City of Lethbridge 2014 Community Satisfaction Survey Key Findings August 2014
Background and Methodology Ipsos Reid conducted a telephone survey with a randomly selected sample of 400 residents of Lethbridge aged 18 years and older between May 7th and 30th, 2014. 55 pre-test interviews were completed on May 7th, while the remaining 345 interviewers were conducted between May 22nd and 30th. The average interview length was 16.4 minutes. The margin of error for the total sample of 400 is ± 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margin of error is larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. Final data were weighted to reflect the relative size of each region in Lethbridge (i.e. North, South and West) according to 2013 Municipal Census data, as well as to ensure the age/gender composition reflects that of the actual Lethbridge population aged 18 or older according to 2011 Federal Census data. Where possible, results are compared to 2011, 2008 and 2005 Community Satisfaction Survey findings. 2
Issue Agenda 3
Issue Agenda Multiple Responses First Mention Second Mention 2011 2008 2005 Transportation Taxation/ Municipal Government Spending 21% 13% 18% 33% 21% 20% 25% 29% 23% 11% Parks, Recreation and Cultural Facilities/ Programs 9% 16% 16% 10% - Municipal Government Services 7% 16% 19% 12% 21% Environment 5% 11% 5% 5% 5% Social 5% 9% 9% 23% 17% Crime 4% 7% 6% 9% 6% Education 2 4% 6% 8% 13% Economy 2 4% 9% 7% 10% Growth 3% 3% 4% 5% Healthcare 2% 5% 5% 2% Other 16% 15% 20% 12% Nothing 16% 12% 9% 15% Denotes statistically significant change from 2011 to 2014 Don't know 5% 5% 5% 6% In your view, as a resident of the City of Lethbridge, what is the most important LOCAL issue facing the City today, that is, the one issue you feel should receive the greatest attention from your local leaders? What is the next most important local issue facing the city? Base: All respondents (n=400) 4
Quality of Life 5
Overall Quality of Life in Lethbridge Very good Good 44% 54% Good 2014: 98% 2011: 98% 2008: 98% 2005: 98% Poor 1% Very poor 0% How would you rate the overall quality of life in the City of Lethbridge today? Base: All respondents (n=400) 6
Perceived Change in the Quality of Life Improved Stayed the same Worsened Don't know 57% 63% 67% 64% 34% 17% 17% 22% 10% 6% 14% 3% 3% 2% 3% 2005 (n=400) 2008 (n=400) 2011 (n=802) 2014 (n=400) And do you feel that the quality of life in Lethbridge in the past three years has improved, stayed the same or worsened? Base: All respondents (n=400) 7
Reasons for Improved Quality of Life Multiple Responses Improved infrastructure Good recreational facilities/ entertainment/ social activities Better parks Growing economy (incl. more businesses opening) 17% 16% 13% 13% Good pathway/ trail system Population is growing (but not as rapid as other places) New construction/ city is expanding Improved facilities Downtown revitalization More jobs Seems nicer/ better Better roads Improved public transit system More housing/ housing market stabilized Improved programs/ services Better government/ leadership Other Don t know 8% 6% 5% 5% 4% 4% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 3% Mentions less than 2% in 2014 are not shown 40% Why do you think the quality of life has improved? Base: Feel quality of life has improved in the past three years (n=88) 8
Reasons for Worsened Quality of Life Multiple Responses Too much growth/ population Poor road conditions Increase in crime High taxes Government overspending/ unnecessary spending Poor services High inflation Increased/ high property taxes Traffic issues Cost of living has increased Biased development towards certain city areas Problems with urban planning Poor economy 12% 11% 9% 7% 7% 7% 6% 6% 6% 5% 5% 4% 2% Other 33% Why do you think the quality of life has worsened? Base: Feel quality of life has worsened in the past three years (n=48*) *Caution: Small base size 9
City Programs and Services 10
Overall Satisfaction with City Programs and Services Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied 32% 61% Satisfied 2014: 93% 2011: 94% 2008: 95% 2005: 98% Not very satisfied 5% Not at all satisfied 1% Please tell me how satisfied you are with the overall level and quality of services and programs provided by the City of Lethbridge.? Base: All respondents (n=400) 11
Importance of City Programs and Services Very Important Somewhat Important 2011 2008 2005 Police services 92% 7% 99% 98% 100% 98% Garbage collection 88% 11% 99% 98% 99% n/a Fire protection 94% 5% 99% n/a n/a n/a Ambulance services 94% 4% 99%* n/a n/a n/a Snow Removal Maintenance, cleaning, and upgrading of streets and sidewalks Parks and open spaces 81% 78% 79% 17% 20% 19% 98% 98% 98% 96% n/a n/a 99% 99% 99% 99% 98% 98% Recreational facilities 77% 19% 95%* 96% 93% 94% Recycling 79% 16% 95% 96% 97% n/a City trails and pathway system 66% 28% 93%* 92% 91% n/a Land use and community planning 58% 34% 93%* 95% 94% 94% Bylaw enforcement 52% 37% 89% 86% n/a n/a Public library 56% 33% 89% 89% 90% 91% Animal Control & Sheltering Public transit 53% 58% 36% 25% 83% 89% 88% n/a n/a 77% 78% 79% Access-A-Ride 60% 20% 81%* n/a n/a n/a Arts & culture facilities 37% 39% 75%* 78% 79% n/a I am going to read a list of programs and services provided to you by the City of Lethbridge. Please tell me how important each one is to you. Base: All respondents (n=400) *Rounding Denotes statistically significant change from 2011 to 2014 12
Satisfaction with City Programs and Services Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied 2011 2008 2005 Fire protection Parks and open spaces Garbage collection Ambulance services Public library 72% 54% 68% 68% 54% 26% 40% 25% 25% 38% 98% 94% 93% 93% 92% n/a n/a n/a 94% 93% 96% 91% 88% n/a n/a n/a n/a 95% 93% 92% Police services 53% 38% 91% 89% 88% 86% City trails and pathway system 47% 42% 89% 89% 91% n/a Animal Control & Sheltering 29% 54% 83% 82% n/a n/a Arts & culture facilities 36% 45% 81% 77% 78% n/a Bylaw enforcement Land use and community planning 29% 18% 52% 62% 81% 80% 78% n/a n/a 73% 74% 83% Recreational facilities 28% 46% 74% 79% 80% 87% Access-A-Ride 26% 47% 73% n/a n/a n/a Snow Removal 24% 48% 72% 72% n/a n/a Public transit Maintenance, cleaning, and upgrading of streets and sidewalks Recycling 24% 21% 32% 45% 46% 32% 69% 66%* 65%* 67% 71% 69% 76% 78% 87% 67% 71% n/a I am going to read a list of programs and services provided to you by the City of Lethbridge. Please tell me how satisfied you are with the job the City is doing in providing that program or service. Base: All respondents (n=400) *Rounding Denotes statistically significant change from 2011 to 2014 13
Importance Importance vs. Satisfaction Grid Primary Strength 100% Primary Weakness Ambulance services Garbage collection Police services Snow removal Parks & open spaces 92% Maintenance, cleaning & upgrading of streets & sidewalks Recycling Recreational facilities Land use & community planning City trails & pathway system Fire protection Bylaw enforcement Animal control & sheltering Public library Public transit Access-A-Ride Arts & culture facilities 70% Secondary Weakness 60% 82% Satisfaction Secondary Strength 100% 14
Importance 2014 vs. 2011 Importance vs. Satisfaction Grid Primary Strength Primary Weakness 100% 18 3 4 16 5 2 16 15 5 3 2 17 15 14 17 13 14 13 6 92% 6 10 8 7 7 8 10 12 19 11 9 12 9 2014 2011 70% Secondary Weakness Secondary Strength 60% 81% 82% Satisfaction 1 100% 1 Fire protection 2 Parks and open spaces 3 Garbage collection 4 Ambulance services 5 Police services City trails and pathway 6 system 7 Public library Animal Control & 8 Sheltering 9 Arts & culture facilities 10 Bylaw enforcement 11 Access-A-Ride 12 Public transit Land use and community 13 planning 14 Recreational facilities 15 Snow Removal Maintenance, cleaning, 16 and upgrading of streets and sidewalks 17 Recycling Fire protection & 18 Ambulance services 19 Social housing
Contact with The City and Communications 16
Past 12 Months Contact with Council and Employees % Yes 16% City Council 26% n/a 2014 2011 2008 53% The City or one of its Employees 62% 60% Denotes statistically significant change from 2011 to 2014 Have you contacted or dealt with a member of Lethbridge s City Council in the last twelve months? Have you contacted or dealt with The City of Lethbridge or one of its employees in the last twelve months? Base: All respondents (n=400) 17
Overall Satisfaction with Customer Service Very satisfied 49% Satisfied: 82% Somewhat satisfied 33% Not very satisfied 11% Not at all satisfied 6% Thinking about your contact or dealings with The City or its employees in the last twelve months, how satisfied are you with the overall customer service you received? Base: Contacted or dealt with The City or one of it s employees (n=227) 18
Satisfaction with the Extent of Information Received Too much Too little Just the right amount 68% 61% 61% 37% 37% 29% 3% 2% 1% 2008 (n=400) 2011 (n=802) 2014 (n=400) In your opinion, do you currently receive too much, too little, or just the right amount of information from The City? Base: All respondents (n=400) 19
Past 12 Months Visitation of the City Website % Yes 2014 66% 2011 71% 2008 56% 2005 40% Have you been to the City of Lethbridge s website in the last twelve months? Base: All respondents (n=400) 20
Taxation and User Fees 21
Perceived Value of Property Taxes Very good value 10% Good value 63% Good Value 2014: 73% 2011: 70% 2008: 73% 2005: 85% Poor value 19% Very poor value 6% Don't know 2% Your property tax dollars are divided between the City of Lethbridge and the Province. In Lethbridge, approximately 70% of your property tax bill goes to The City to fund municipal services and approximately 30% of your property tax bill goes to the province. Considering the services provided by The City, Overall, do you think you get good value or poor value for the taxes you pay? Base: All respondents (n=400) 22
Balancing Taxation and Service Delivery Levels Increase taxes to expand services Increase taxes to maintain services at current levels 20% 30% Increase Taxes 2014: 50% 2011: 46% 2008: 52% 2005: 65% Cut services to maintain current tax level Cut services to reduce taxes 13% 23% Cut Services 2014: 36% 2011: 40% 2008: 35% 2005: 23% None 10% Don t know 5% Municipal property taxes are the primary way to pay for services provided by the City. Due to the increased cost of maintaining current service levels and infrastructure, the City must balance taxation and service delivery levels. To deal with this situation, which of the following four options would you most like the City to pursue? Base: All respondents (n=400) 23
Perceived Value of User Fees Very good value Good value 2011 2008 2005 Garbage pick-up 27% 66% 92%* 87% 84% 89% Swimming 16% 63% 79% 82% 85% 80% Skating 15% 64% 78%* 76% 76% 77% City transit 11% 55% 66% 63% 68% 65% Recycling 14% 46% 59%* 59% 64% n/a Denotes statistically significant change from 2011 to 2014 *Rounding The City of Lethbridge collects user fees for certain services. In your opinion, do you get good value or poor value for the user fees that you pay for specific services, such as? Base: All respondents (n=400) 24
Performance of the Municipal Government 25
Satisfaction with the Municipal Government Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied 2011 Municipal government, including Council and staff as a whole 16% 69% 85% 81% Staff, excluding Council 21% 62% 83% 77% Council, excluding staff 14% 67% 81% 76% Denotes statistically significant change from 2011 to 2014 Taking everything into account, how satisfied are you with the way the City of Lethbridge s is going about running the community? Base: All respondents (n=400) 26
Perceptions of the Municipal Government Strongly agree Somewhat agree 2011 The City of Lethbridge is accountable to the community for leadership and good governance 27% 55% 82% 75% The City of Lethbridge practices open and accessible government 21% 59% 81%* 70% The City of Lethbridge does the best it can with the money available 17% 50% 67% 63% The City of Lethbridge always takes residents' views into consideration when making decisions that affect them 14% 52% 66% 57% Denotes statistically significant change from 2011 to 2014 *Rounding Thinking about your personal dealings with the City of Lethbridge, please indicate if you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. Base: All respondents (n=400) 27
Top Two Priorities for The City of Lethbridge Multiple Responses First Mention Second Mention 2011 Government Services Transportation 25% 21% 31% 41% 35% 23% Recreation and Cultural Facilities/ Programs 13% 20% 18% Taxation/ Government Spending Social 6% 3 6% 10% 13% 10% Crime 4% 7% 8% Environment 3 6% 7% Growth/ Development 2 6% 5% Economy 2 4% 4% Education 3% 5% Revitalization 2% 3% Healthcare 2% 3% Other 9% 18% 17% Nothing 7% 11% Denotes statistically significant change from 2011 to 2014 Don't know 3% 4% Thinking about all of the priorities that exist in the City of Lethbridge today, please tell me the top two priorities that you feel the City of Lethbridge should address over the next 12 months. Base: All respondents (n=400) 28
Summary of Key Findings 1. Perceptions about quality of life in Lethbridge continue to be extremely positive. 2. Perceptions of the municipal government are markedly improved. 3. Transportation is increasing in prominence as a key issue facing Lethbridge. 4. Taxation and municipal government spending is decreasing in prominence as a key issue. 5. The perceived value of property taxes holds steady while the perceived value of user fees for garbage pick-up is up significantly. 6. Two City services see significant decreases in satisfaction, while one sees a significant increase. 29
Contact Information Jamie Duncan Vice President Ipsos Reid Public Affairs 635 Eighth Avenue SW, Suite 600 Calgary, AB, Canada T2P 3M3 Phone: 587.952.4863 email: jamie.duncan@ipsos.com Sheela Das Director Ipsos Reid Public Affairs 635 Eighth Avenue SW, Suite 600 Calgary, AB, Canada T2P 3M3 Phone: 587.952.4874 email: sheela.das@ipsos.com 30
Demographics 31
Gender, Age, Education and Income Gender Age Male 48% Female 52% 18 to 24 13% 25 to 34 21% 35 to 44 15% 45 to 54 15% 55 to 64 14% 65 or more 20% No response 2% Mean 46.5 years Education Income Grade school or some high school 6% Completed high school 19% Post secondary technical school 14% Some university or college 15% Completed college diploma 15% Completed university degree 21% Post-graduate degree 9% No response 1% <$30,000 11% $30,000 to <$45,000 13% $45,000 to <$60,000 14% $60,000 to <$75,000 11% $75,000 to <$90,000 7% $90,000 to <$105,000 6% $105,000 to <$120,000 7% 120,000 and over 19% No response 12% Base: All respondents (n=400) 32
Tenure and Household Makeup Born in Canada Tenure in Lethbridge Yes 86% No 14% Less than 5 years 15% 5 to <10 years 11% 10 to <20 years 25% 20 to <30 years 21% 30 to <40 years 11% 40 years or longer 17% No response 1% Own or Rent Number of People in Household Children in HH Own 76% Rent 22% 1 13% 2 31% 3 21% 4 25% 5 or more 10% Yes 37% No 63% No response 2% Base: All respondents (n=400) 33
Summary of Key Findings 34
Summary of Key Findings Perceptions about quality of life in Lethbridge continue to be extremely positive. For the fourth consecutive measure, there is near universal agreement (98%) that the quality of life in Lethbridge is good. Further, more than two-in-ten (22%) residents say the quality of life has improved in the past three years, while the majority (64%) say it has stayed the same just 10% say the quality of life has worsened. Improved infrastructure (17%) is the most frequent reason given for the perception of an improved quality of life, followed by good recreational facilities, entertainment or social activities (16%), better parks (13%) and a growing economy (13%). Perceptions of the municipal government are markedly improved. In 2014, 82% of residents strongly or somewhat agree that the City of Lethbridge is accountable to the community for leadership and good governance up 7 percentage points from 2011 (75%). Eight-in-ten (81%) also strongly or somewhat agree that the City of Lethbridge practices open and accessible government up 11 percentage points from 2011 (70%). Two-thirds (66%) strongly or somewhat agree that the City of Lethbridge always takes residents views into consideration when making decisions that affect them up 9 percentage points from 2011 (57%). Further, 83% of residents say they are very or somewhat satisfied with the performance of Staff, excluding Council up 6 percentage points from 77% in 2011. 35
Summary of Key Findings Transportation is increasing in prominence as a key issue facing Lethbridge. In 2014, transportation climbs to the top position on the issue agenda with 33% of residents citing it as an important issue this represents a significant 12 percentage point increase from 21% in 2011. Moreover, 31% of residents identify transportation as one of the top two priorities for the City of Lethbridge up 8 percentage points from 23% in 2011. Taxation and municipal government spending is decreasing in prominence as a key issue. Taxation and municipal government spending drops to second place on the issue agenda with only 18% of residents citing it as an important issue an 11 percentage point decrease from 2011 (29%). The perceived value of property taxes holds steady while the perceived value of user fees for garbage pick-up is up significantly. Close to three-quarters (73%) of residents give the City a good value rating for the value of their property taxes, on par with 2011 (70%). While the perceived value of most user fees remains steady, in 2014, 92% give garbage pickup a very good or good value rating up 5 percentage points from 2011 (87%). 36
Summary of Key Findings Two City services see significant decreases in satisfaction, while one sees a significant increase. Maintenance, cleaning and upgrading of streets and sidewalks a 10 percentage point decrease in very or somewhat satisfied ratings (76% in 2011 to 66% in 2014). Public library though still extremely high, there is a 4 percentage point decrease in very or somewhat satisfied ratings (95% in 2011 to 91% in 2014). Land use and community planning a 7 percentage point increase in very or somewhat satisfied ratings (73% in 2011 to 80% in 2014). 37