An informal survey of local young people in urban neighborhoods found that nearly 80 percent have had family or friends wounded or killed by gun violence -- a number that the report calls "staggering."

Some 455 students ages 9 to 18 participated in the written survey, a project of the Metro-Urban Institute of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and several associated organizations.

The questionnaire was distributed through 15 charter schools and after-school programs run by churches and neighborhood groups in the eastern part of the city, the North Side and Hill District. The majority of responses came from youths involved in YouthWorks Inc. and the Pittsburgh Project on the North Side. They were followed, in no particular order, by Imani Christian Academy in East Hills, Waverly Presbyterian Church in Regent Square, Rodman Street Baptist Church in East Liberty and Trinity AME Church in the Hill District.

The results were presented yesterday at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in East Liberty. The full report, broken down by age group, is available online at www.pts.edu.

Of all the respondents, 78.9 percent said someone among their family or friends has been shot or killed by gunfire. The national average of young people experiencing all forms of violence is 60 percent, according to a 2009 report from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency.

"I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it was this bad," said the Rev. Ronald E. Peters, director of the Metro-Urban Institute and author of the questionnaire.

"This to me represents a community crisis. We have approximately 23,500 students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, and the overwhelming proportion of the students who responded come from city schools. So with a population this size, we are talking 1 in 50 students in our public schools experiencing gun violence.

"That's far too many, and that's why we're calling for attention to this survey. Our children need to be protected."

More than half the respondents (265) were ages 15 to 19. This group had the most experience with gun violence, with 86 percent reporting a friend or relative having been shot or killed.

Of the 114 children ages 12 to 14, 72.9 percent knew a victim of gun violence. And of the 76 children ages 9 to 11, 63.2 percent knew one. Only 96 respondents, or 21 percent, knew no one who'd been shot or killed.

When asked for two ways to stop street violence, the largest proportion (18 percent) cited banning or controlling guns. After that came more community activities, no solution, more police, staying off the streets and jobs/education.

Of the 52 respondents who had no suggestions, many believed the violence had escalated to a point where it could never be stopped.

"This speaks that our children know the situation is out of their control," said the Rev. Peters. "They cannot ban guns or put more police on the street. These are things adults have to do and they are asking for our help."

The survey also asked other things to measure the students' attitudes and values.

Which subjects do you like most in school? The highest-ranking answer was sports, followed by the arts, language or history, and math.

Who are the three people you admire most? The top five: mother (71.4 percent), other family member (61.3 percent), father (38.9 percent), grandmother (29.2 percent), spiritual admiration (10.1 percent).

What do you pray for most? The top five: family (55.4 percent), self (25.3 percent), friends (19.6 percent), safety (14.9 percent), success in education/career (14.3 percent).

The report's conclusion emphasizes the role of faith and spirituality in building community solutions and instilling hope.

The Rev. Peters said the survey came about after members of the institute had been meeting for more than a year to talk about youth violence. Last fall they realized that the voices of young people were missing from the discussion and agreed to conduct the survey, albeit an unscientific one.

"This was informal, but the goal is to promote a more thorough analysis," he said. "I'd like to know what's actually going on in our schools."

He said the organizations hope to meet with officials from the Board of Education and the city of Pittsburgh to plan and organize a response.

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