readiness. The model also includes an instrument for assessing readiness that can be administered and scored by community members. We’ll include the instrument and instructions for scoring it in the “How to” part of this section.

Dimensions of community readiness

Dimensions of readiness are key factors that influence a community’s preparedness to take action on an issue. The six dimensions used in this version of the model are:

• Community efforts. To what extent are there existing efforts, programs, activities, or policies that address the issue?
• Community knowledge of the efforts. To what extent do community members know about existing local efforts and their effectiveness? Are the efforts accessible to different segments of the community?
• Leadership. To what extent are formal leaders and other influential community members supportive of addressing the issue?
• Community climate. What is the prevailing attitude of the community toward the issue? Do community members generally feel that change is possible and that they can play a role in it?
• Community knowledge about the issue. To what extent do community members understand the issue, its causes and consequences, and how it affects their community?
• Resources related to the issue. To what extent are local resources – people, time, money, space, expertise, and other support – available for efforts to address the issue?

Your community’s status with respect to each of these dimensions forms the basis of its overall level of readiness. Remember that readiness can vary – sometimes widely – across dimensions. For example, community efforts may be well developed while resources remain limited. The community’s level of readiness for one issue also doesn’t necessarily correspond to its readiness for another, because readiness is issue-specific.

Community readiness can be described by nine different levels:

• No Awareness. The issue is not generally recognized by the community or its leaders as a concern.
• Denial/Resistance. At least some community members recognize the issue as a concern, but there is little recognition that it may be occurring locally.
• Vague Awareness. Most people recognize that there is a local concern, but there is little immediate motivation to do anything about it.
• Preplanning. There is clear recognition that something should be done, and there may already be a group addressing the issue. However, efforts are not yet focused or detailed.
• Preparation. Active leaders begin planning in earnest. The community offers modest support for their efforts.
• Initiation. Enough information is available to justify action, and activities are underway.
• Stabilization. Activities are supported by administrators or community decisionmakers. Staff and participants have gained experience in carrying out the effort.
• Confirmation/Expansion. Efforts are established. Community members feel comfortable using or participating in them and support expanding them. Local data are collected regularly.
• High Level of Community Ownership. Detailed knowledge exists about the issue, its prevalence, causes, and consequences. Evaluation guides new directions, and the community uses what it has learned to address additional issues.

Once you know your community’s level of readiness, you can plan your effort to begin at that level and work toward the next. Over time, the community can continue moving forward one level at a time.

Why use the community readiness model?

• It conserves valuable resources – time, money, and people – by guiding the selection of strategies that are more likely to succeed. Rather than spinning your wheels trying to get the community to do something it isn’t ready for, you – and the community – can start where things actually stand.
• It is an accessible and relatively inexpensive tool. Community members can be trained to administer and score the assessment without having to rely entirely on outside professionals.
• It promotes community recognition and ownership of the issue. Because it can be used by community members and takes local perspectives into account, the model can help people understand an issue and its effects in their own community.
• Community ownership can help strategies remain culturally responsive, locally appropriate, and sustainable.
• It encourages the use of local knowledge and resources rather than unnecessary reliance on outside expertise. Local experts may include professionals, but they may also be community members whose lived experience and knowledge give them a strong understanding of what is happening locally.
• The process of community change can be complex and challenging, but the model breaks it into manageable steps. Moving from little readiness to the highest level is a large undertaking. Moving from one readiness stage to the next is easier to understand and plan for.
• It helps create a community vision for healthy change. The levels of readiness also describe, to some extent, how a community develops its capacity to recognize, address, evaluate, and sustain work on important issues.

When should you use the community readiness model?

The nature of the model makes it useful in many situations where a community issue needs to be addressed, but there are some times when it can be particularly useful.

• In the course of an ongoing effort. If your effort is successful, the community may move forward not only in addressing the issue, but also in its readiness. To make sure the work continues to involve tasks and goals that community members can accept and accomplish, it’s important to monitor readiness and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Each time you tackle a new issue. Because readiness is issue-specific, it’s important to understand where the community stands on each issue you address. Successful work on one issue may leave people more prepared to address another, but you shouldn’t assume that it automatically will.
• When several different communities, or different segments of one community, are involved. Groups within a community may be at very different places on the readiness scale. You may need somewhat different strategies for different groups in order to mount a successful effort.
• When you’re planning an effort that involves a participatory process. What level of participation can you expect at the beginning? Where should you start in order to have a reasonable possibility of success? Applying the model can help answer these and similar questions.
• When you’re engaged in a community or neighborhood planning effort. Many such efforts begin by assuming that everyone is at roughly the same readiness level. Looking carefully at where different parts of the community are actually starting may help broaden participation and make the planning process more effective.

Who should be involved in using the community readiness model?

In any use of the model, there are really two groups whose involvement is important: those who will apply and administer the model and assessment, and those who will be interviewed when the assessment is conducted.

• Who should consider using the model and/or administering the assessment?
  • Policymakers and planners. These are often the people with the authority or resources to act, but community readiness can easily be overlooked when proposed solutions are developed.
  • Community activists and organizers. Many organizers already understand that successful change depends on where a community is starting. An assessment can add systematic information to what organizers learn through experience and relationships.
  • Health and human service organizations. These organizations often help initiate efforts addressing such issues as hunger, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and substance use. Knowing where to begin can be crucial to success.
  • Coalitions. Understanding readiness in relation to their issue can help coalitions decide how to plan, communicate, and organize.
  • Anyone else interested in community or social change. Simply understanding the concept can be valuable in community work of many kinds.
• Who should be interviewed when the model is being applied? To some extent, the answer depends on the issue. If the issue directly concerns young people – violence involving young people or pregnancies among adolescents, for example – young people should be among those consulted. The same principle applies to other groups directly affected by an issue, such as older adults living alone, people from particular racial, ethnic, or cultural communities, people with particular health conditions, or people experiencing economic barriers. Some general possibilities include:
  • Schools and universities
  • Municipal, county, or tribal government
  • Law enforcement
  • Health and medical professionals
  • Social service organizations
  • Mental health and treatment services
  • Faith and spiritual communities
  • Community members broadly
  • Young people
  • People living on limited or fixed incomes, including people receiving Social Security or disability benefits

How do you use the community readiness model?

The model relies on the Community Readiness Assessment.

The Community Readiness Assessment

In the version presented here, the assessment is conducted through an interview that generally takes 30-60 minutes. The questions are divided into sections addressing the dimensions of readiness. Some questions are needed for scoring, while others may be adapted to the issue being studied, as long as the meaning needed for scoring is preserved.

Community Readiness Assessment Interview Questions

A. Community efforts (programs, activities, policies, etc.)

B. Community knowledge of efforts

• Using a scale from 1-10, how much of a concern is this issue in your community, with 1 being “not at all” and 10 being “a very great concern”? Please explain. (This number is used only as a reference point and is not included in scoring this dimension.)
• Please describe the efforts available in your community to address this issue. (A)
• How long have these efforts been going on in your community? (A)
• Using a scale from 1-10, how aware are people in your community of these efforts, with 1 being “no awareness” and 10 being “very aware”? Please explain. (This number is used only as a reference point and is not included in scoring this dimension.) (B)
• What does the community know about these efforts or activities? (B)
• What are the strengths of these efforts? (B)
• What are the weaknesses or limitations of these efforts? (B)
• Who do these programs serve? For example, are they intended for people of particular ages or other groups within the community? (A)
• Are there segments of the community for whom these efforts or services may be less accessible? For example, consider age, race or ethnicity, income, language, disability, geography, transportation, or other relevant factors. (A)
• Is there a need to expand these efforts or services? If not, why not? (A)
• Is there any planning for additional efforts or services related to this issue going on in your community? If yes, please explain. (A)
• What formal or informal policies, practices, and laws related to this issue are in place in your community, and for how long? (A)
• Are there segments of the community for whom these policies, practices, and laws are applied differently or may have different effects? Please explain. (A)
• Is there a need to expand or change these policies, practices, or laws? If so, are there plans to do so? Please explain. (A)
• How does the community view these policies, practices, and laws? (A)

C. Leadership

• Who are the leaders or influential people specific to this issue in your community?
• Using a scale from 1-10, how much of a concern is this issue to community leadership, with 1 being “not at all” and 10 being “of great concern”? Please explain. (This number is used only as a reference point and is not included in scoring.)
• How are these leaders involved in efforts related to the issue? Please explain.
• Would community leadership support additional efforts? Please explain.

D. Community climate

• Describe the community.
• Are there circumstances in which members of your community might think this issue should be accepted or tolerated? Please explain.
• How does the community support efforts to address this issue?
• What are the primary barriers to efforts addressing this issue in your community?
• Based on the answers you have provided so far, what do you think is the overall feeling among community members regarding this issue?

E. Knowledge about the issue

• How knowledgeable are community members about this issue? Please explain. For example, consider causes, dynamics, signs, symptoms where relevant, local data, and effects on individuals, families, and the community.
• What types of information are available in your community regarding this issue?
• What local data are available on this issue in your community?
• How do people obtain this information in your community?

F. Resources for efforts related to the issue (time, money, people, space, expertise, etc.)

• Where would a person affected by this issue be most likely to turn first for help in your community? Why?
• On a scale from 1-10, what is the level of expertise and training among those working on this issue, with 1 being “very low” and 10 being “very high”? Please explain. (This number is used only as a reference point and is not included in scoring.)
• Do efforts addressing this issue have a broad base of volunteers or other community participants?
• What is the attitude of community members and local businesses toward supporting efforts through volunteering, financial contributions, space, or other resources?
• How are current efforts funded? Please explain.
• Are you aware of proposals or action plans that have been submitted for funding to address this issue in your community? If yes, please explain.
• Are efforts currently being evaluated? If yes, how developed is the evaluation process?
• Are evaluation findings being used to change existing programs, activities, or policies or to develop new ones?

There are two questions to be answered here:

• How do you administer and score the Community Readiness Assessment?
• How do you use community readiness information?

How do you administer and score the Community Readiness Assessment?

• Choose and train interviewers. You’ll probably do best with people who are good interviewers and/or community members who are trusted by the people they’ll be interviewing. Ideally, you can find interviewers who fit both descriptions. They don’t have to be professionals, but they should be comfortable with others, able to think on their feet, and understand how to put people at ease and gather information from them. Interviewers should also understand the community readiness model well enough to know when clarification or additional detail is needed.
• Choose and train scorers. Because the assessment uses a specific scoring process, scorers need to understand both the scoring procedure and the community readiness model.
• Revise the assessment tool, if necessary, to reflect the issue you’re concerned with. Some wording may need to be adjusted so that the questions make sense for your particular issue, while retaining the meaning required for scoring.

Community Readiness: A Handbook for Successful Change emphasizes that adaptations to the questions should be made carefully because the questions are closely connected to the scoring process. In most cases, the specific issue can simply be substituted for the phrase “this issue.” Questions that are required for scoring should be retained, and any additional questions should be added in a way that does not interfere with scoring.

If questions are translated into another language, the handbook recommends using people familiar with both the language and cultural context and checking the translated version to make sure the original meaning has been retained.

Pilot test revised questions to make sure they are understandable and provide the information needed for scoring each dimension.

• Select people to interview who know the community well. They should reflect a range of perspectives, particularly those of people directly or indirectly affected by the issue.
• Contact the people you have identified and ask whether they are willing to discuss the issue. Allow enough time for thoughtful responses.
• Conduct your interviews. Avoid debating the issue with interviewees, but ask for clarification when needed and use prompts as appropriate. Record responses as accurately as possible, without adding your own interpretation or assuming what the interviewee meant.
• Score the interviews. Determine scores for each readiness dimension and an overall readiness score.

Scoring the instrument

Scoring is a step-by-step process that produces a readiness score for each dimension. Ideally, two people participate in scoring qualitative interview data.

• Working independently, both scorers should read each interview in its entirety before scoring individual dimensions so that they have an overall sense of the interview.
• Each scorer then compares the interview with the anchored rating scale for each dimension, beginning with the lowest stage and moving upward. To assign a particular stage, the evidence needed for the earlier stages should also be present.
• Each scorer records an independent score for every dimension in every interview.
• The scorers then meet, compare their ratings, discuss differences, and reach a combined score based on the evidence in the interviews.
• To calculate the score for a dimension, add the combined scores for that dimension and divide by the number of interviews.
• To calculate the overall readiness score, add the calculated dimension scores and divide by the number of dimensions.

Scores correspond with the numbered stages of readiness. Record any important observations or qualifications that help explain the scores; the numbers are most useful when considered alongside what interviewees actually said.

How do you use community readiness information? With the information you’ve gathered about the individual dimensions and overall readiness, you can begin developing strategies appropriate to your community. Ideally, this should happen through a participatory planning process that includes people interviewed for the assessment as well as others representing different parts of the community and groups affected by the issue.

First, look at the distribution of scores across the dimensions. Are they all about the same? Are some noticeably lower than others?

Readiness may differ across dimensions, and lower-scoring dimensions may require particular attention.

If one or more dimensions score lower than the others, consider strategies that strengthen readiness in those areas. The intensity and expectations of your strategies should fit where the community currently is rather than assuming that every dimension is equally developed.

To be successful, efforts toward community change should begin with strategies appropriate to the community’s current stage of readiness.

Goals and General Strategies Appropriate for Each Stage

• No Awareness. Here, your goal is to raise awareness that the issue exists.
  • Make one-on-one contact with community leaders and other community members.
  • Visit existing small groups and organizations to share information about the issue.
  • Reach out directly to potential supporters.
  • Use local media and community communication channels to explain or call attention to the issue.
• Denial/Resistance. The goal at this level is to increase recognition that the issue exists locally.
  • Continue one-on-one conversations and encourage people you’ve spoken with to help.
  • Discuss local examples and data related to the issue.
  • Engage local education, health, and outreach programs to help share accessible information.
  • Draw attention to local news and community information related to the issue.
  • Share information through local media and community communication channels about the issue’s local effects.
  • Provide information through faith communities, neighborhood organizations, clubs, community newsletters, and similar channels.
  • Present information to relevant community groups.
• Vague Awareness. Now that people recognize the concern, the next goal is to strengthen understanding that the community can do something about it.
  • Present information at community events and to groups that may not yet be directly involved with the issue.
  • Use posters, flyers, digital communication, and other public information methods.
  • Organize informal community events and use them as opportunities for discussion.
  • Conduct informal surveys, interviews, and conversations with community members.
  • Publish or share general information about the issue and its local implications.
• Preplanning. At this level, people are ready to begin thinking seriously about how the issue might be addressed.
  • Continue providing information about the issue through presentations and communication channels.
  • Meet with community leaders and other influential people to build support.
  • Review existing community efforts to understand whom they reach, what they do, and what is known about their effectiveness.
  • Conduct local focus groups to discuss the issue and possible strategies.
  • Increase communication and public awareness through appropriate local media and community channels.
• Preparation. Here, the goal is to gather the information and support needed for detailed planning.
  • Conduct appropriate school or youth surveys when the issue directly concerns young people.
  • Conduct community surveys or other forms of assessment.
  • Hold community events to build awareness and participation in the effort.
  • Conduct public forums to develop strategies through grassroots participation.
  • Invite community leaders, people with lived experience, and other trusted voices to speak with groups and through local media.
  • Plan how you will evaluate the effort.
• Initiation. As a more substantial community effort gets underway, provide community-specific information and support for new and existing activities.
  • Provide training on community readiness and the issue for professionals, paraprofessionals, volunteers, and other participants as appropriate.
  • Plan communication efforts associated with the start of activities.
  • Attend community meetings and provide updates on progress.
  • Interview participants and people using services to identify gaps, improve existing efforts, and determine where information should be shared.
  • Search for additional resources and potential funding.
  • Begin basic evaluation activities.
• Stabilization. Now that efforts are underway, the goal is to stabilize and support them so that the overall community effort can continue.
  • Plan community events to maintain involvement and support.
  • Provide continued training for professionals and other people involved in the work.
  • Provide training and information for community members and explain how the effort will be evaluated.
  • Hold regular meetings to review progress and modify strategies where needed.
  • Recognize the contributions of local supporters, participants, and volunteers.
  • Share progress and future plans through community communication channels.
  • Strengthen coordination among service providers, community organizations, and other systems.
• Confirmation/Expansion. Once efforts are established, the task is to strengthen and expand them based on experience and data.
  • Formalize collaboration and service agreements where useful.
  • Prepare a community assessment or profile relevant to the issue.
  • Develop and maintain accessible information about available community programs and services.
  • Maintain useful community data and make appropriate information available to the public.
  • Develop local speakers or community ambassadors and support appropriate policy change where needed.
  • Share specific data trends and findings with the community.
  • Use evaluation findings to improve or modify efforts.
• High Level of Community Ownership. At the highest level, the challenge is to sustain progress while continuing to learn and improve. Community members have ownership of the effort and take responsibility for maintaining and strengthening it.
  • Maintain support from local businesses and other community partners.
  • Diversify funding and other resources.
  • Continue advanced training and professional development where appropriate.
  • Continue reassessing the issue and the progress being made.
  • Use evaluation and outside feedback when useful to improve programs and strategies.
  • Track outcome data for planning, accountability, and future funding.
  • Continue sharing progress with community members, leaders, participants, partners, and funders.

In Summary

Understanding community readiness – how prepared a community is to address a particular issue – is an important tool for anyone concerned with health and community development. An effort is unlikely to gain support if people do not yet recognize that the issue exists locally, understand why it matters, or believe that meaningful action is possible.

The Community Readiness Model provides a structured way to understand where a community currently stands. Community builders can then use that information to develop strategies that fit the community’s current readiness while helping it move toward the next stage.

The model provides an accessible way of assessing readiness on a particular issue. Because community members themselves can participate in the assessment and planning process, the approach can draw on local expertise and assets rather than relying only on outside professionals. That participation can strengthen community ownership and support steady progress over time.

Community readiness can be described by nine different levels:

1. No Awareness. The issue is not generally recognized by the community or its leaders as a concern.
2. Denial/Resistance. At least some community members recognize the issue as a concern, but there is little recognition that it may be occurring locally.
3. Vague Awareness. Most people recognize a local concern, but there is little immediate motivation to act.
4. Preplanning. There is clear recognition that something should be done, but efforts are not yet focused or detailed.
5. Preparation. Active planning is underway, with modest community support.
6. Initiation. Activities are underway and enough information is available to support action.
7. Stabilization. Efforts have become established and are supported by community organizations or decisionmakers.
8. Confirmation/Expansion. Established efforts are supported, evaluated, and expanded as appropriate.
9. High Level of Community Ownership. The community has substantial knowledge, uses evaluation to guide decisions, and takes responsibility for sustaining and extending the work.