The projected influx is due to the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Plan, which recommended that several military units relocate to Fort Riley.

Spohn, along with the help of other sociology professors and graduate students, has created a survey that is designed to measure the impact the population increase will have on Manhattan and its surrounding communities.

“Thirty thousand people is enormous,” Spohn said. “The question we’re asking is, ‘will the huge influx of people make things better or worse?’”

Through the questions asked on the survey, which was dispersed to 2,000 Riley County households, the team hopes to answer that question.

The survey is four pages long and contains questions from several different categories. Question groups range from perceptions of military to perceptions of crime to the community’s ability to work together.

Spohn said he hopes to have 60 percent of the surveys returned. Once the surveys have been returned, the group will scrutinize the results and make some generalities about the data, said Sue Williams, associate professor in sociology, anthropology and social work. The group also plans to send out a similar questionnaire in five years to see how the community’s perceptions have changed.

After those surveys have been returned, the group will do three things, Williams said.

First, they will analyze the information and make all relevant information available to community leaders. Second, the group will make selected information available to the public, but will omit specifics in order to protect the anonymity of the communities. Finally, the information will be published in professional journals so that it can be used by communities all over the world.

Kristen Kendrick, graduate student in sociology, was given the opportunity to insert some questions from her focus area into the survey.

“I’m focusing on how people get information about crime and how the media influences their perceptions,” Kendrick said.

Laszlo Kulcsar, assistant professor of sociology, anthropology and social work, said he hopes to use the information gained from the surveys to work with the planning division of the Manhattan City Commission to help them prepare for the rapid transition. Kulcsar, originally from Hungary, predicted community change in rural areas in Eastern Europe for 10 years before moving to Kansas, but said Manhattan poses some difficult challenges.

“It’s very difficult to make projections for both college and military towns,” Kulcsar said. “Manhattan is both.”

Kulcsar said towns like Manhattan are difficult because people move in and out quickly, in large numbers and unpredictably. Kulcsar said he hopes the survey will help make his job easier.

Spohn said he predicts the population boom will affect the community both positively and negatively. Businesses will have more customers and school attendance will increase. Conversely, housing might become competitive and crime might get worse, Spohn said.

Ultimately, Spohn said the greatest benefit of the rapid growth might be the diversity the added military personnel will bring to the community.

“The military population is generally more diverse than the residential population,” Spohn said. “Maybe people who had stereotypes about the military before will change their minds.”