THROUGH: Charles J. Schwabe, Deputy City Manager

FROM: Jamie McLeod, Management Analyst

SUBJECT: Executive Summary – June 2002 External Customer (Resident) Satisfaction Survey Report

DATE: September 13, 2002

COPIES: Valerie J. Armento, City Attorney

Amy Chan, Assistant City Manager

Department Directors

This Executive Summary summarizes the overall results and key findings from the June 2002 External Customer (Resident) Satisfaction Survey. The information in this report will be used to develop a more comprehensive summary report for this survey, which will be distributed to the City Council, City staff, and made available to the general public later this year.

This document is organized into the following sections:

• Survey Purpose,
• Survey Background,
• Overall Results & Key Findings, and
• Next Steps.

Attached to this document is the Summary of Data, which provides percentage breakdowns of responses from the June 2002 survey as well as comparative data from the December 2001 and June 2000 external customer satisfaction surveys.

The resident satisfaction survey is designed to:

• assist the City Council in identifying community issues and identifying community-generated ideas for improving City responsiveness;
• assist the City Manager in identifying issues that may impact process management, strategic & business planning, and budget development;
• assist department directors in making improvements to existing City programs and processes; and
• assist program managers in reporting on program outcomes.

The City conducted a comprehensive resident and customer satisfaction survey in June 2002. The survey collected data and information City staff use to measure and manage performance through the City’s outcome management system. The survey addresses three key questions:

• How satisfied are residents with the current mix of programs and services provided by the City?
• How have the satisfaction levels changed since the last external customer survey was conducted?
• What future issues and potential service needs have residents identified?

The Gelfond Group, an independent market research firm, was used to design, administer and tabulate responses to the survey. The Gelfond Group also conducted the June 2000 and the December 2001 external customer surveys. In order to identify emerging trends, many of the questions asked in the June 2002 survey were also included in the December 2001 and June 2000 surveys.

Customer satisfaction surveys were mailed to a random selection of 7,500 Sunnyvale households. Residents were able to complete the survey by calling a toll free number that prompted responses in either English or Spanish, recording their responses on-line through the company's web site, or responding to survey questions in writing and returning the survey through the mail. Given the large number of issues to be addressed, two separate surveys were developed. Both surveys included a core set of questions as well as questions on additional issues of interest. Each household included in the random sample received only one version of the survey. This method allowed for more feedback on a variety of topics, while encouraging a higher level of resident response.

A total of 823 residents completed surveys, which allows for a 95% confidence level and a +/-4% margin of error for the overall survey. As it is not practical to obtain a response from all residents when conducting a survey, the random sampling method allows for a statistically significant, representative snapshot of public perception. The results are an approximation of how the rest of the community would respond if asked the same questions. Thus, if all residents could be surveyed, at least 95% would respond within a margin of +/-4% of the results reported in the survey. For example, if a response of 88% were reported, then most residents (at least 95%) would respond to the same question within a 92% to 84% range.

When interpreting results or comparing surveys, it is important to note the margin of error (+/-4% for each survey). A difference of under 4% is not considered to be a significant change when comparing results from two or more surveys or between two demographic segments. The survey questions offered multiple choice answers, with the exception of a few open- ended questions that prompted write-in comments. Key findings from the write-in comments are listed in the Emerging Issues section. On multiple choice questions of 4 or 5 choices, the two highest ratings are jointly considered to be a favorable response. For example, the response options for neighborhood related problems include: "Not a problem at all," "Not too serious a problem," "Somewhat serious problem," or "Very serious problem." In this case, the first two responses are combined when reporting a favorable rating.

Survey results indicate that the pride that City employees take in Sunnyvale’s respected reputation is well founded. Overall, the June 2002 survey results indicate that the City’s residents believe that Sunnyvale a great place to live and the City provides high quality services and programs.

Survey results continue to reinforce the City’s hard-earned reputation for service excellence. Other results identify key issues that the City should successfully address in order to sustain the high level of confidence it now enjoys from its varied customer groups. Yet other results indicate early evidence that customer satisfaction may be declining for some City services.

A total of 17 Key Findings have been identified, and are organized into the following areas:

• Quality of Life & Neighborhood Issues
• Public Safety
• Quality Ratings for City Services
• Customer Service
• Fiscal Stewardship
• Emerging Issues

This category assesses resident satisfaction with the quality of life in Sunnyvale.

City residents continue to rate Sunnyvale as an excellent place to live with the majority of residents responding with a positive rating.

                                                    2000             2001             2002

Overall Place to Live                 Survey         Survey           Survey

Excellent/Good

(Favorable Rating)                     92%             94%             95%

Two new questions were included in this survey in order to collect data for performance measures included in the City's new Quality of Life Index. Residents used a 0 to 10 scale to rate how proud that are that they live in Sunnyvale. With a 7 to 10 rating considered a high level of pride, 77% of residents are proud to live in Sunnyvale. In a separate question, residents were asked to what degree they feel of sense of community and belonging. A total of 55% of residents responded favorably.

                                                    2000             2001             2002

                                                    Survey         Survey             Survey

Level of Pride

(Favorable Rating)                     NA                 NA                 77%

Sense of Community and Belonging

(Favorable Rating)                     NA                 NA                   55%

The survey asked residents to rank the importance of 16 neighborhood issues, including the key issues identified in the June 2000 survey. The ratings included: "Not a problem at all," "Not too serious a problem," "Somewhat serious problem" or "Very serious problem," with a negative assessment being considered for the cumulative response for the last two ratings. Only 3 neighborhood issues were given a negative assessment by 20+% of the customers surveyed.

Neighborhood Based Issues rated "Somewhat Serious/Very Serious Problem"

Traffic Congestion                     NA                     NA                 30%

Traffic Safety                              25%                  19%               23%

Overcrowding                             48%                   38%             22%

It is notable that 26% fewer residents rated Overcrowding as a "somewhat serious" or "very serious" neighborhood problem as compared to the June 2000 survey.

All 18 neighborhood issues surveyed received a rating of either "not a problem at all" or "not too serious a problem" by 70% of the respondents. The top 4 issues that received favorable ratings were:

                                                        2000                 2001                 2002

                                                        Survey              Survey               Survey

Access to Library Services             NA                 96%                     96%

Quality of Recreational Services     91%              93%                     93%

Reliability of Traffic Signals             NA                 87%                     93%

Crime                                                 87%               91%                     91%

This category assesses resident’s overall feeling of safety in Sunnyvale and their confidence in the City’s Public Safety services. Despite survey results indicating that crime is not a serious issue in Sunnyvale, Public Safety ratings have been given special attention due to the heightened security concern following the September 11^th terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Residents were asked how safe they feel in Sunnyvale. Residents continue to report feelings of overall safety.

Overall Feeling of Safety:

                                                                2000             2001             2002

                                                                Survey         Survey             Survey

(Favorable Rating)                                 94%             97%                 99%

Residents were also asked how safe they feel in different locations within the City and at different times. They ranked their neighborhood, downtown Sunnyvale and City parks based on ratings of "Very safe," "Fairly safe," "Not very safe" or "Not safe at all," with the first two being listed together as a favorable rating. Residents feel most safe during the day and less safe after dark with the following favorable ratings:

                                                                2000             2001                 2002

                                                                Survey         Survey                 Survey

Neighborhood, during the day             NA                 100%                 100%

Neighborhood, after dark                     NA                     94%                 95%

Downtown, during the day                    NA                    99%             100%

Downtown, after dark                            NA                    83%                 84%

In City's parks, during the day              NA                    99%                 99%

In City's parks, after dark                      NA                    66%                 67%

Residents continued to express their confidence in City law enforcement programs. The rating options were "Very confident," "Somewhat confident," "Neutral," "Not very confident" or "Not confident at all," with the first two collectively being considered as a favorable rating.

                                                                2000                 2001                 2002

Confidence in Public Safety:             Survey                 Survey             Survey

(Favorable Rating)                                 NA                     92%                 92%

This category assesses resident satisfaction with the quality of services provided by the City of Sunnyvale.

Residents rated the quality of 32 City services rated as "Very good," "Good," "Average," "Poor" or "Very poor," with the first two ratings being jointly considered as a favorable response. Residents expressed great satisfaction with the overall quality of City services.

                                                                    2000                 2001                 2002

Overall Quality of Services:                     Survey               Survey             Survey

(Favorable Rating)                                     92%                     92%                  93%

Of the 32 City services rated, most (24) received a favorable rating by at least 70% of the residents surveyed, and all 32 services received a favorable rating by over 50% of residents. The top 3 services to receive a favorable rating were:

                                                                        2000                 2001                 2002

                                                                        Survey             Survey                 Survey

Fire Protection                                                 94%                 94%                     95%

Police Protection                                             93%                 94%                     93%

Neighborhood Parks                                       NA                    NA                       90%

Examining the data for cumulative "Poor" and "Very poor" ratings, only 2 services received a double-digit unfavorable rating:

                                                                            2000                 2001                 2002

                                                                            Survey             Survey                 Survey

Code Enforcement                                                 8%                 10%                     11%

Long-term Planning for Land                              NA                     NA                       10%

Development and Use

The survey included a series of questions to gauge public perception of the importance of 34 City services. This was to verify that current services match community needs. Possible ratings were "Very important," "Somewhat important" or "Not important at all." Two-thirds of the City services were rated as "Very important" by 55% or more of the residents surveyed. The top 4 services receiving a "Very important" rating were:

                                                                                2000                 2001                 2002

                                                                                Survey             Survey                 Survey

Fire Protection                                                         NA                     98%                 96%

Police Protection                                                     NA                     96%                 96%

Response Time to Medical                                     NA                     92%                 94%

Emergencies

Quality of Drinking Water                                         NA                     NA                     92%

Examining the data for unfavorable ("Not important at all") rating, only three services received an unfavorable rating by 10+% of respondents.

                                                                                2000                     2001                 2002

                                                                                Survey                 Survey             Survey

Child Care Clearinghouse                                     NA                         23%                 26%

Baylands Park                                                         NA                         12%                 13%

Library Appearance                                                 NA                          5%                 11%

When considering the rating of the Child Care Clearinghouse, it is important to know that only 24% of the survey respondents have children in their households. And 74% of the respondents rated the Clearinghouse as "Very Important" or "Somewhat Important."

This category assessed resident satisfaction with the quality of customer service provided by City employees and the ease of obtaining information about City services and programs.

                                                                                    2000                2001         2002

                                                                                    Survey            Survey         Survey

Had Contact with City Employee                               56%               66%           62%

Residents rated their experience with City employee customer service as "Very satisfied," "Somewhat satisfied," "Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied," "Somewhat dissatisfied" or "Very dissatisfied," with the first two ratings jointly qualifying as a positive response.

How Satisfied Were You                                             Survey              Survey       Survey

(Favorable Rating)                                                           82%               85%         83%

It is interesting to note that the percentage of residents responding "Very Satisfied" has declined by six percent since 2000.

The majority of City residents report that information on City services easy is to find, although the favorable rating has declined by six percent since 2000. Customers rated assessing City information as "Very easy," "Fairly easy," "Not very easy" or "Not easy at all," with the first two ratings jointly constituting a favorable response.

Ease of Obtaining Information                                         Survey         Survey           Survey

(Favorable Rating)                                                             88%             82%                 82%

Residents rated methods of obtaining information about City services, other than from direct contact with City staff. The methods were rated based on being "Very useful," "Useful," "Somewhat useful" or "Not very useful," with the first two ratings jointly qualifying as a positive response. The methods of obtaining information that were rated favorably were:

                                                                                    2000             2001             2002

                                                                                  Survey             Survey         Survey

Quarterly/Annual Reports                                         NA                     75%             63%

City Web Page                                                         NA                     55%             55%

Utility Bill Stuffers                                                     NA                      55%             49%

Sundial                                                                      NA                      35%             34%

KSUN Channel 18                                                   NA                       34%             30%

Public Access Channel 60                                     NA                       33%             NA

This category assesses resident satisfaction with how public funds are being handled.

Residents were asked, on a scale of 10 to 0, to rate if they were "Very confident" (10) or had "No confidence" (0) that City tax dollars are being spent wisely. The majority of City residents are confident that their local tax dollars are being used responsibly.

Confidence Taxes Wisely Spent:

                                                                            2000             2001             2002

                                                                            Survey         Survey             Survey

Favorable (7-10 Level)                                     NA                 65%                 66%

Neural (4-6 Level)                                             NA                 24%                 26%

Residents were asked about the value that they feel they are receiving for their tax dollars. The rating options were as follows:

• "Taxes are too high for the quality of service I am receiving,"
• "Taxes are high, but the City is providing more services at a higher quality than expected,"
• "Taxes are right for the amount and quality of services I am receiving," or
• "Taxes are low for the amount and quality of services I am receiving."

The last two responses are combined to be considered a high approval rating, and the first response is considered a low approval rating.

Service Value Rating:

                                                                    2000             2001                 2002

                                                                    Survey             Survey             Survey

High Approval Rating                                 67%                 66%                 64%

Mixed Approval Rating                               19%                 20%                 24%

Low Approval Rating                                  14%                  14%                12%

It is interesting to note that the percentage of residents with a mixed approval rating ("taxes are high, but the City is providing more services at a higher quality rating than I expected") has increased by five percent since 2000.

Residents were asked what action the City of Sunnyvale should take, given the shortage of funds through less state and federal funding. The two responses offered were: "Increase local taxes" and "Keep taxes at current levels but reduce the level of service provided." A slight majority of residents remain in support of raising taxes rather than reducing service levels if the City faced a significant revenue shortfall.

                                              2000              2001             2002

                                                                        Survey              Survey             Survey

Increase Taxes                                                 58%                   51%             53%

Reduce Service Levels                                    42%                  49%             47%

This category addresses resident concerns with existing issues and highlights emerging issues identified by residents. The information in this category is based solely on empirical write-in comments from the survey and did not involve prompted responses. The issues listed in this category are based on information groupings submitted by The Gelfond Group.

About 40 percent of the surveys contained one or more written comments (317 of 823 surveys included written comments to one of three open-ended questions). A total of 655 written comments were received.

Residents were asked for comments regarding the most important issues facing Sunnyvale, now or in the future. A total of 277 comments were received. Residents mentioned four issues most frequently:

• Traffic / Congestion (62)
• Over development / Too much growth (54)

• Development of downtown (42)
• Traffic law enforcement (17)

Residents in the 2001 survey also identified the first three issues as emerging issues. Several other issues were mentioned several times as important issues facing the City now or in the future, including the lack of affordable housing, increased code enforcement in neighborhoods, and the potential expanded use of Moffett Field.

Residents were asked what types of new services should the City provide. There were a total of 178 responses to this question. There was a wide range of specific services mentioned by residents. It is interesting to note that many responses suggested residents are satisfied with the current mix of services. They recommended no new services as a means of controlling the cost of City government. Four services were mentioned most frequently:

• Expanded recycling programs to include cardboard and color paper (28)
• Additional recreational areas/programming (20)
• Street tree maintenance (13)
• Better public transportation options* (9)

* There were many references to public transportation to the emerging issues question.

The completion of the June 2002 External Customer Satisfaction Survey Key Findings Report, scheduled for October 2002, will require the following:

• In-depth analysis of the six demographic results,
• Comparisons to national survey data,
• Key Business Driver analyses in selected survey questions, and
• Preparation of the final report.

The Organizational Effectiveness team will continue to work with City staff to use the survey and other tools to build a comprehensive customer listening system.