October 18, 2005

SUBJECT: 2005 Resident Satisfaction Survey: Results and Key Findings (Information Only)

REPORT IN BRIEF

This report provides an overview of the results and key findings from the 2005 Resident Satisfaction Survey.  More than 400 residents participated in a statistically valid telephone survey conducted in July 2005 by an external market research firm.  The overall margin of sampling error for questions asked of all survey respondents is plus/minus 4.9%. For example, 89% of survey participants rated the overall quality of City services as good or very good.  With a plus/minus 4.9% margin of error, 84.1% to 93.9% of Sunnyvale residents would rate the overall quality of City services as very good or good if the survey were repeated.  Survey results indicate that residents continue to be very satisfied with the quality of services provided by the City.  Residents also feel very safe in the City.  No problems or concerns were identified by a majority of the residents in any neighborhood as somewhat serious or serious.  This report is provided as information only; no further action is required by the Council.

BACKGROUND

City staff issued a request for proposals to interested market research firms to conduct the 2005 Resident Satisfaction Survey.  Six firms (none from Sunnyvale) submitted detailed written proposals.  The City selected Northwest Research Group (Bellevue, WA) to conduct the survey.  Professional fees and expenses were substantially lower than previous surveys conducted for the City by other firms.  For example, the 2003 resident satisfaction survey cost $25,500.00, as compared to the 2005 survey which cost $19,863.52.  The survey conducted in 2003 in response to the City’s budget crisis cost $26,000.00.

More than 400 residents completed the 20 minute telephone survey in July 2005.  A total of 33 questions were included, collecting residents’ perceptions about the quality of City services, taxes and fiscal stewardship, feelings about safety, ability to access City staff and information, and neighborhood-related issues.  Demographic data was also collected, allowing survey results to be sorted by location and other factors.  Resident responses to three open-ended questions were also collected.  The overall margin of sampling error for questions asked of all survey respondents is plus/minus 4.9%.

The resident satisfaction survey is conducted every other year, based on service level and program budget reductions made by Council in 2003.  The previous resident satisfaction survey was conducted in 2003.  Survey results from both years are compared for questions included in both surveys.

DISCUSSION

The Northwest Research Group conducted a telephone survey of 408 Sunnyvale residents to complete the 2005 resident satisfaction survey.  As part of its scope of services, the firm analyzed the survey data and prepared a comprehensive report that includes all survey results and key findings.  Many questions were used in both the 2005 and 2003 resident satisfaction surveys, which allowed the 2005 survey results to be compared with the previous survey.  There were few 2005 survey results that were statistically different from the previous survey.  This is especially important since this is the first resident satisfaction survey conducted since budget and service reductions were implemented.  For example, residents were more satisfied with the response time for emergency medical services (94% vs. 86%), felt safer in City parks after dark (80% vs. 67%), and believed that utility bill stuffers were a less useful method for gaining information about City services and programs (50% vs. 63%). 

In addition, the Northwest Research Group was able to compare the City’s survey results with a database the firm maintains of survey results from other cities and counties.  Through its CityMARKS program, the firm found that:

• Sunnyvale residents are more satisfied with police, fire, library, the reliability of traffic signals, and emergency medical services than residents of other cities;
• Sunnyvale residents believe crime and environmental issues are less of a problem in their specific neighborhoods, as compared to residents in other cities.

Over 600 responses were collected through the survey to three open-ended questions.  When asked the most important issue facing Sunnyvale today or in the future, the responses most often cited were affordable housing or the cost of housing, development/infrastructure/long-term planning, and budget issues/budget constraints/cut-backs.  In the 2003 survey, development of downtown Sunnyvale as a shopping destination, congestion/overcrowding/ density of development, and controlling taxes were most often mentioned. 

The following are highlights from a summary report prepared by the Northwest Research Group:

City Services: Residents continued to be highly satisfied with the services and quality of services provided by the City.  89% of residents rated the overall quality of City services as very good or good, as compared with 90% in 2003.  Survey results on customer satisfaction for other services included:

	2005 Survey	2003 Survey
Police services:	91%	90%
Fire services:	94%	92%
Library services:	86%	87%
Recreation programs/activities:	78%	82%
Code enforcement:	75%	69%

Feelings of Safety: Residents continued to feel extraordinarily safe in the City.  94% of residents reported that they feel very safe or fairly safe in Sunnyvale.  Residents were also asked how safe they felt at different locations in the City, during daylight and nighttime hours.

	2005 Survey		2003 Survey
Overall safety rating	94%		96%
Location	Day Time	After Dark	Day Time	After Dark
Neighborhood	100%	94%	98%	92%
City Parks	99%	80%	99%	67%
Downtown Area	99%	91%	99%	88%

Neighborhood Related Issues: The survey contained a series of questions to identify concerns or problems as they relate to residents’ specific neighborhoods.  The City’s neighborhood districts were used to combine results into six districts.  In both 2003 and 2005, the lack of available homeless care facilities was most often cited as a problem.  Several other issues were citied by 20-25% of residents as a very serious or somewhat serious problem: nuisance vehicles, noise, crime, traffic congestion, sidewalk repair, and pedestrian safety.  In 2003, traffic safety (21%), code violations (24%), traffic congestion (22%), noise (20%), and nuisance vehicles (23%) were cited as very serious or somewhat serious problems in neighborhoods. 

Taxes and Fiscal Stewardship: Residents continued to feel generally positive about the level of local taxes and confident that local tax dollars are used wisely.  65% of residents reported that they feel taxes are right for the amount and quality of services they are receiving, as compared to 56% in 2003.  A nearly equal percentage said that they are very confident that their tax dollars are being spent wisely by the City.

Ability to Access City Staff and Information: Residents were very satisfied with the quality of response they received from City employees, and 91% reported that they found it very easy or fairly easy to obtain information from the City.  The City’s Web site and the recreation program activity guide were most often cited as the most useful methods for gaining information about City services or programs.

City staff will use survey findings to determine annual results for many program outcome measures that address customer satisfaction.  Survey results will also be helpful to identify opportunities for service or process improvements.  For example, the survey found that residents would like the City to improve its efforts regarding land use, downtown redevelopment and construction, affordable housing for families, and the availability of homeless shelters.  The Northwest Research Group analyzed results for the 29 City services that were included in the survey to determine which services have the most influence on residents’ perceptions of overall service quality.  The firm concluded that improvements to garbage collecting and recycling services, land use planning, and water utility services could have the greatest effect on achieving a higher overall service quality rating in the future.

No City Council action is required.  A copy of the 2005 Resident Satisfaction Survey Final Report is attached.   

Reviewed by:

Robert A. Walker, Assistant City Manager

Prepared by: Charles J. Schwabe, Deputy City Manager

Approved by:

Amy Chan

City Manager

Attachments

A. 2005 Resident Satisfaction Survey Final Report (pdf)