· The highest rated social amenity was a strong set of rules governing the community to control the quality and character of the residential area.

. Other popular social features were traditional community events such as farmers' markets, founders' day celebrations, etcetera.

· Emerging interests as indicated by handwritten comments included the desire for youth sport leagues, instructional classes, seminars and volunteer programs.

FAMILY SNAPSIIOTS

Significant changes in human behavior generally occur because something in people's lives change. Roper Starch Worldwide identifies several new family profiles that will makeup the future. Picture the following family types:

First Families-married households with children and a concerted focus and emphasis upon those children

Second Chancers-primarily baby boomers who are divorced and remarried with a somewhat different focus on family

Continuing Caregivers-family units who care for elderly parents, grandchildren, or even adult children who for a variety of reasons have returned home

New Me's-health-conscious, self-absorbed and age-sensitive people who have usually experienced some type of midlife crisis that has changed their habits and attitude

Free Birds-primarily baby boomers entering the pre retirement years in the more traditional empty nest fashion

GAPS: GENERATIONS AND GENDER

The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that for the first time women ages 25 to 29 have outpaced their male counterparts when it comes to educational achievement. The report indicates that 88.9% of females have a high school diploma compared with 85.8% of males and that 29.3% of females earned a college degree compared with 26.3% of males.

A computer quiz conducted by Volchok Consulting of Fortune 1,000 senior executives and sixth-graders found that 43% of the executives thought rock star Fiona Apple was a kind of a computer and another 53% thought an Arch Deluxe was a PC part. On the other hand, 98% of the students knew that an Arch Deluxe was a McDonald's sandwich. Ninety-three percent of the sixth-graders could explain what a modem does compared to 23% of the execs and 98% of the students knew the Internet isn't owned by anyone, while 68% of the business people thought a corporation owned it.

A survey of baby boomers and their elderly parents commissioned by Elderplan, a New York-based health care company, found that 94% of the older people felt that their health conditions have little or no effect on their children's lives while 80% of their children, the baby boomers, indicated that their parents' health had affected the quality of their lives.

ELLEN L Q'SULLIVAN, Ph.D, CLE

is the president of Leisure Lifestyle Consulting of Glastonbury, Conn., specializing in support for the service industry in reaching and retaining customers through leisure experiences and lifestyle connections. Comments or suggestions about the column con be made by contacting her at 860.633. 3652 or ellenosull@aol.com.