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AGENDA BILL Agenda Item No. 4(8) Date: June 5, 2012 To: El Cerrito City Council From: Suzanne Iarla, Community Outreach Specialist Subject: Preliminary Results from 2012 National Citizen Survey ACTION REQUESTED Receive staff presentation on 2012 National Citizen Survey results. BACKGROUND The National Citizen Survey™ (NCS) is a statistically valid survey of resident opinions about community and services provided by local governments in the USA. 2012 is the fourth year the City of El Cerrito has participated in the NCS. Attached is a copy of the cover letter and the survey that was mailed out in April, 2012. Staff has received the draft report of the 2012 survey results and is pleased to share highlights with the Council. The final report of results will be available to the Council and the public later in June and will include full responses and benchmark comparisons with over 500 other jurisdictions, as well as El Cerrito results from previous years (2004, 2005 & 2007). 2012 Dra(t Results In April 2012, questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 1 ,200 households in El Cerrito as part of the National Citizen Survey™. The 5-page survey was sent on behalf of the City of El Cerrito and asked for feedback on the quality and usefulness of city services. A total of 362 completed surveys were returned, providing an overall response rate of 3 1 o/o. This is within the typical response rate range of 25% to 40o/o. Most residents experienced a good quality of life in the City of El Cerrito and believed the City was a good place to live. The overall quality of life in the City of El Cerrito was rated as "excellent" or "good" by 70% of respondents. A majority reported they plan on staying in the City of El Cerrito for the next five years. In general, survey respondents demonstrated trust in local government. A majority rated the overall direction being taken by the City of El Cerrito as "good" or "excellent." This was much higher than the benchmark. Those residents who had interacted with an employee of the City of El Cerrito in the previous 12 months gave high marks to those employees. Most rated their overall impression of employees as "excellent" or "good." On average, residents gave generally favorable ratings to most local government services. Responses were able to be compared to the benchmark database. Of the 32 services for which ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 4(8) comparisons were available, 14 were above the benchmark comparison, 13 were similar to the benchmark comparison and 5 were below. A variety of characteristics of the community were evaluated by those participating in the study. The four characteristics receiving the most favorable ratings were the openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds, and ease of rail travel, walking and car travel in El Cerrito. The three characteristics receiving the least positive ratings were educational opportunities, opportunities to attend cultural activities and employment opportunities. Overall, ratings for many of El Cerrito's services and community features increased compared to the previous year's survey. Increased ratings were found for ease of car travel, ease of bus travel, ease of walking, street repair, street cleaning, street lighting and sidewalk maintenance. Ratings also increased for land use, planning, and zoning, code enforcement, animal control, crime prevention, fire prevention and education, air quality, recycling, City parks, recreation centers and others. About the Survey The National Citizen Survey (NCS) is a collaborative effort between Nation~! Research Center and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The NCS provides a statistically valid survey of resident opinions about community and services provided by local government. The questionnaire and survey procedure were designed based on the experience of hundreds of local governments, ranging in size from small to large. The NCS focuses on a series of community characteristics and local government services, as well as issues of public trust. Resident behaviors related to civic engagement in the community area also measured in the survey. Scientific sampling and weighting of the responses in each city ensure accurate and reliable results. The results of the NCS provides the opinions of a representative sample of residents about community quality of life, service delivery, civic participation and unique issues of local interest. • The margin of error around results for the City of El Cerrito Survey (362 completed surveys) is plus or minus five percentage points. • Differences between prior years' results can be considered "'statistically significant" if they are greater than seven percentage points. • NRC's database of comparative resident opinion is comprised of resident perspectives gathered in citizen surveys from approximately 500 jurisdictions. A benchmark comparison uses the average rating from all the comparison jurisdictions where a similar question was asked. • On many of the questions in the survey respondents may answer "don't know." These responses have been removed from the analyses presented. In other words, the tables and graphs display the responses from respondents who had an opinion about a specific item. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS None LEGAL CONSIDERATION None Page 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- Reviewed by: Scott~an~ Attachments: 1. Power Point Presentation 2. Draft "Appendix A: Complete Survey Frequencies" 3. Draft "Appendix B: Survey Methodology 4. Survey Materials Page 3 Agenda Item No. 4(8) ---PAGE BREAK--- The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS) is a y collaborative effort between National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Management Association (ICMA). NCS is a statistically valid survey of resident i i b t it d i opinions about community and services. El Cerrito participated in the NCS in 2012 as well as 2007, 2005 and 2003. Agenda Item No. 4(B) Attachment 1 ---PAGE BREAK--- Margin of Error is plus or minus “Don’t know” responses have been removed from Don t know responses have been removed from the analyses presented. NRC’s database of comparative resident opinion is NRC s database of comparative resident opinion is comprised of resident perspectives gathered in recent citizen surveys from approximately 500 jurisdictions. ---PAGE BREAK--- 1,200 surveys sent in April to randomly to randomly selected households 31% response rate ---PAGE BREAK--- A majority of respondents felt that the value of services for taxes paid was “excellent” or “good”; much above the national benchmark ---PAGE BREAK--- R d t l th i id d b th Cit Respondents value the services provided by the City. ---PAGE BREAK--- Most of the 47% of respondents who had contact p with a City employee in the last year, rated the service they received as “excellent” or “good”. ---PAGE BREAK--- Ease of rail or subway travel was given the most positive rating, followed by ease of walking. All positive rating, followed by ease of walking. All seven aspects of mobility were rated higher than the benchmark. ---PAGE BREAK--- The quality of street repair and street cleaning q y p g significantly increase from previous years. ---PAGE BREAK--- The overall appearance of El Cerrito was rated as “excellent” by 16% of respondents and as “good” by an additional 48%. additional 48%. ---PAGE BREAK--- 9% of respondents thought run down buildings, weed lots or junk vehicles were a “major” problem in El Cerrito. El Cerrito. ---PAGE BREAK--- Compared to other jurisdictions, more El Cerrito p j respondents believed that retail growth and jobs growth were too slow. ---PAGE BREAK--- The most positively rated community features p y y related to economic opportunity and growth were the overall quality of business and service establishments and shopping opportunities establishments and shopping opportunities. ---PAGE BREAK--- A majority gave positive ratings of safety in the City of El Cerrito. Daytime sense of safety was better than h f d f l f f nighttime safety. Respondents feel more safe from property crimes and from violent crimes compared to previous years. p y ---PAGE BREAK--- Similar to the benchmark, 11% of El Cerrito residents had been victims of crime in the past year; The reporting rate was above the benchmark. ---PAGE BREAK--- Police services rated more highly compared to other jurisdictions, while emergency preparedness rated jurisdictions, while emergency preparedness rated lower; other services were similar to the benchmark. ---PAGE BREAK--- Of those who had contact with the Police Department, 76% rated their impression as either excellent or good. ---PAGE BREAK--- Of those who had contact with the Fire Department, 90% rated their impression as either excellent or good. ---PAGE BREAK--- The overall quality of the natural environment was rated as excellent or good by 72% of survey respondents. ---PAGE BREAK--- Residents who recycled paper, cans or bottles from their home was much higher than the national average. ---PAGE BREAK--- Recreation opportunities and parks and recreation services in El Cerrito were rated positively. services in El Cerrito were rated positively. ---PAGE BREAK--- Recreation programs/classes and recreation facilities were rated higher than the benchmark. ---PAGE BREAK--- Compared to the benchmark data, the opportunity to attend cultural activities in El Cerrito and educational opportunities were all below comparison jurisdictions opportunities were all below comparison jurisdictions. ---PAGE BREAK--- Compared to the benchmark data, participation rate for library use and religious/spiritual activities were all for library use and religious/spiritual activities were all below comparison jurisdictions. ---PAGE BREAK--- Most residents rated the El Cerrito as an excellent or good place to raise kids retire and felt that the local good place to raise kids, retire and felt that the local sense of community was excellent or good. Most also felt El Cerrito was open and accepting towards people f di b k d h b h b h k of diverse backgrounds, much above the benchmark. ---PAGE BREAK--- Services to more vulnerable populations ranged from 42% to 71% with ratings of excellent or good. ---PAGE BREAK--- Providing help to a friend or neighbor showed similar rates of in ol ement compared to the benchmark rates of involvement compared to the benchmark. Other civic behaviors showed lower rates of community engagement. ---PAGE BREAK--- The amount of contact with neighbors was less than reported in other communities. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito residents showed the largest amount of ci ic engagement in the area of electoral of civic engagement in the area of electoral Participation. This rate of self-reported voting was higher than that of comparison communities. ---PAGE BREAK--- Public information services were rated similarly y compared to benchmark data. ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Most of the City of El Cerrito’s residents gave high ratings to their neighborhoods and the community as ratings to their neighborhoods and the community as a place to live. Further, a majority would recommend the community to others and plan to stay for the next fifive years. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 49 Appendix A: Complete Survey Frequencies FREQUENCIES EXCLUDING “DON’T KNOW” RESPONSES Question 1: Quality of Life Please rate each of the following aspects of quality of life in El Cerrito: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total El Cerrito as a place to live 36% 53% 11% 0% 100% Your neighborhood as a place to live 39% 48% 11% 2% 100% El Cerrito as a place to raise children 30% 47% 19% 3% 100% El Cerrito as a place to work 17% 36% 29% 17% 100% El Cerrito as a place to retire 33% 41% 19% 7% 100% The overall quality of life in El Cerrito 27% 55% 17% 0% 100% Question 2: Community Characteristics Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to El Cerrito as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Sense of community 15% 51% 27% 7% 100% Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 27% 60% 11% 2% 100% Overall appearance of El Cerrito 16% 48% 32% 4% 100% Cleanliness of El Cerrito 16% 57% 24% 3% 100% Overall quality of new development in El Cerrito 13% 44% 33% 10% 100% Variety of housing options 14% 44% 35% 7% 100% Overall quality of business and service establishments in El Cerrito 10% 49% 33% 7% 100% Shopping opportunities 13% 42% 37% 8% 100% Opportunities to attend cultural activities 8% 34% 47% 12% 100% Recreational opportunities 15% 47% 31% 7% 100% Employment opportunities 3% 23% 43% 31% 100% Educational opportunities 8% 34% 41% 16% 100% Opportunities to participate in social events and activities 10% 43% 41% 6% 100% Opportunities to participate in religious or spiritual events and activities 19% 43% 33% 5% 100% Opportunities to volunteer 14% 51% 29% 6% 100% Opportunities to participate in community matters 16% 48% 30% 7% 100% Ease of car travel in El Cerrito 25% 56% 17% 2% 100% Ease of bus travel in El Cerrito 22% 44% 28% 6% 100% Ease of rail or subway travel in El Cerrito 42% 46% 11% 2% 100% Ease of bicycle travel in El Cerrito 26% 51% 18% 4% 100% Ease of walking in El Cerrito 30% 51% 17% 2% 100% Availability of paths and walking trails 24% 52% 20% 5% 100% DRAFT Agenda Item No. 4(B) Attachment 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 50 Question 2: Community Characteristics Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to El Cerrito as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Traffic flow on major streets 9% 52% 31% 8% 100% Amount of public parking 13% 55% 27% 5% 100% Availability of affordable quality housing 6% 45% 34% 14% 100% Availability of affordable quality child care 12% 40% 42% 7% 100% Availability of affordable quality health care 8% 38% 34% 19% 100% Availability of affordable quality food 17% 51% 27% 5% 100% Availability of preventive health services 10% 41% 36% 13% 100% Air quality 19% 56% 23% 3% 100% Quality of overall natural environment in El Cerrito 19% 53% 26% 3% 100% Overall image or reputation of El Cerrito 16% 50% 28% 6% 100% Question 3: Growth Please rate the speed of growth in the following categories in El Cerrito over the past 2 years: Much too slow Somewhat too slow Right amount Somewhat too fast Much too fast Total Population growth 0% 6% 81% 11% 3% 100% Retail growth (stores, restaurants, etc.) 15% 37% 43% 3% 1% 100% Jobs growth 35% 46% 16% 2% 1% 100% Question 4: Code Enforcement To what degree, if at all, are run down buildings, weed lots or junk vehicles a problem in El Cerrito? Percent of respondents Not a problem 15% Minor problem 44% Moderate problem 32% Major problem 9% Total 100% Question 5: Community Safety Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel from the following in El Cerrito: Very safe Somewhat safe Neither safe nor unsafe Somewhat unsafe Very unsafe Total Violent crime rape, assault, robbery) 26% 42% 14% 17% 1% 100% Property crimes burglary, theft) 11% 41% 13% 26% 9% 100% Environmental hazards, including toxic waste 37% 37% 17% 7% 2% 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 51 Question 6: Personal Safety Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel: Very safe Somewhat safe Neither safe nor unsafe Somewhat unsafe Very unsafe Total In your neighborhood during the day 59% 34% 4% 3% 1% 100% In your neighborhood after dark 19% 45% 17% 14% 4% 100% In El Cerrito's commercial area during the day 48% 41% 7% 4% 1% 100% In El Cerrito's commercial area after dark 13% 39% 23% 19% 6% 100% Question 7: Contact with Police Department Have you had any in-person or phone contact with an employee of the City of El Cerrito Police Department within the last 12 months? No Yes Total Have you had any in-person or phone contact with an employee of the City of El Cerrito Police Department within the last 12 months? 64% 36% 100% Question 8: Ratings of Contact with Police Department What was your overall impression of your most recent contact with the City of El Cerrito Police Department? Excellent Good Fair Poor Total What was your overall impression of your most recent contact with the City of El Cerrito Police Department? 49% 27% 19% 6% 100% Question 9: Crime Victim During the past 12 months, were you or anyone in your household the victim of any crime? Percent of respondents No 89% Yes 11% Total 100% Question 10: Crime Reporting If yes, was this crime (these crimes) reported to the police? Percent of respondents No 13% Yes 87% Total 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 52 Question 11: Resident Behaviors In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you or other household members participated in the following activities in El Cerrito? Never Once or twice 3 to 12 times 13 to 26 times More than 26 times Total Used El Cerrito public libraries or their services 44% 24% 19% 5% 7% 100% Used El Cerrito recreation centers 47% 21% 15% 7% 10% 100% Participated in a recreation program or activity 54% 21% 13% 5% 8% 100% Visited a neighborhood park or City park 13% 23% 31% 13% 20% 100% Ridden a local bus within El Cerrito 66% 17% 8% 3% 6% 100% Attended a meeting of local elected officials or other local public meeting 77% 17% 4% 1% 1% 100% Watched a meeting of local elected officials or other City-sponsored public meeting on cable television, the Internet or other media 79% 17% 3% 1% 1% 100% Read El Cerrito Newsletter 14% 26% 44% 11% 6% 100% Visited the City of El Cerrito Web site (at www.el-cerrito.org) 33% 30% 24% 6% 7% 100% Recycled used paper, cans or bottles from your home 4% 3% 7% 10% 76% 100% Volunteered your time to some group or activity in El Cerrito 77% 9% 5% 4% 6% 100% Participated in religious or spiritual activities in El Cerrito 77% 8% 5% 2% 8% 100% Participated in a club or civic group in El Cerrito 81% 9% 5% 2% 4% 100% Provided help to a friend or neighbor 7% 26% 40% 17% 10% 100% Question 12: Neighborliness About how often, if at all, do you talk to or visit with your immediate neighbors (people who live in the 10 or 20 households that are closest to you)? Percent of respondents Just about everyday 16% Several times a week 27% Several times a month 30% Less than several times a month 28% Total 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 53 Question 13: Service Quality Please rate the quality of each of the following services in El Cerrito: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Police services 32% 51% 13% 3% 100% Fire services 38% 54% 8% 0% 100% Ambulance or emergency medical services 40% 50% 10% 1% 100% Crime prevention 16% 48% 26% 11% 100% Fire prevention and education 19% 57% 22% 2% 100% Municipal courts 14% 50% 27% 10% 100% Traffic enforcement 12% 47% 32% 9% 100% Street repair 16% 41% 33% 9% 100% Street cleaning 16% 56% 24% 5% 100% Street lighting 10% 42% 32% 16% 100% Sidewalk maintenance 6% 42% 37% 16% 100% Traffic signal timing 8% 43% 35% 15% 100% Bus or transit services 16% 49% 30% 5% 100% Garbage collection 45% 47% 7% 0% 100% Recycling 57% 37% 6% 0% 100% Yard waste pick-up 52% 38% 8% 1% 100% Storm drainage 17% 54% 24% 5% 100% City parks 24% 63% 11% 2% 100% Recreation programs or classes 23% 53% 22% 2% 100% Recreation centers or facilities 25% 54% 20% 1% 100% Land use, planning and zoning 10% 42% 36% 12% 100% Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 9% 34% 37% 19% 100% Animal control 11% 51% 29% 10% 100% Economic development 8% 41% 39% 13% 100% Services to seniors 22% 49% 26% 3% 100% Services to youth 15% 54% 24% 7% 100% Services to low-income people 12% 30% 46% 12% 100% Public library services 17% 47% 25% 11% 100% Public information services 16% 46% 35% 3% 100% Public schools 15% 34% 34% 18% 100% Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 9% 47% 34% 11% 100% Preservation of natural areas such as open space, farmlands and greenbelts 19% 47% 30% 4% 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 54 Question 14: Government Services Overall Overall, how would you rate the quality of the services provided by each of the following? Excellent Good Fair Poor Total The City of El Cerrito 22% 57% 19% 3% 100% The Federal Government 8% 32% 44% 17% 100% The State Government 6% 25% 46% 23% 100% Contra Costa County Government 7% 34% 45% 15% 100% Question 15: Recommendation and Longevity Please indicate how likely or unlikely you are to do each of the following: Very likely Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely Total Recommend living in El Cerrito to someone who asks 55% 39% 6% 1% 100% Remain in El Cerrito for the next five years 60% 27% 8% 4% 100% Question 16: Impact of the Economy What impact, if any, do you think the economy will have on your family income in the next 6 months? Do you think the impact will be: Percent of respondents Very positive 6% Somewhat positive 16% Neutral 57% Somewhat negative 19% Very negative 3% Total 100% Question 17: Contact with Fire Department Have you had any in-person or phone contact with an employee of the City of El Cerrito Fire Department within the last 12 months? No Yes Total Have you had any in-person or phone contact with an employee of the City of El Cerrito Fire Department within the last 12 months? 85% 15% 100% Question 18: Ratings of Contact with Fire Department What was your overall impression of your most recent contact with the City of El Cerrito Fire Department? Excellent Good Fair Poor Total What was your overall impression of your most recent contact with the City of El Cerrito Fire Department? 62% 28% 5% 6% 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 55 Question 19: Contact with City Employees Have you had any in-person, phone or email with an employee of the City of El Cerrito within the last 12 months (including police, receptionists, planners or any others)? Percent of respondents No 53% Yes 47% Total 100% Question 20: City Employees What was your impression of the employee(s) of the City of El Cerrito in your most recent contact? Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Knowledge 43% 39% 14% 4% 100% Responsiveness 47% 27% 12% 14% 100% Courtesy 52% 27% 8% 13% 100% Overall impression 40% 36% 13% 11% 100% Question 21: Government Performance Please rate the following categories of El Cerrito government performance: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total The value of services for the taxes paid to El Cerrito 18% 44% 30% 9% 100% The overall direction that El Cerrito is taking 17% 48% 26% 10% 100% The job El Cerrito government does at welcoming citizen involvement 19% 40% 31% 10% 100% Question 22a: Custom Question 1 Please indicate how likely or unlikely you would be to subscribe to an email or online newsletter to receive information from the following City departments: Very likely Somewhat likely Not at all likely Total City Council 21% 31% 49% 100% Environmental services 32% 39% 29% 100% Economic development 27% 33% 40% 100% Fire 26% 35% 40% 100% Planning & building (development services) 21% 33% 46% 100% Police 27% 38% 35% 100% Public works 21% 42% 37% 100% Recreation 35% 38% 27% 100% General (all departments) 24% 46% 30% 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 56 Question 22b: Custom Question 2 The City is considering implementing more options to contact the Police Department for non-emergency issues (such as requesting a police report). Please indicate how likely or unlikely you would be to contact the Police using each of the following means of communication: Very likely Somewhat likely Not at all likely Total Online via the Internet 54% 25% 22% 100% Text message 17% 26% 57% 100% Social media Facebook, Twitter) 7% 18% 75% 100% Email 53% 27% 20% 100% Telephone 60% 28% 12% 100% Fax 7% 15% 78% 100% Mail 18% 35% 47% 100% In person (during regular business hours) 21% 50% 29% 100% Question 22c: Custom Question 3 To comply with the federally mandated Clean Water Act, the City of El Cerrito needs to improve the street sweeping program to more effectively remove trash and debris that pollutes our waterways and the San Francisco Bay. Currently, the street sweepers are often not able to sweep effectively due to cars parked on the street. Please indicate how much you would support or oppose the City taking each of the following actions: Strongly support Somewhat support Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose Total Increase education about the street sweeping schedule 70% 25% 3% 2% 100% Install permanent signs about the street sweeping schedule 54% 26% 13% 7% 100% Enact parking restrictions by block 27% 24% 20% 28% 100% Enact parking restrictions on alternate sides of the street 35% 25% 15% 25% 100% Increase the sweeping frequency on residential streets 36% 40% 15% 9% 100% Question D1: Employment Status Are you currently employed for pay? Percent of respondents No 28% Yes, full-time 58% Yes, part-time 14% Total 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 57 Question D2: Mode of Transportation Used for Commute During a typical week, how many days do you commute to work (for the longest distance of your commute) in each of the ways listed below? Percent of days mode used Motorized vehicle car, truck, van, etc.) by myself 52% Motorized vehicle car, truck, van, etc.) with other children or adults 9% Bus, rail, subway or other public transportation 23% Walk 4% Bicycle 3% Work at home 9% Other 1% Question D3: Length of Residency How many years have you lived in El Cerrito? Percent of respondents Less than 2 years 11% 2 to 5 years 20% 6 to 10 years 18% 11 to 20 years 17% More than 20 years 33% Total 100% Question D4: Housing Unit Type Which best describes the building you live in? Percent of respondents One family house detached from any other houses 70% House attached to one or more houses a duplex or townhome) 5% Building with two or more apartments or condominiums 24% Mobile home 0% Other 1% Total 100% Question D5: Housing Tenure (Rent/Own) Is this house, apartment or mobile home… Percent of respondents Rented for cash or occupied without cash payment 38% Owned by you or someone in this house with a mortgage or free and clear 62% Total 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 58 Question D6: Housing Cost About how much is the housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners" association (HOA) fees)? Percent of respondents Less than $300 per month 5% $300 to $599 per month 9% $600 to $999 per month 12% $1,000 to $1,499 per month 21% $1,500 to $2,499 per month 30% $2,500 or more per month 22% Total 100% Question D7: Presence of Children in Household Do any children 17 or under live in your household? Percent of respondents No 69% Yes 31% Total 100% Question D8: Presence of Older Adults in Household Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older? Percent of respondents No 69% Yes 31% Total 100% Question D9: Household Income How much do you anticipate your household's total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.) Percent of respondents Less than $24,999 11% $25,000 to $49,999 17% $50,000 to $99,999 33% $100,000 to $149,000 18% $150,000 or more 21% Total 100% Question D10: Ethnicity Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? Percent of respondents No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 94% Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino 6% Total 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 59 Question D11: Race What is your race? (Mark one or more races to indicate what race(s) you consider yourself to be.) Percent of respondents American Indian or Alaskan Native 1% Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander 32% Black or African American 9% White 57% Other 7% Total may exceed 100% as respondents could select more than one option Question D12: Age In which category is your age? Percent of respondents 18 to 24 years 3% 25 to 34 years 19% 35 to 44 years 14% 45 to 54 years 22% 55 to 64 years 16% 65 to 74 years 13% 75 years or older 13% Total 100% Question D13: Gender What is your sex? Percent of respondents Female 53% Male 47% Total 100% Question D14: Registered to Vote Are you registered to vote in your jurisdiction? Percent of respondents No 12% Yes 82% Ineligible to vote 6% Total 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 60 Question D15: Voted in Last General Election Many people don't have time to vote in elections. Did you vote in the last general election? Percent of respondents No 15% Yes 77% Ineligible to vote 7% Total 100% Question D16: Has Cell Phone Do you have a cell phone? Percent of respondents No 8% Yes 92% Total 100% Question D17: Has Land Line Do you have a land line at home? Percent of respondents No 25% Yes 75% Total 100% Question D18: Primary Phone If you have both a cell phone and a land line, which do you consider your primary telephone number? Percent of respondents Cell 31% Land line 45% Both 24% Total 100% DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 77 Appendix B: Survey Methodology The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS) was developed to provide local jurisdictions an accurate, affordable and easy way to assess and interpret resident opinion about important community issues. While standardization of question wording and survey methods provide the rigor to assure valid results, each jurisdiction has enough flexibility to construct a customized version of The NCS that asks residents about key local services and important local issues. Results offer insight into residents’ perspectives about local government performance and as such provide important benchmarks for jurisdictions working on performance measurement. The NCS is designed to help with budget, land use and strategic planning as well as to communicate with local residents. The NCS permits questions to test support for local policies and answers to its questions also speak to community trust and involvement in community-building activities as well as to resident demographic characteristics. SURVEY VALIDITY The question of survey validity has two parts: 1) how can a jurisdiction be confident that the results from those who completed the questionnaire are representative of the results that would have been obtained had the survey been administered to the entire population? and 2) how closely do the perspectives recorded on the survey reflect what residents really believe or do? To answer the first question, the best survey research practices were used for the resources spent to ensure that the results from the survey respondents reflect the opinions of residents in the entire jurisdiction. These practices include: Using a mail-out/mail-back methodology, which typically gets a higher response rate than phone for the same dollars spent. A higher response rate lessens the worry that those who did not respond are different than those who did respond. Selecting households at random within the jurisdiction to receive the survey. A random selection ensures that the households selected to receive the survey are similar to the entire population. A non-random sample may only include households from one geographic area, or from households of only one type. Over-sampling multi-family housing units to improve response from hard-to-reach, lower income, or younger apartment dwellers. Selecting the respondent within the household using an unbiased sampling procedure; in this case, the “birthday method.” The cover letter included an instruction requesting that the respondent in the household be the adult (18 years old or older) who most recently had a birthday, irrespective of year of birth. Contacting potential respondents three times to encourage response from people who may have different opinions or habits than those who would respond with only a single prompt. Soliciting response on jurisdiction letterhead signed by the highest ranking elected official or staff member, thus appealing to the recipients’ sense of civic responsibility. Providing a self-addressed, postage-paid return envelope. Offering the survey in Spanish when appropriate and requested by City officials. Using the most recent available information about the characteristics of jurisdiction residents to weight the data to reflect the demographics of the population. The answer to the second question about how closely the perspectives recorded on the survey reflect what residents really believe or do is more complex. Resident responses to surveys are influenced by a variety of factors. For questions about service quality, residents’ expectations for DRAFT Agenda Item No. 4(B) Attachment 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 78 service quality play a role as well as the “objective” quality of the service provided, the way the resident perceives the entire community (that is, the context in which the service is provided), the scale on which the resident is asked to record his or her opinion and, of course, the opinion, itself, that a resident holds about the service. Similarly a resident’s report of certain behaviors is colored by what he or she believes is the socially desirable response reporting tolerant behaviors toward “oppressed groups,” likelihood of voting a tax increase for services to poor people, use of alternative modes of travel to work besides the single occupancy vehicle), his or her memory of the actual behavior (if it is not a question speculating about future actions, like a vote), his or her confidence that he or she can be honest without suffering any negative consequences (thus the need for anonymity) as well as the actual behavior itself. How closely survey results come to recording the way a person really feels or behaves often is measured by the coincidence of reported behavior with observed current behavior driving habits), reported intentions to behave with observed future behavior voting choices) or reported opinions about current community quality with objective characteristics of the community feelings of safety correlated with rates of crime). There is a body of scientific literature that has investigated the relationship between reported behaviors and actual behaviors. Well-conducted surveys, by and large, do capture true respondent behaviors or intentions to act with great accuracy. Predictions of voting outcomes tend to be quite accurate using survey research, as do reported behaviors that are not about highly sensitive issues family abuse or other illegal or morally sanctioned activities). For self-reports about highly sensitive issues, statistical adjustments can be made to correct for the respondents’ tendency to report what they think the “correct” response should be. Research on the correlation of resident opinion about service quality and “objective” ratings of service quality tend to be ambiguous, some showing stronger relationships than others. NRC’s own research has demonstrated that residents who report the lowest ratings of street repair live in communities with objectively worse street conditions than those who report high ratings of street repair (based on road quality, delay in street repair, number of road repair employees). Similarly, the lowest rated fire services appear to be “objectively” worse than the highest rated fire services (expenditures per capita, response time, “professional” status of firefighters, breadth of services and training provided). Whether or not some research confirms the relationship between what residents think about a community and what can be seen “objectively” in a community, NRC has argued that resident opinion is a perspective that cannot be ignored by government administrators. NRC principals have written, “If you collect trash three times a day but residents think that your trash haul is lousy, you still have a problem.” SURVEY SAMPLING “Sampling” refers to the method by which survey recipients were chosen. All households within the City of El Cerrito were eligible to participate in the survey; 1,200 were selected to receive the survey. These 1,200 households were randomly selected from a comprehensive list of all housing units within the City of El Cerrito boundaries. The basis of the list of all housing units was a United States Postal Service listing of housing units within zip codes. Since some of the zip codes that serve the City of El Cerrito households may also serve addresses that lie outside of the jurisdiction, the exact geographic location of each housing unit was compared to jurisdiction boundaries, using the most current municipal boundary file (updated on a quarterly basis), and addresses located outside of the City of El Cerrito boundaries were removed from consideration. DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 79 To choose the 1,200 survey recipients, a systematic sampling method was applied to the list of households known to be within the City of El Cerrito. Systematic sampling is a procedure whereby a complete list of all possible items is culled, selecting every Nth one until the appropriate amount of items is selected. Multi-family housing units were over sampled as residents of this type of housing typically respond at lower rates to surveys than do those in single-family housing units. FIGURE 93: LOCATION OF SURVEY RECIPIENTS An individual within each household was selected using the birthday method. The birthday method selects a person within the household by asking the “person whose birthday has most recently passed” to complete the questionnaire. The underlying assumption in this method is that day of DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 80 birth has no relationship to the way people respond to surveys. This instruction was contained in the cover letter accompanying the questionnaire. In response to the growing number of the cell-phone population (so-called “cord cutters”), which includes a large proportion of young adults, questions about cell phones and land lines are included on The NCS™ questionnaire. As of the middle of 2010 (the most recent estimates available as of the end of 2010), 26.6% of U.S. households had a cell phone but no landline.3 Among younger adults (age 18-34), 53.7% of households were “cell-only.” Based on survey results, El Cerrito has a “cord cutter” population similar to the nationwide 2010 estimates. FIGURE 94: PREVALENCE OF CELL-PHONE ONLY RESPONDENTS IN EL CERRITO 54% 25% 24% 7% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 18-34 35-54 55+ Overall Percent of respondents reporting having a "cell phone" only SURVEY ADMINISTRATION Selected households received three mailings, one week apart, beginning April 4, 2012. The first mailing was a prenotification postcard announcing the upcoming survey. The next mailing contained a letter from the Mayor inviting the household to participate, a questionnaire and a postage-paid return envelope. The final mailing contained a reminder letter, another survey and a postage-paid return envelope. The second cover letter asked those who had not completed the survey to do so and those who have already done so to refrain from turning in another survey. Completed surveys were collected over the following five weeks. SURVEY RESPONSE RATE AND CONFIDENCE INTERVALS It is customary to describe the precision of estimates made from surveys by a “level of confidence” and accompanying “confidence interval” (or margin of error). A traditional level of confidence, and the one used here, is 95%. The 95% confidence interval can be any size and quantifies the sampling error or imprecision of the survey results because some residents' opinions are relied on to estimate all residents' opinions. The confidence interval for the City of El Cerrito survey is no greater than plus or minus five percentage points around any given percent reported for the entire sample (362 completed surveys). A 95% confidence interval indicates that for every 100 random samples of this many residents, 95 of the confidence intervals created will include the “true” population response. This theory is applied in practice to mean that the “true” perspective of the target population lies within the confidence interval created for a single survey. For example, if 75% of residents rate a service as “excellent” or “good,” then the 4% margin of error (for the 95% confidence interval) indicates that the range of likely responses for the entire jurisdiction is between 71% and 79%. This source of 3 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/wireless201012.pdf DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 81 error is called sampling error. In addition to sampling error, other sources of error may affect any survey, including the non-response of residents with opinions different from survey responders. Though standardized on The NCS, on other surveys, differences in question wording, order, translation and data entry, as examples, can lead to somewhat varying results. For subgroups of responses, the margin of error increases because the sample size for the subgroup is smaller. For subgroups of approximately 100 respondents, the margin of error is plus or minus 10 percentage points SURVEY PROCESSING (DATA ENTRY) Completed surveys received by NRC were assigned a unique identification number. Additionally, each survey was reviewed and “cleaned” as necessary. For example, a question may have asked a respondent to pick two items out of a list of five, but the respondent checked three; NRC staff would choose randomly two of the three selected items to be coded in the dataset. Once all surveys were assigned a unique identification number, they were entered into an electronic dataset. This dataset was subject to a data entry protocol of “key and verify,” in which survey data were entered twice into an electronic dataset and then compared. Discrepancies were evaluated against the original survey form and corrected. Range checks as well as other forms of quality control were also performed. DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 82 SURVEY DATA WEIGHTING The demographic characteristics of the survey sample were compared to those found in the 2010 Census estimates and the 2005-2009 American Community Survey other population norms for adults in the City of El Cerrito. Sample results were weighted using the population norms to reflect the appropriate percent of those residents. Other discrepancies between the whole population and the sample were also aided by the weighting due to the intercorrelation of many socioeconomic characteristics. The variables used for weighting were housing tenure, housing unit type, race and ethnicity and sex and age. This decision was based on: The disparity between the survey respondent characteristics and the population norms for these variables The saliency of these variables in detecting differences of opinion among subgroups The importance to the community of correct ethnic representation The historical use of the variables and the desirability of consistently representing different groups over the years The primary objective of weighting survey data is to make the survey sample reflective of the larger population of the community. This is done by: 1) reviewing the sample demographics and comparing them to the population norms from the most recent Census or other sources and 2) comparing the responses to different questions for demographic subgroups. The demographic characteristics that are least similar to the Census and yield the most different results are the best candidates for data weighting. A third criterion sometimes used is the importance that the community places on a specific variable. For example, if a jurisdiction feels that accurate race representation is key to staff and public acceptance of the study results, additional consideration will be given in the weighting process to adjusting the race variable. A special software program using mathematical algorithms is used to calculate the appropriate weights. Data weighting can adjust up to 5 demographic variables. Several different weighting “schemes” may be tested to ensure the best fit for the data. The process actually begins at the point of sampling. Knowing that residents in single family dwellings are more likely to respond to a mail survey, NRC oversamples residents of multi-family dwellings to ensure their proper representation in the sample data. Rather than giving all residents an equal chance of receiving the survey, this is systematic, stratified sampling, which gives each resident of the jurisdiction a known chance of receiving the survey (and apartment dwellers, for example, a greater chance than single family home dwellers). As a consequence, results must be weighted to recapture the proper representation of apartment dwellers. The results of the weighting scheme are presented in the table on the following page. DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 83 El Cerrito, CA Citizen Survey Weighting Table Characteristic Population Norm1 Unweighted Data Weighted Data Housing Rent home 39% 34% 38% Own home 61% 66% 62% Detached unit 70% 67% 70% Attached unit 30% 33% 30% Race and Ethnicity White 55% 61% 54% Not white 45% 39% 46% Not Hispanic 90% 94% 94% Hispanic 10% 6% 6% White alone, not Hispanic 50% 59% 51% Hispanic and/or other race 50% 41% 49% Sex and Age Female 53% 61% 53% Male 47% 39% 47% 18-34 years of age 23% 11% 23% 35-54 years of age 37% 30% 36% 55+ years of age 40% 59% 41% Females 18-34 11% 6% 11% Females 35-54 19% 19% 20% Females 55+ 22% 36% 23% Males 18-34 12% 5% 12% Males 35-54 18% 10% 17% Males 55+ 17% 23% 18% 1 Source: 2010 Census/2005-2009 ACS DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 84 SURVEY DATA ANALYSIS AND REPORTING The survey dataset was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Frequency distributions were presented in the body of the report. Use of the “Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor” Response Scale The scale on which respondents are asked to record their opinions about service and community quality is “excellent,” “good,” “fair” or “poor” (EGFP). This scale has important advantages over other scale possibilities (very good to very bad; very satisfied to very dissatisfied; strongly agree to strongly disagree, as examples). EGFP is used by the plurality of jurisdictions conducting citizen surveys across the U.S. The advantage of familiarity was one that NRC did not want to dismiss when crafting The National Citizen Survey™ questionnaire, because elected officials, staff and residents already are acquainted with opinion surveys measured this way. EGFP also has the advantage of offering three positive options, rather than only two, over which a resident can offer an opinion. While symmetrical scales often are the right choice in other measurement tasks, NRC has found that ratings of almost every local government service in almost every jurisdiction tend, on average, to be positive (that is, above the scale midpoint). Therefore, to permit finer distinctions among positively rated services, EGFP offers three options across which to spread those ratings. EGFP is more neutral because it requires no positive statement of service quality to judge (as agree- disagree scales require) and, finally, EGFP intends to measure absolute quality of service delivery or community quality (unlike satisfaction scales which ignore residents’ perceptions of quality in favor of their report on the acceptability of the level of service offered). “Don’t Know” Responses On many of the questions in the survey respondents may answer “don’t know.” The proportion of respondents giving this reply is shown in the full set of responses included in Appendix A. However, these responses have been removed from the analyses presented in the body of the report. In other words, the tables and graphs display the responses from respondents who had an opinion about a specific item. Benchmark Comparisons NRC has been leading the strategic use of surveys for local governments since 1991, when the principals of the company wrote the first edition of what became the classic text on citizen surveying. In Citizen Surveys: how to do them, how to use them, what they mean, published by ICMA, not only were the principles for quality survey methods articulated, but both the idea of benchmark data for citizen opinion and the method for gathering benchmark data were pioneered. The argument for benchmarks was called “In Search of Standards.” “What has been missing from a local government’s analysis of its survey results is the context that school administrators can supply when they tell parents how an 80 percent score on the social studies test compares to test results from other school systems...” NRC’s database of comparative resident opinion is comprised of resident perspectives gathered in citizen surveys from approximately 500 jurisdictions whose residents evaluated local government services. Conducted with typically no fewer than 400 residents in each jurisdiction, opinions are intended to represent over 30 million Americans. NRC has innovated a method for quantitatively integrating the results of surveys that are conducted by NRC with those that others have conducted. The integration methods have been thoroughly described not only in the Citizen Surveys book, but also in Public Administration Review, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Scholars who DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 85 specialize in the analysis of citizen surveys regularly have relied on this work Kelly, J. & Swindell, D. (2002). Service quality variation across urban space: First steps towards a model of citizen satisfaction. Journal of Urban Affairs, 24, 271-288.; Van Ryzin, Muzzio, Immerwahr, Gulick, L. & Martinez, E. (2004). Drivers and consequences of citizen satisfaction: An application of the American Customer Satisfaction Index Model to New York City, Public Administration Review, 64, 331- 341). The method described in those publications is refined regularly and statistically tested on a growing number of citizen surveys in NRC’s proprietary databases. NRC’s work on calculating national benchmarks for resident opinions about service delivery and quality of life won the Samuel C. May award for research excellence from the Western Governmental Research Association. The comparison evaluations are from the most recent survey completed in each jurisdiction; most communities conduct surveys every year or in alternating years. NRC adds the latest results quickly upon survey completion, keeping the benchmark data fresh and relevant. The Role of Comparisons Benchmark comparisons are used for performance measurement. Jurisdictions use the comparative information to help interpret their own citizen survey results, to create or revise community plans, to evaluate the success of policy or budget decisions and to measure local government performance. Taking the pulse of the community has little meaning without knowing what pulse rate is too high and what is too low. When surveys of service satisfaction turn up “good” citizen evaluations, jurisdictions need to know how others rate their services to understand if “good” is good enough. Furthermore, in the absence of national or peer community comparisons, a jurisdiction is left with comparing its fire protection rating to its street maintenance rating. That comparison is unfair. Streets always lose to fire. More important and harder questions need to be asked; for example, how do residents’ ratings of fire service compare to opinions about fire service in other communities? A police department that provides the fastest and most efficient service – one that closes most of its cases, solves most of its crimes and keeps the crime rate low – still has a problem to fix if the residents in the community it intends to protect believe services are not very good compared to ratings given by residents to their own objectively “worse” departments. The benchmark data can help that police department – or any department – to understand how well citizens think it is doing. Without the comparative data, it would be like bowling in a tournament without knowing what the other teams are scoring. NRC recommends that citizen opinion be used in conjunction with other sources of data about budget, personnel and politics to help managers know how to respond to comparative results. Jurisdictions in the benchmark database are distributed geographically across the country and range from small to large in population size. Most commonly, comparisons are made to the entire database. Comparisons may also be made to subsets of jurisdictions (for example, within a given region or population category). Despite the differences in jurisdiction characteristics, all are in the business of providing local government services to residents. Though individual jurisdiction circumstances, resources and practices vary, the objective in every community is to provide services that are so timely, tailored and effective that residents conclude the services are of the highest quality. High ratings in any jurisdiction, like SAT scores in any teen household, bring pride and a sense of accomplishment. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito I 2012 The National Citizen Survey™ 86 Comparison of El Cerrito to the Benchmark Database The City of El Cerrito chose to have comparisons made to the entire database. A benchmark comparison (the average rating from all the comparison jurisdictions where a similar question was asked) has been provided when a similar question on the City of El Cerrito Survey was included in NRC’s database and there were at least five jurisdictions in which the question was asked. For most questions compared to the entire dataset, there were more than 100 jurisdictions included in the benchmark comparison. Where comparisons for quality ratings were available, the City of El Cerrito results were generally noted as being “above” the benchmark, “below” the benchmark or “similar” to the benchmark. For some questions – those related to resident behavior, circumstance or to a local problem – the comparison to the benchmark is designated as “more,” “similar” or “less” (for example, the percent of crime victims, residents visiting a park or residents identifying code enforcement as a problem.) In instances where ratings are considerably higher or lower than the benchmark, these ratings have been further demarcated by the attribute of “much,” (for example, “much less” or “much above”). These labels come from a statistical comparison of the City of El Cerrito's rating to the benchmark where a rating is considered “similar” if it is within the margin of error; “above,” “below,” “more” or “less” if the difference between your jurisdiction’s rating and the benchmark is greater the margin of error; and “much above,” “much below,” “much more” or “much less” if the difference between your jurisdiction’s rating and the benchmark is more than twice the margin of error. DRAFT ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- The City of El Cerrito 2012 Citizen Survey Page 1 of 5 Please complete this questionnaire if you are the adult (age 18 or older) in the household who most recently had a birthday. The adult's year of birth does not matter. Please select the response (by circling the number or checking the box) that most closely represents your opinion for each question. Your responses are anonymous and will be reported in group form only. 1. Please rate each of the following aspects of quality of life in El Cerrito: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know El Cerrito as a place to live 1 2 3 4 5 Your neighborhood as a place to live 1 2 3 4 5 El Cerrito as a place to raise children 1 2 3 4 5 El Cerrito as a place to work 1 2 3 4 5 El Cerrito as a place to retire 1 2 3 4 5 The overall quality of life in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 2. Please rate each of the following characteristics as they relate to El Cerrito as a whole: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Sense of community 1 2 3 4 5 Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds 1 2 3 4 5 Overall appearance of El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Cleanliness of El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Overall quality of new development in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Variety of housing options 1 2 3 4 5 Overall quality of business and service establishments in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Shopping opportunities 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to attend cultural activities 1 2 3 4 5 Recreational opportunities 1 2 3 4 5 Employment opportunities 1 2 3 4 5 Educational opportunities 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to participate in social events and activities 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to participate in religious or spiritual events and activities 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to volunteer 1 2 3 4 5 Opportunities to participate in community matters 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of car travel in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of bus travel in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of rail or subway travel in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of bicycle travel in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Ease of walking in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Availability of paths and walking trails 1 2 3 4 5 Traffic flow on major streets 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of public parking 1 2 3 4 5 Availability of affordable quality housing 1 2 3 4 5 Availability of affordable quality child care 1 2 3 4 5 Availability of affordable quality health care 1 2 3 4 5 Availability of affordable quality food 1 2 3 4 5 Availability of preventive health services 1 2 3 4 5 Air quality 1 2 3 4 5 Quality of overall natural environment in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Overall image or reputation of El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 3. Please rate the speed of growth in the following categories in El Cerrito over the past 2 years: Much Somewhat Right Somewhat Much Don't too slow too slow amount too fast too fast know Population growth 1 2 3 4 5 6 Retail growth (stores, restaurants, 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jobs growth 1 2 3 4 5 6 ---PAGE BREAK--- The National Citizen Survey™ • © 2001-2012 National Research Center, Inc. Page 2 of 5 The National Citizen Survey™ 4. To what degree, if at all, are run down buildings, weed lots or junk vehicles a problem in El Cerrito? Not a problem Minor problem Moderate problem Major problem Don’t know 5. Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel from the following in El Cerrito: Very Somewhat Neither safe Somewhat Very Don't safe safe nor unsafe unsafe unsafe know Violent crime rape, assault, robbery) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Property crimes burglary, theft) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Environmental hazards, including toxic waste 1 2 3 4 5 6 6. Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel: Very Somewhat Neither safe Somewhat Very Don't safe safe nor unsafe unsafe unsafe know In your neighborhood during the day 1 2 3 4 5 6 In your neighborhood after dark 1 2 3 4 5 6 In El Cerrito's commercial area during the day 1 2 3 4 5 6 In El Cerrito's commercial area after dark 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Have you had any in-person or phone contact with an employee of the City of El Cerrito Police Department within the last 12 months? No Î Go to Question 9 Yes Î Go to Question 8 Don’t know Î Go to Question 9 8. What was your overall impression of your most recent contact with the City of El Cerrito Police Department? Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know 9. During the past 12 months, were you or anyone in your household the victim of any crime? No Î Go to Question 11 Yes Î Go to Question 10 Don’t know Î Go to Question 11 10. If yes, was this crime (these crimes) reported to the police? No Yes Don’t know 11. In the last 12 months, about how many times, if ever, have you or other household members participated in the following activities in El Cerrito? Once or 3 to 12 13 to 26 More than Never twice times times 26 times Used El Cerrito public libraries or their services 1 2 3 4 5 Used El Cerrito recreation centers 1 2 3 4 5 Participated in a recreation program or activity 1 2 3 4 5 Visited a neighborhood park or City park 1 2 3 4 5 Ridden a local bus within El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Attended a meeting of local elected officials or other local public meeting 1 2 3 4 5 Watched a meeting of local elected officials or other City-sponsored public meeting on cable television, the Internet or other media 1 2 3 4 5 Read El Cerrito Newsletter 1 2 3 4 5 Visited the City of El Cerrito Web site (at www.el-cerrito.org) 1 2 3 4 5 Recycled used paper, cans or bottles from your 1 2 3 4 5 Volunteered your time to some group or activity in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Participated in religious or spiritual activities in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Participated in a club or civic group in El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 Provided help to a friend or neighbor 1 2 3 4 5 12. About how often, if at all, do you talk to or visit with your immediate neighbors (people who live in the 10 or 20 households that are closest to you)? Just about every day Several times a week Several times a month Less than several times a month ---PAGE BREAK--- The City of El Cerrito 2012 Citizen Survey Page 3 of 5 13. Please rate the quality of each of the following services in El Cerrito: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know Police services 1 2 3 4 5 Fire services 1 2 3 4 5 Ambulance or emergency medical services 1 2 3 4 5 Crime prevention 1 2 3 4 5 Fire prevention and education 1 2 3 4 5 Municipal courts 1 2 3 4 5 Traffic enforcement 1 2 3 4 5 Street repair 1 2 3 4 5 Street cleaning 1 2 3 4 5 Street lighting 1 2 3 4 5 Sidewalk maintenance 1 2 3 4 5 Traffic signal timing 1 2 3 4 5 Bus or transit services 1 2 3 4 5 Garbage collection 1 2 3 4 5 Recycling 1 2 3 4 5 Yard waste pick-up 1 2 3 4 5 Storm drainage 1 2 3 4 5 City parks 1 2 3 4 5 Recreation programs or classes 1 2 3 4 5 Recreation centers or facilities 1 2 3 4 5 Land use, planning and zoning 1 2 3 4 5 Code enforcement (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 Animal control 1 2 3 4 5 Economic development 1 2 3 4 5 Services to seniors 1 2 3 4 5 Services to youth 1 2 3 4 5 Services to low-income people 1 2 3 4 5 Public library services 1 2 3 4 5 Public information services 1 2 3 4 5 Public schools 1 2 3 4 5 Emergency preparedness (services that prepare the community for natural disasters or other emergency situations) 1 2 3 4 5 Preservation of natural areas such as open space, farmlands and greenbelts 1 2 3 4 5 14. Overall, how would you rate the quality of the services provided by each of the following? Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know The City of El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 The Federal Government 1 2 3 4 5 The State Government 1 2 3 4 5 Contra Costa County Government 1 2 3 4 5 15. Please indicate how likely or unlikely you are to do each of the following: Very Somewhat Somewhat Very Don’t likely likely unlikely unlikely know Recommend living in El Cerrito to someone who asks 1 2 3 4 5 Remain in El Cerrito for the next five years 1 2 3 4 5 16. What impact, if any, do you think the economy will have on your family income in the next 6 months? Do you think the impact will be: Very positive Somewhat positive Neutral Somewhat negative Very negative 17. Have you had any in-person or phone contact with an employee of the City of El Cerrito Fire Department within the last 12 months? No Î Go to Question 19 Yes Î Go to Question 18 Don’t know Î Go to Question 19 18. What was your overall impression of your most recent contact with the City of El Cerrito Fire Department? Excellent Good Fair Poor Don’t know ---PAGE BREAK--- The National Citizen Survey™ • © 2001-2012 National Research Center, Inc. Page 4 of 5 The National Citizen Survey™ 19. Have you had any in-person, phone or email contact with an employee of the City of El Cerrito within the last 12 months (including police, receptionists, planners or any others)? No Î Go to Question 21 Yes Î Go to Question 20 20. What was your impression of the employee(s) of the City of El Cerrito in your most recent contact? (Rate each characteristic below.) Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know 1 2 3 4 5 Responsiveness 1 2 3 4 5 Courtesy 1 2 3 4 5 Overall impression 1 2 3 4 5 21. Please rate the following categories of El Cerrito government performance: Excellent Good Fair Poor Don't know The value of services for the taxes paid to El Cerrito 1 2 3 4 5 The overall direction that El Cerrito is taking 1 2 3 4 5 The job El Cerrito government does at welcoming citizen involvement 1 2 3 4 5 22. Please check the response that comes closest to your opinion for each of the following questions: a. Please indicate how likely or unlikely you would be to subscribe to an email or online newsletter to receive information from the following City departments: Very likely Somewhat likely Not at all likely City Council 1 2 3 Environmental services 1 2 3 Economic development 1 2 3 Fire 1 2 3 Planning & building (development services) 1 2 3 Police 1 2 3 Public works 1 2 3 Recreation 1 2 3 General (all departments) 1 2 3 b. The City is considering implementing more options to contact the Police Department for non-emergency issues (such as requesting a police report). Please indicate how likely or unlikely you would be to contact the Police using each of the following means of communication: Very likely Somewhat likely Not at all likely Online via the Internet 1 2 3 Text message 1 2 3 Social media Facebook, Twitter) 1 2 3 Email 1 2 3 Telephone 1 2 3 Fax 1 2 3 Mail 1 2 3 In person (during regular business hours) 1 2 3 c. To comply with the federally mandated Clean Water Act, the City of El Cerrito needs to improve the street sweeping program to more effectively remove trash and debris that pollutes our waterways and the San Francisco Bay. Currently, the street sweepers are often not able to sweep effectively due to cars parked on the street. Please indicate how much you would support or oppose the City taking each of the following actions: Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly Don’t support support oppose oppose know Increase education about the street sweeping schedule 1 2 3 4 5 Install permanent signs about the street sweeping schedule 1 2 3 4 5 Enact parking restrictions by block 1 2 3 4 5 Enact parking restrictions on alternate sides of the street 1 2 3 4 5 Increase the sweeping frequency on residential streets 1 2 3 4 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- The City of El Cerrito 2012 Citizen Survey Page 5 of 5 Our last questions are about you and your household. Again, all of your responses to this survey are completely anonymous and will be reported in group form only. D1. Are you currently employed for pay? No Î Go to Question D3 Yes, full time Î Go to Question D2 Yes, part time Î Go to Question D2 D2. During a typical week, how many days do you commute to work (for the longest distance of your commute) in each of the ways listed below? (Enter the total number of days, using whole numbers.) Motorized vehicle car, truck, van, etc.) by myself days Motorized vehicle car, truck, van, etc.) with other children or adults days Bus, rail, subway or other public transportation days Walk days Bicycle days Work at home days Other days D3. How many years have you lived in El Cerrito? Less than 2 years 11-20 years 2-5 years More than 20 years 6-10 years D4. Which best describes the building you live in? One family house detached from any other houses House attached to one or more houses a duplex or townhome) Building with two or more apartments or condominiums Mobile home Other D5. Is this house, apartment or mobile home... Rented for cash or occupied without cash payment? Owned by you or someone in this house with a mortgage or free and clear? D6. About how much is your housing cost for the place you live (including rent, mortgage payment, property tax, property insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees)? Less than $300 per month $300 to $599 per month $600 to $999 per month $1,000 to $1,499 per month $1,500 to $2,499 per month $2,500 or more per month D7. Do any children 17 or under live in your household? No Yes D8. Are you or any other members of your household aged 65 or older? No Yes D9. How much do you anticipate your household's total income before taxes will be for the current year? (Please include in your total income money from all sources for all persons living in your household.) Less than $24,999 $25,000 to $49,999 $50,000 to $99,999 $100,000 to $149,999 $150,000 or more Please respond to both questions D10 and D11: D10. Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? No, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino Yes, I consider myself to be Spanish, Hispanic or Latino D11. What is your race? (Mark one or more races to indicate what race you consider yourself to be.) American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian, Asian Indian or Pacific Islander Black or African American White Other D12. In which category is your age? 18-24 years 55-64 years 25-34 years 65-74 years 35-44 years 75 years or older 45-54 years D13. What is your sex? Female Male D14. Are you registered to vote in your jurisdiction? No Ineligible to vote Yes Don’t know D15. Many people don't have time to vote in elections. Did you vote in the last general election? No Ineligible to vote Yes Don’t know D16. Do you have a cell phone? No Yes D17. Do you have a land line at home? No Yes D18. If you have both a cell phone and a land line, which do you consider your primary telephone number? Cell Land line Both Thank you for completing this survey. Please return the completed survey in the postage-paid envelope to: National Research Center, Inc., PO Box 549, Belle Mead, NJ 08502