Post on 26-Mar-2015
City of ThoroldAn Evaluation of Public Services
2
Background and Objectives
The City of Thorold determined a need to talk to adult residents of the city about the services it provides, as well as development initiatives it is undertaking.
More specifically, the objectives of this research were as follows:
To determine the extent to which residents are using existing services;
To understand the importance residents put on these services;
To explore the perceived satisfaction with these services;To investigate the perceived importance of various
initiatives being undertaken by the city; andTo explore residents’ satisfaction with these initiatives.
3
Method
This research was conducted via telephone surveys.
In total, 400 surveys were conducted with adult residents of Thorold.
Surveys were conducted between October 24th and October 31st, 2005.
With a sample size of 400 results can be considered accurate to within 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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Key Findings Service Evaluation
Overall, positive service ratings, with a few areas that could use improvement:
- Roads (Condition & Snow Removal)- Flood Control and Drainage- Water and Sewer Systems
Overall service satisfaction (89%) is quite high.- Ratings are somewhat higher than Provincial &
Regional benchmarks.- With two-thirds being only somewhat satisfied, there
is room for improvement
Important Services: Majority considers every service important.
- Most Important: Roads & Snow Removal- Least Important: Arenas
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Key Findings Service Evaluation (cont’d)
User Satisfaction: Overall, majority of users are satisfied with the services.
- Lowest satisfaction: Planning/Building, Road Maintenance, Tax/Water billing.
Non-User Satisfaction: Overall, usage breeds positivity, with non-users reporting lower perceived satisfaction ratings on almost all services.- Users may be leveraged as ambassadors for city services.
Gap Analysis - Most Important w/ Least Satisfaction:- Key Areas of Improvement are: Snow Removal (-34),
Road Maintenance (-33), Water Drainage/Flood Control (-23).
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Key Findings City Initiatives
Important Initiatives: Majorities consider each initiative important.
- Most Important: Economic Development
Satisfaction: Overall, majority of users are satisfied with the services.
Gap Analysis - Most Important w/ Least Satisfaction:- While Economic Development achieves highest
importance rating, it achieves lowest satisfaction scores (-32).
Services – Importance, Usage and Satisfaction
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Overall Satisfaction with Services Provided by ThoroldSomewhat higher than Provincial and Regional Benchmarks
B1. Now, I would like you to think about all of the services that are provided by the City of Thorold… Overall, are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the overall quality of services provided by the City of Thorold municipal government? Base: Total respondents (n=400)
Satisfaction with the City of Thorold is quite high, with nine-tenths (88%) saying they are very or somewhat satisfied.
However, there is room for improvement as most of those who are satisfied are only somewhat so.
Very satisfied23%
Somewhat satisfied
66%
Somewhat dissatisfied
7%
Very dissatisfied
4%
9
Importance Rating Of City ServicesMost: Emergency response Least: Traffic/Building
Now, I am going to read a number of different services and programs provided by the City of Thorold. For each, I would like you to tell me how important it is to you and your household Base: Total respondents (n=400)
38%
22%
32%
34%
22%
22%
15%
10%
9%
3%
37%
42%
47%
52%
59%
75%
77%
87%
89%
97%
34%
40%
Planning / Building
Traffic on Roads
Arenas
Heritage / Preservation
Parks / Sportsfields
Libraries
Maintenance of City Roads
Drainage + Flood Control
Water and Sewage
Road Snow Clearing
Fire Department
Very importantSomewhat important
10
Importance Rating Of City Services The majority of residents find all the services tested to
be at least somewhat important.
However, roads are clearly a top priority right behind the emergency response by the fire department, with almost all residents believing that snow removal, as well as the condition and the appearance of the roads is important.
Maintenance and condition of the water and sewage systems and drainage / flood control are also high on the priority list.
Services considered less important are those related to planning and building, the level of traffic on roads, and arenas.
A full breakdown of individual results can be found in Appendix 1.
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Usage of City Services – SummaryMost: Roads /Parks/Libraries Least : Fire Dept.
And, please tell me what BEST represents how often you and your household use the service or program within a typical year Base: Those respondents who use the service
99%
77%
75%
59%
54%
44%
32%
16%
0%
21%
32%
11%
10%
9%
3%
0%
98%
42%
20%
6%
26%
19%
1%
0%
Roads
Parks / Sportsfields
Libraries
Heritage
Arenas
Drainage / Flood
Planning / Building
Fire Department
A least once/year Once/month Once/week
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User Satisfaction with Services – SummaryHighest: Fire Dept./Libraries/Heritage.Lowest: Roads/Tax & Water
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using each service.
85%
62%
43%
41%
39%
39%
32%
28%
22%
22%
15%
15%
15%
31%
49%
45%
48%
42%
38%
36%
61%
43%
49%
40%
Fire Department
Libraries
Heritage / Preservation
Arenas
Parks / Sportsfields
Water and Sewage
Drainage + Flood Control
Road Snow Clearing
Traffic on Roads
Planning / Building
Maintance of City Roads
Tax / Water BillingVery satisfiedSomewhat satisfied
13
Gap Analysis – Importance vs. Satisfaction
Base: Total respondents (n=400)
Find Important
Are Satisfied GAP
Condition/ Maintenance of arenas 65% 86% +21Heritage and Historical preservation services
79% 92% +13
Public Libraries 81% 93% +12Level of traffic on roads 77% 82% +5Number and Maintenance of parks, open spaces, sportsfields
86% 87% +1
Emergency response by Fire Department
100% 100% 0
Planning and Building Services 71% 65% -6Condition/ Maintenance of water and sewage systems
97% 80% -13
Storm water drainage and flood control
92% 69% -23
Condition/ Maintenance of roads 97% 64% -33Snow removal of city roads 98% 64% -34
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Gap Analysis – Importance vs. Satisfaction When comparing the level of importance assigned to
the services and the level of satisfaction these services received, the City of Thorold is doing particularly well on a number of services, particularly the maintenance and condition of arenas, heritage and historical preservation services, and public libraries.
Roads, storm water drainage and flood control, and the condition and maintenance of water and sewage systems are the areas that need the most improvement. Overall, residents perceive these services to be important, but are not nearly as satisfied with the current level of service.
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Non-User Perceived Satisfaction with Services – SummaryHighest: Fire Dept. Lowest: Arenas/Planning & Building
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those not using each service.
67%
34%
22%
22%
20%
16%
16%
22%
43%
41%
37%
39%
47%
37%
Fire Department
Drainage + Flood Control
Libraries
Parks / Sportsfields
Heritage / Preservation
Planning / Building
Arenas
Very satisfiedSomewhat satisfied
16
Gap Analysis – Actual Satisfaction vs. Perceived Satisfaction
Base: Total respondents (n=400)
Actual Satisfaction
Perceived Satisfaction
GAP
Storm water drainage and flood control
69% 77% +8
Planning and Building Services 65% 63% -2Emergency response by Fire Department
100% 89% -11
Number and Maintenance of parks, open spaces, sportsfields
87% 59% -28
Public Libraries 93% 63% -30Heritage and Historical preservation services
92% 59% -33
Condition/ Maintenance of arenas 86% 53% -33
When comparing actual versus perceived satisfaction, it is evident that usage breeds positivity, with user satisfaction being higher than non-user perceived satisfaction in most case.
The only case where this is not true is storm water drainage and flood control.
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Personal Experience with StaffExperience Percentage
Anytime I’ve dealt with them, I’ve been generally satisfied
34
Above average / top marks / excellent 14Staff are good at communicating with public / pleasant /friendly
14
Helpful / reasonable / knowledgeable 12
Somewhat dissatisfied 11Very responsive / Good with questions / Quick to respond 9
Have had little dealings with them / Can’t really respond 6
Staff are slow to respond 5Need to be more sensitive to concerns / complaints of residents
4
Some staff are good / courteous, while other are not 4
Polite / courteous / professional 3
People not treated equally / favouritism 2
Good mayor / doing good job 2
Problem with response to sewage / water / drainage 2
Hypocritical / say one thing and do another 1
Municipal Initiatives
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Importance of InitiativesHighest: Economic Development For the most part, Thorold residents find all tested initiatives to be important,
especially economic and development initiatives. Those under 35 are most likely to find the downtown re-development (98%) and
economic development initiatives (98%) important. Residents between 35 and 54 find increasing tourism to be the most important (90%).
72%
58%
48% 48%
21%27%
36% 34%
Economicdevelopment
Downtown Re-development
Increase tourism PromotingHeritage/ History
Very important Somewhat important
20
Satisfaction with Initiatives While most residents tend to find these initiatives very as
opposed to somewhat important, they are more likely to be somewhat instead of very satisfied with them.
They are most dissatisfied with the re-development of downtown and economic development initiatives (24% each).
22%19% 17%
12%
57% 53%48% 49%
PromotingHeritage/ History
Increase tourism Downtown Re-development
Economicdevelopment
Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied
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Gap Analysis – Importance vs. Satisfaction
Base: Total respondents (n=400)
Find Important
Are Satisfied GAP
Promote heritage and history 81% 78% -3
Increase tourism 85% 72% -13
Re-development of downtown 84% 64% -20
Economic development 93% 61% -32
Generally, residents find the City’s initiatives to be important, but there is a gap between this importance and their satisfaction.
This is especially true for economic development and the re-development of downtown.
Other Comments
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Other CommentsComments Percentage
Better / quicker snow removal 8Maintain roads / fix potholes 7Don’t raise taxes / give notice when you do / lower taxes 6Need to work on water / sewers / drainage system 6Focus on cleaning / business generation / more money going into downtown
5
Satisfied / happy / doing a good job 4More playgrounds, parks / better maintenance of parks, arenas 4Better enforcements of law / traffic violations / better police
presence5
Few sidewalks / no bikepaths / in poor condition 3Spend more on Heritage / history of area / old buildings 3Need recreation / community centre / place for youth 3Student housing: more monitoring of / more restrictions on 2Better public transportation / bigger busses 2No parking on streets 2Need to public / changes and progress on city projects 2Lower water costs / don’t bill for water 2Housing for seniors: tax breaks / nursing homes 2Job creation / tax breaks for businesses willing to locate nearby 1
Importance, Usage and
Satisfaction with City Services
Appendix 1
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Emergency Response by Fire Department - Importance Not surprisingly, emergency response by the fire department
is considered very important (97%).
Now, I am going to read a number of different services and programs provided by the City of Thorold. For each, I would like you to tell me how important it is to you and your household Base: Total respondents (n=400)
97%
3% <1%<1%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
26
Emergency Response by Fire Department - Usage Most Thorold residents have never used the fire department’s
emergency response services.
0%
16%
84%
At least once a week At least once a year Never
27
Emergency Response by Fire Department - Satisfaction Those who have used these services are very happy with them,
with no one reporting it to be even somewhat unsatisfactory. Only one percent of those who have not used the service
perceive it to be very dissatisfactory.
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using each service n=66; Those not n=334
85%
15%
0% 0%
67%
22%
1%<1%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Actual SatisfactionPerceived Satisfaction
28
Condition and Maintenance of City Roads - Importance Residents find the condition and Maintenance of City Roads to
be very important.
75%
22%
3%<1%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
29
City Roads - Usage Roads are used on a daily basis by Thorold residents.
95%
3% 1% 1%
At least once aday
At least once aweek
At least once ayear
Never
30
Condition and Maintenance of City Roads - Satisfaction Two-thirds of residents are at least somewhat satisfied with
the condition and maintenance of city roads (64%). Those who are dissatisfied tend to be under 35 (40% of are at
least somewhat dissatisfied).
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using service n=398
15%
49%
19%16%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
31
Level of Traffic on City Roads – Importance The amount of traffic on city roads is thought to be important. Older residents are most likely to find it very important (44%
of those over 55) while younger residents are most likely to find it not very important (27% of those under 35).
40%38%
14%
3%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
32
Level of Traffic on City Roads - Satisfaction Satisfaction with the level of traffic is high, with 83% being at
least somewhat satisfied. Those aged 35 to 54 are most likely to be dissatisfied (19%
compared to 4% of those under 35).
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Total n=400
22%
61%
12%
4%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
33
Clearing Snow from Roads - Importance Clearing snow from roads is very important to Thorold
residents, especially women (94% compared to 85% of men).
89%
9%1% <1%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
34
Clearing Snow from Roads - Satisfaction Two-thirds (64%) of residents are at least somewhat satisfied
with current snow removal services, men more so than women (71% and 58%, respectively).
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Total n=400
28%
36%
21%
14%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
35
Water Drainage/Flood Control - Importance The drainage of storm water and flood control is thought to
be very important. This is particularly true for women (84%) and those aged 35
to 54 (81%).
77%
15%
4% 2%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
36
Water Drainage/Flood Control - Usage While the vast majority find this to be important, almost half
say they have never used the service.
14%
5%9%
16%
46%
At least oncea day
At least oncea week
At least oncea month
At least oncea year
Never
37
Water Drainage/Flood Control - Satisfaction Satisfaction with the city’s water drainage and flood control is
quite high among those who have used it. Particularly older residents are satisfied, as 40% of those over
55 say they are very satisfied. Perceived satisfaction is higher than actual satisfaction for this
service.
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using n=150; Those not n=184
32%
38%
10%13%
34%
43%
6%4%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Actual SatisfactionPerceived Satisfaction
38
Condition and Maintenance of Water and Sewage Systems - Importance The condition and maintenance of the water and sewage
systems are thought to be very important.
87%
10%
1% 1%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
39
Condition and Maintenance of Water and Sewage Systems - Satisfaction For the most part, residents are satisfied with the condition
and maintenance of the water and sewage system (80%). This is especially true for those under the 35 (90%).
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Total n=400.
39%42%
8% 8%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
40
Number and Maintenance of Parks/Sportsfields - Importance The number and maintenance of parks, open spaces and
sportsfields is considered at least somewhat important to the majority of residents (86%).
This is particularly true to 18 to 34 year olds (94%), and to 35 to 54 year olds (91%).
52%
34%
9%4%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
41
Number and Maintenance of Parks/Sportsfields - Usage Parks, open spaces and sportsfields are well used in Thorold,
with only 23% saying they never use them. Two in five residents use them at least weekly (43%). Younger residents under 35 tend to use them more often
(17% using them daily and 44% using them weekly).
8%
35%
21%
14%
23%
At least oncea day
At least oncea week
At least oncea month
At least oncea year
Never
42
Number and Maintenance of Parks/Sportsfields - Satisfaction Overall, residents are happy with the number and
maintenance of parks, open spaces and sportsfields, although a greater portion of residents say they are somewhat as opposed to very satisfied.
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using (n=309); Those not n=91
39%
48%
9%
3%
22%
37%
7%6%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Actual SatisfactionPerceived Satisfaction
43
Public Libraries – Importance While libraries are considered important to all, women value
this importance more than men (67% of women rating them very important, compared to 51% of men).
59%
22%
12%6%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
44
Public Libraries – Usage Usage of public libraries is split, with slightly more than half
of residents using them at least once a month. One-quarter of residents say they never use the libraries.
3%
18%
32%
23% 24%
At least oncea day
At least oncea week
At least oncea month
At least oncea year
Never
45
Public Libraries - Satisfaction Residents who use public libraries are very satisfied with
them. While perceived satisfaction among non-users is quite high, it
does not come close to the actual levels of satisfaction.
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Total n=304; Those not n=96
62%
31%
4%
22%
41%
0%<1%1%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Actual SatisfactionPerceived Satisfaction
46
Condition and Maintenance of Arenas - Importance While arenas are considered important the the majority of
residents, they are not as important as the number of open spaces, parks and sportsfields.
They are more important to those aged 35 to 54 (70%) than those over 55 (56%).
42%
22%
16% 16%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
47
Arenas - Usage Arenas are not widely used, with just under half of residents
saying they never use them, and an additional one-fifth using them less than once a month.
4%
23%
10%
19%
45%
At least oncea day
At least oncea week
At least oncea month
At least oncea year
Never
48
Condition and Maintenance of Arenas - Satisfaction The vast majority of those who use arenas are at least
somewhat satisfied with them. If users are dissatisfied, they tend to be men (13%) and
between 35 and 54 (14%).
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using n=221; Those not n=179
41%45%
9%
1%
16%
37%
4% 3%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Actual SatisfactionPerceived Satisfaction
49
Planning and Building Services - Importance Planning and building services, such as zoning, permits and
inspections are deemed as important to residents (71%), with over one-third finding it very important (37%).
37%34%
12%
6%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
50
Planning and Building Services - Usage
These services are virtually never used, and if so, less than once a month.
1% 3%
29%
65%
<1%
At least oncea day
At least oncea week
At least oncea month
At least oncea year
Never
51
Planning and Building Services – Satisfaction While two-thirds (65%) of Thorold residents say they are
satisfied with the services relating to planning and building, most are only somewhat satisfied.
One in ten users say they don’t know or refused to answer (11%) as do 28% of non users.
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using n=142; Those not n=258
22%
43%
11%14%
16%
47%
6%3%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Actual SatisfactionPerceived Satisfaction
52
Heritage and Historical Preservation - Importance These services are considered important to most residents,
especially women (84% compared to 74% of men).
47%
32%
12%8%
Very important Somewhatimportant
Not veryimportant
Not important atall
53
Heritage and Historical Preservation - Usage Although perceived importance is high, usage is mostly
limited to less than a month.
1%4%
11%
42%40%
At least oncea day
At least oncea week
At least oncea month
At least oncea year
Never
54
Heritage and Historical Preservation - Satisfaction Those residents who use the heritage and historical
preservation services at least once a year are quite satisfied with them.
Perceived satisfaction is also 58%.
Thinking about your level of satisfaction with this service, would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Base: Those using n=239; Those not n=161
43%
49%
5%1%
20%
39%
6%3%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Actual SatisfactionPerceived Satisfaction
55
Tax and Water Billing - Satisfaction Of all the services, tax and water billing draws the lowest
satisfaction rating, as 39% are dissatisfied. The only other services generating dissatisfaction rates of
more than 30% are condition and maintenance of city roads (35%) and snow removal from city roads (34%).
15%
40%
19% 20%
Very satisfied Somewhatsatisfied
Somewhatdissatisfied
Very dissatisfied