Competitive Edge Research & Communication, Inc.

Transcription

1 Competitive Edge Research & Communication, Inc. Public opinion Public policy Organizations Campaigns Customer satisfaction 1987 Founded 1988 Phonecenters established in Riverside and San Diego 1990 Phonecenters established in Reno and San Diego 1992 Predictive dialing installed to double interviewing capacity; CERC calls San Diego Mayor s race 1993 CERC launches "The Edge" newsletter 1998 Headquarters purchased and established in San Diego s Bankers Hill 2000 CERC calls San Diego Mayor s race 2002 Phonecenter upgraded to Windows-based platform; CERC posts $1.6 million in gross revenue 2003 KPBS/Competitive Edge Research Poll and annual Super Bowl poll launched 2004 CERC posts $2.1 million in gross revenue; Calls San Diego Mayor s race (twice) 2005 CERC calls San Diego Mayor s race (twice) 2006 SDIPR/CERC Opinion Barometer launched; CERC presents ballot question paper at AAPOR Conference 2008 CERC calls San Diego Mayor s race; Convenes post-election USD 2009 CERC presents Interviewer Effects paper at AAPOR Conference 2010 CERC conducts web-based interviewing and custom panels CERC conducts dial-testing focus groups John Nienstedt: President, MA Political Science Member: American Association for Public Opinion Research; American Association of Political Consultants Recipient: San Diego SBA Entrepreneurial Success Award (2000) Chad Harris: Director of Operations, BA Police Administration Sasha Tobin: Research Manager, BA Government Natalie Lewis: Research Assistant, BA Political Science

2 2012 Membership Survey Field Dates: September 15 th -September 19 th, 2012 n=500 Association Members 12/19/2012 2

3 Research Objectives: Methodology 1) Determine satisfaction with SDCERA 2) Determine how well SDCERA communicates w/members 3) Understand reasons for above and advise 4) Gauge interest in online communication services 5) Gauge satisfaction with information available on specific topics 6) Measure change over time Sample Size: n= 500 (n=136 Active, n=110 Deferred, n=254 Retired) Margin of Sampling Error: ± 4.9% Confidence Level: 95% Sample Methodology: Simple Random Sampling from Listed Sample Eligibility: SDCERA Members Interview Method: Telephone Average Total Duration: 10 Minutes, 34 Seconds Field Dates: September 15-19, 2012 Field Facility: Competitive Edge Research, San Diego Project Director: John Nienstedt, Sr. 12/19/2012 3

4 Background on the Membership 12/19/2012 4

5 Demographic Differences Between Membership Groups Variable Difference Age 92% of retired > 55 96% of active/deferred < 55 Income 62% of retired earn < $60,000 65% of active/deferred earn > $60,000 Ethnicity Location 77% of retired are white 50% of active/deferred are white 28% of retired are outside County 17% of active/deferred are outside County Retirees are typlically older Incomes of retirees are generally lower Retirees are more often white, but change is coming Some retirees are harder to reach because they are more often out of County. 12/19/2012 5

6 Controls and accounts for County's retirement funds, 16% Level of SDCERA Knowledge Remains Constant In the open-ended question asking respondents to describe Administers retirement benefits for County employees, 25% Knowledge of SDCERA Other, 11% Unsure, 15% Manages the money in the County employees' retirement fund, 44% what the Association does, 75% get the answer right Women are less likely than men to have a clear understanding More often than not, members describe SDCERA in terms of managing the retirement fund Another quarter describes it in administrative terms 16% point to it as a control and accounting entity. 12/19/2012 6

7 Communication 12/19/2012 7

8 Perceived Communication Frequency Ebbing Slightly Though uncommon, members who say the Association never communicates with them are on the rise 21% now say they do not even get contacted occasionally That is at a record high. Frequency of SDCERA Communication by Year 100% 80% 21% 28% 26% 21% A great deal 60% 40% 60% 55% 61% 58% Occasionally Only a little Never 20% 0% 14% 12% 17% 11% 5% 5% 4% /19/2012 8

9 North City Perceives more SDCERA Communication No difference in the amount of communication received by active and retired members Those in the north city area of San Diego (Interstate 8 to La Jolla, Carmel Valley and Rancho Bernardo) say they get more frequent communication from SDCERA 90% north of I-8 see at least occasional communication, while 76% of those elsewhere (including outside San Diego County) get that much Consider that SDCERA s offices are located in the north city area of the County. 12/19/2012 9

10 Communication Channels 12/19/

11 Heavy E-Newsletter Readership off a Bit 15% read the newsletter every time; another 21% read it most of the time But that s a significant 9% decrease from 09 Unclear why the drop occurred Readership is strongest with actives who have total service credit exceeding 16 and a half years. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% SDCERA s Newsletter Reading Frequency Rating by Year 12% 15% 15% 19% 11% 6% 5% 47% 30% 19% 11% 19% 21% 20% 9% 7% 25% Every time Most of the time Sometimes Rarely Unsure Never Do not receive 0% /19/

12 Most Draw a Blank on Improvements Dissatisfaction, such as it is, usually does not center on the content 14% suggest format changes: More reader friendly; it reads like a financial report; it s boring Putting information most important to me on top Include an index so I can go directly to the information that pertains to me 12% want more information: They need a frequently asked question part Specific facts, get away from the fluff; just facts More prevalent are the 18% of actives who have no suggestions Another 21% think it is fine the way it is About 40% who do not read the whole newsletter give it a tacit thumbs up. Suggestions for Newsletter Improvement More information, 11% Am not receiving the newsletter, 10% Change the format, 14% Send it through e- mail, 8% Send it more Send it often, 4% through the mail, 4% I read it, 2% It is fine the way it is, 21% Don't have time to read it, 2% Other, 6% Nothing/Don't know, 18% 12/19/

13 Most Members have Contacted SDCERA This reverses a trend The turnaround has been positive; 42% have had a very helpful interaction 100% SDCERA Staff Interaction Rating by Year Very helpful Somewhat Have not contacted Not too Not at all 80% 46% 44% 34% 42% 60% 40% 20% 0% 6% 15% 11% 27% 59% 38% 22% 44% 3% Retirees tend to find the staff more helpful The much bigger issue is the 44% who have not called Younger members (< 45) are unlikely to have ever contacted the staff. 12/19/

14 Varied Website Usage Levels 100% 80% 60% 40% Most Recent SDCERA Website Visit 16% 27% 20% Last week Last month Last year More than a year ago Unsure A mere 4% make use of it on a weekly basis One-third have never visited the site Another 20% have not visited it within the past year The website is clearly not getting as much use as it should Those with more service credit visit the SDCERA cite more frequently. 20% 32% Never visited 0% 12/19/

15 Media Mentions of SDCERA have Dropped Off About half the members had seen, read or heard SDCERA mentioned at least occasionally in the press in 2006 and 2009 This year only 32% say the same thing Not surprisingly, those outside the city of San Diego are prone to saying they have not been exposed to any media Within San Diego, the chief predictor is income. Amount of SDCERA Media Coverage Over Time A great dea Occasional mentions Only a little Unsure Nothing 100% 80% 60% 40% 10% 36% 23% 18% 14% 33% 36% 26% 24% 7% 26% 29% 20% 29% 23% 26% 38% 0% /19/

16 Media is Far More Positive Now Perhaps the benefit of keeping a lower profile or simply better coverage? Less than half in 2006 and 2009 were seeing positive SDCERA news Now 58% say the coverage has been either somewhat or very positive Impression of SDCERA Media Coverage Over Time Very Positive Somewhat Positive Unsure/Neutral Somewhat Negative Very Negative 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 21% 11% 10% 20% 34% 36% 39% 38% 10% 15% 8% 12% 28% 22% 31% 26% 11% 17% 8% Males tend to rate the coverage as more favorable than females do. 12/19/

17 But Other Pensions are Trashed in the Media 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% Impression of Other Pensions in the Media 5% 11% 6% 29% 49% Positive, strongly Positive, somewhat Unsure Negative, somewhat Negative, strongly Members rate coverage of SDCERA as far more positive than general coverage of all pensions Only one-in-six say the media treatment of non-sdcera pensions has been positive A massive 78% say the coverage has been negative Members clearly see a positive difference in how the media treats their Association. 0% 12/19/

18 Fiscal Stability of Retirement Fund Fairly Solid Belief that the County s retirement fund is stable is at an all time high Nearly half now think the fund is very stable and only 6% regard it as unstable This is a significant improvement over the results from % Perceived Fiscal Stability of County Retirement Fund by Year Very Unstable Somewhat Unstable Unsure Somewhat Stable Very Stable 80% 31% 41% 33% 49% 60% 40% 47% 43% 50% 39% 20% 0% 9% 7% 8% 10% 7% 6% 7% 5% /19/

19 Rising Confidence in Fund Safety Perceptions of fund stability and confidence in the safety of the benefit go hand in hand Now, 53% strongly agree with the statement. 100% Confidence in SDCERA Retirement Benefits by Year Agree, strongly Agree, somewhat Unsure Disagree, somewhat Disagree, strongly 80% 50% 44% 53% 60% 40% 34% 37% 30% 20% 0% 4% 6% 9% 9% 8% /19/

20 Most Think they Have a Good Grasp of their Plan Benefits However, 42% give themselves C or worse grades The amount of confidence members have in their own understanding has not risen since 2009 or 2006 The GPA this year is 2.57 Actives continue to give themselves much worse grades. Self-Assessed Understanding of Plan Benefits by Membership Status Retired Active/Deferred All Members /19/

21 Communication Performance Metrics 12/19/

22 Communicating is a Core Mission for SDCERA We combine the metric for communicating promptly and accurately with the metric for communicating about important issues and providing helpful tools The GPA for communication effectiveness is 3.04; a significant 0.29 improvement since Communication Effectiveness over Time by Membership Status Retired Active/Deferred All Members 12/19/

23 Staff is Key to Communication Effectiveness Evaluation of SDCERA Staff by Communication Effectiveness Grade Very helpful (42%) Somewhat helpful (11%) Have not contacted/unsure (44%) Not too helpful (1%) Not at all helpful (2%) Average: 3.04 Those who rate the staff as being very helpful -- and there are a lot of them -- love the Association s overall communication, giving it a GPA of 3.50 The difference between being somewhat and very helpful when a member calls usually impacts impressions of SDCERA s entire communication operation Do we know what causes the difference? If members have not contacted SDCERA, it s as if the assistance they did get was only somewhat helpful Getting members who have not called to contact the staff would be a very good thing. 12/19/

24 Communicating Frequently is Beneficial A great deal (21%) Occasionally (58%) Only a little (17%) Communication Effectiveness Grade by Frequency of SDCERA Communication Never (4%) Average: 3.04 Those never touched by SDCERA give its communication very low marks Members who only get a little communication award better grades, but nowhere near those who say they hear from SDCERA occasionally The object of the game is to bring all members who now get less than a great deal of communication from the Association up to that level. 12/19/

25 Recency of Website Visitation is Another Big Factor Communication Effectiveness GPA by Last Website Visit Week (5%) Last month (20%) Last year (27%) More than a year ago (17%) Never visited (31%) Average: Those who recently went to the website (and who likely visit it more often) rate SDCERA s communication extremely high It s not possible to have all members hitting the web-site on a weekly basis, but this shows the positive things that can happen when that occurs The great news is that it is not all about weekly visitors Huge gains can be made if members who have never visited the website do so Media exposure, residing in the County and being African-American also impact communication effectiveness. 12/19/

26 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 30% 26% 41% Stellar Grades for Transparency SDCERA Transparency Grade GPA: 3.14 A for excellent B for good C for fair/unsure D for poor F for failing 56% give it an A or a B and the GPA is 3.14 However, the ability to grade SDCERA for its transparency is limited 30% can t evaluate this aspect The huge factor driving better marks for transparency is communication effectiveness The member s contribution balance is another factor Those with no balance tend to give SDCERA better transparency grades than those with some balance Media matters: Seeing positive stories = higher transparency grade. 12/19/

27 How to be Transparent: Newsletters; Benefit Calculators Providing informational newsletters (46%) Hosting the retirement benefit calculator (25%) Viewing meetings remotely (13%) Posting Board agendas in advance (4%) Being more active with media (4%) Having an active Twitter page (3%) Transparency Index Providing informational newsletters rises to the top of the prioritization 46% say it is the most important initiative the Association can take It scores a 1.16 on the transparency initiative index Hosting the retirement benefit calculator on the website sits in a fairly distant second place Viewing meetings remotely, posting Board agendas in advance and being more active with media are third tier initiatives An active Twitter page is not something members see as important. 12/19/

28 Fund Management saw a Very Large Jump in GPA A grades went from 29% to 36%; C grades or lower plunged from 16% to 9% Members are consistently more able to grade management No news = good news: members hearing nothing default to a positive grade SDCERA Retirement Fund Management Grade Over Time by Membership Status 3.53 (89%) 3.33 (85%) 3.33 (87%) 3.35 (78%) 3.10 (91%) 3.10 (77%) 2.95 (74%) 3.00 (81%) 3.23 (70%) 2.75 (69%) 2.92 (75%) 2.95 (72%) Retired Active/Deferred All Members (% able to grade) For fund management perceptions to improve, more must believe in fund stability The rise in communication effectiveness has also driven grades higher. 12/19/

29 Board is Doing a Good or Excellent Job 47% give the Board A s and B s and only 11% give them grades below that GPA is 3.15, a result that is significantly better than the 2.97 registered in 2009 First upward movement observed in the Board s performance since 2004 The downside is that a large percentage (42%) can t rate the Board 3.75 SDCERA Retirement Fund Management Grade Over Time by Membership Status (80%) 3.09 (65%) 2.88 (58%) 3.19 (83%) 3.03 (69%) 2.91 (62%) 2.97(59%) 2.75 (51%) 3.26 (75%) 3.29 (75%) 3.03 (50%) (58%) Retired Active/Deferred All Members (% able to grade) The Board s performance is mainly influenced by the management of the fund, feelings of transparency, and effective communication. 12/19/

30 Overall Job Performance on the Rise The percentage of members awarding A ratings has gone from 30% in 2009 to 36% currently, while grades of C or lower have dropped roughly in half The GPA for overall job performance is now a sterling 3.39 Actives are approaching retired members! 3.75 SDCERA Overall Job Performance Grade Over Time by Membership Status 3.48 (89%) 3.36 (96%) 3.40 (91%) 3.45 (91%) 3.39 (73%) (78%) 3.17 (84%) 3.34 (63%) 3.13 (82%) 2.99 (66%) 3.02 (80%) 2.98 (74%) Retired Active/Deferred All Members (% able to grade) The slight blemish: members who cannot evaluate SDCERA has risen to 27% Members think more highly of SDCERA, but fewer know how well it is doing. 12/19/

31 Board Impression? Media Exposure? Age? Contribution Level? Transparency? Website Visitor? Perceived Fund Stability? Effective Communication? Ethnicity? Confidence in Benefits? + Overall Impression - Staff Interaction? Understanding of Benefits? Area? Member Type? Gender? Length of Service? Income? Amount Contacted? 12/19/

32 1) It s Critical to Manage the Fund to Insure Strength Overall Job Performance GPA by Fund Management Grade (Of those who evaluated both, n=362) A (47%) B (36%) C (7%) D/F (1%) Unsure/NE (9%) Average: Projecting that image of strength as has been effectively conveyed since is the main key to building overall job performance scores This means not only improving SDCERA s image when it comes to fund strength but also making more members aware of the fund s management Those who are unsure how to grade SDCERA on fund management give the Association below average performance scores. 12/19/

33 2) Effective Communication Promotes Satisfaction Overall Job Performance GPA by Communication Effectiveness Grade (Of those who evaluated both, n=362) Great (34%) Good (38%) Low to moderate (28%) Average: The combination of communicating promptly and accurately on important issues and providing members with useful tools to help them make decisions is helpful With SDCERA doing more of that, overall performance has improved But there are still some who downgrade SDCERA on communication Better communication will drive scores higher. 12/19/

34 3) The Board is Important, but not Preeminent Overall Job Performance GPA by Board Performance Grade (Of those who evaluated both, n=362) A (30%) B (28%) C (11%) D/F (2%) Unsure/NE (29%) Average: In 2004 and 2006 we found that as the Board goes, so goes SDCERA In 2009 they were no longer so tied at the hip and that remains the case However, the Board s performance still has influence To the extent that the Board members are well known and respected, the Association benefits Making the Board better known to the members raising its profile -- would help the Association. 12/19/

35 4) Active and Deferred Members Still Lag Overall Job SDCERA is Doing GPA by Type of Membership (Of those who evaluated both, n=362) Deferred (14%) Active (42%) Retiree (44%) Average: 3.39 SDCERA has made spectacular gains among active members However, when all is considered, there is still a satisfaction gap for nonretired members Continuing whatever SDCERA has been doing and doing more of it -- is in order /19/

36 5) Upper Incomes Express More Approval $80-100K (14%) $60-80K (18%) $40-60K (21%) Overall Job SDCERA is Doing GPA by Member Income (Of those who evaluated SDCERA, n=340) $100K + (23%) Those with higher incomes give SDCERA grades of 3.40 or higher There is something amiss among those earning $20,000 to $40,000 The relatively small dip there suggests whatever it is could be fairly minor. $20-40K (17%) Under $20K (7%) Average: /19/

37 6) North Inland Members are Less Satisfied Outside San Diego County (21%) East County (5%) North Coastal (5%) North Inland (8%) Overall Job SDCERA is Doing GPA by Area (Of those who evaluated SDCERA, n=362) Members residing along the north I-15 corridor are not as happy with SDCERA as those in other areas The GPA of 3.03 given by north inland members is 0.36 off the overall average. East Burbs (16%) South Burbs (11%) North City (16%) South City (18%) Average: /19/

38 Service Credit Frequency of Communication Final SDCERA Performance Driver Diagram SDCERA Retirement Fund Management 3.35 Confidence in Fund Stability Contact support Ethnicity Age Website Visit Transparency 3.14 Media Portrayal SDCERA Communication Effectiveness 3.04 SDCERA Board of Retirement 3.12 Member Type Income Area SDCERA Overall /19/

39 Online Services 12/19/

40 Personalized s; Online Tutorials Most Popular Slightly more than half find each of these to be very or extremely helpful to them The popularity of s has fallen off significantly over the past three years Older (> 66) retirees are not ready for online tutorials A two-pronged approach? s to older retireds, on-line tutorials for the rest? Video chat, instant messaging and getting mobile updates are on 2 nd tier Again, retired members are less keen on all these online services Neither group expresses interest in text message updates. Impression of Potential Online Services Not at all Not too Unsure Somewhat Very Extremely helpful Personalized s 13% 30% 35% 17% Online tutorials 14% 5% 26% 34% 20% Online instant messaging with an SDCERA representative 23% 9% 26% 30% 10% Video chat with an SDCERA representative 33% 11% 28% 19% 7% Receiving updates and accessing benefit calculators using a mobile app 34% 13% 18% 19% 12% Text message updates 43% 13% 25% 11% 5% 40 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

41 Information Seeking 12/19/

42 On Half the Topics, Most Actives Want more Info Focus is on determining retirement benefits, retirement options, how the temporary supplement affects benefits and the necessary steps to retirement The desire for more information on topics has remained constant over the years SDCERA has not been able to dampen the desire for more information Non-whites are generally more desirous of information. Active/Deferred Member Topic List 2012 (Asked of active and deferred members, n=250) Sufficient Unsure Want more The factors that determine the amount of your retirement benefit The various retirement benefit options available to you when you retire How the temporary supplement affects your retirement benefit option 41% 42% 39% 5% 58% 58% 57% Net Favorable Necessary steps in order to retire 45% 54% Survivor benefits available to your beneficiaries 53% 43% Purchasing eligible service Credit 51% 8% 41% SDCERA's investment returns 58% 40% SDCERA's investment allocation 59% 40% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 12/19/

43 Most Retirees Don t Need More Information Retirees are more knowledgeable about benefits and the topics In no case do more than half want more information In no case is this because SDCERA has recently sated their desire for information. Retiree Member Topic List 2012 (Asked of retirees, n=254) Sufficient Unsure Want more The Supplemental Benefit Allowance Annual cost-of -living adjustment 52% 58% 5% 43% Net Favorable 41% Survivor benefits available to your beneficiaries 64% 4% 32% SDCERA s investment returns 70% 28% SDCERA s investment allocation 67% 6% 27% Health insurance plans 71% 4% 25% The health insurance allowance 78% 19% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 12/19/

44 Recommendations 1. Keep up the great work; improvements have been impressive 2. Reinforce that the fund is well-managed and stable at every opportunity 3. Communications improvement is more about reach than message 4. Maintain the image of the Board; expose more members to it 5. Keep working on active members; seems like just a matter of time before they catch up to retireds 6. Understand lower income and north inland members better 7. Other than , electronic communication is too much for retirees, but it's coming for actives 8. Push more benefit information to actives 9. Staff is a big asset; get more members to call or rely on them 10. Touch members; if possible, employ African-American messengers more often 11. Advertise the web-site more 12. No news is good news; control when SDCERA is in the press 13. Promote newsletter and benefit calculators to show SDCERA's transparent. 12/19/

45 Thank You 12/19/