2017 Citizen Satisfaction

Survey Highlights

PRESENTATION

20 FEBRUARY 2018

2

Background & Objectives

Overview

Methodology

Perception of City Services

Perception of Virginia Beach

Sources of Information about

the City

Participation

Wrap Up

Agenda 2

Background

Survey of residents to assess satisfaction with City services roughly every two years

First conducted in 1995

This survey was conducted in December 2017 with analysis in January 2018

Average interview length in 2017 was 16.1 min

500 residents completed interviews

4.4% margin of error

3

Background

Data weighted to correct for sampling variation, ensure projectibility

All of the findings are statistically significant at a 95% level of confidence or higher

A detailed report has been provided

4

Overview

Virginia Beach receives remarkably good scores as a place to live and overall for the services it provides to residents

Historically, satisfaction scores fluctuate in a normal range; most scores stayed in that range this year

The one area about which residents most like to complain – traffic – doesn’t seem to have much impact on how they feel about the City and living here

Their preferred communication vehicle: VBgov.com and local TV news and local news websites

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How Satisfaction Was Measured

Respondents were asked

to rate each City service or

“feature” on a 4-point scale: Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied

A “feature” is an item such

as “Overall appearance of

the City”

Respondents asked to rate

32 items in 2017, two more

than in 2015

Goal: Total Satisfaction

scores of 80% or higher

The City exceeded that

goal in 2017 for Overall

Satisfaction with Services

and on a 18 of the 32

items they were asked to

rate

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Overall Satisfaction with City Services - 2017

9 out of 10 residents are

satisfied with the services the

City provides

The dotted lines indicate upper

and lower margin for errors

assuming there had been no

real change in the opinions of

residents

Expect some random variation

from year to year

Scores within margin of error

Citizens are satisfied, and

satisfaction is largely unchanged

since 2003

93.2%92.6%

93.4%91.4% 91.0%

93.8% 94.0%

90.7%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

Q34. I’d like to get your overall

satisfaction with City services. Are you

very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied or

very dissatisfied overall?

7

Satisfaction with Specific Services 8

2017 (500)

Total

satisfaction Overall satisfaction with City services 90.8%

Fire Department services 98.8%

City's Public Libraries 98.5%

Paramedic and Rescue Squad services 98.1%

Recreation centers 97.1%

Overall appearance of the City 96.3%

The City's museums, aquarium and cultural arts activities 96.3%

Parks 92.3%

Police Department services 91.9%

Horticulture and Agriculture services including the City-operated farmers's

market on Dam Road91.4%

9-1-1 telephone center 90.0%

Attribute

Satisfaction with Specific Services 9

2017 (500)

Total

satisfaction Overall appearance of your neighborhood 89.9%

Emergency management efforts to respond to disasters 89.7%

City's 3-1-1 system 89.1%

Public beaches in the City 87.5%

Courtesy of City employees 85.8%

City trash collection and recycling 85.3%

Public school system 84.1%

City's drinking water and waste water collection services 83.9%

Attribute

Satisfaction with Specific Services 10

2017 (500)

Total

satisfaction Combat gang activity and gang violence 78.6%

Work with other area communities 78.3%

Conditions of the streets in your neighborhood 76.3%

Job opportunities in Virginia Beach 74.3%

City's efforts to communicate and engage residents 70.3%

Efforts to protect natural resources 69.9%

Mental health and intellectual disability services 68.3%

Maintenance of existing roads and bridges 66.3%

Opportunity citizen's have to share their ideas or opinions before City makes important decisions63.3%

Planning for residential development 57.7%

Planning and construction of new city roads 55.1%

Services for needy and homeless families 54.8%

Efforts to address recurrent floooding and effects of sea level rise 47.0%

Flow of traffic in the City 40.3%

Attribute

11

Ratings for water system and appearance of City increased

Scores for 911 service and for courtesy of City employees remain

quite high despite decline

Residents may not be familiar or have experience with some of

the services

2017 (500) 2015 (520)

Change

Attribute

Total

Satisfaction

Total

Satisfaction

City's drinking water & waste water collection services 83.9% 78.8% 5.1

Overall appearance of the City 96.3% 91.7% 4.6

9-1-1 telephone center 90.0% 95.9% -5.9

Courtesy of City employees 85.8% 91.0% -5.2

Efforts to protect natural resources 69.9% 79.1% -9.2

Mental health & intellectual disability services 68.3% 81.0% -12.7

Planning for residential development 57.7% 71.9% -14.2

Planning and construction of new city roads 55.1% 71.7% -16.6

Services for needy and homeless families 54.8% 72.5% -17.7

Flow of traffic in the City 40.3% 50.4% -10.1

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What Has Changed Since the

2015 Survey

Perceptions of Virginia Beach

Only two changes are statistically meaningful between 2015 and 2017:

Decrease in perception that Virginia Beach is safe. Current 88.2% score

is still very good

Increase in perception that roads are too congested

Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly

Disagree with these statements about Virginia Beach?

N = 500

2017

Percent who

agree or

strongly agree

2015

Percent who

agree or

strongly agree

ChangeStatistically

significant?

“Virginia Beach is a good place to live.” 94.1% 96.0% -1.9% NO

“For the most part, I can conveniently access City

services.”92.1% 94.6% -2.5% NO

“The houses in my neighborhood are well maintained.” 90.5% 88.7% 1.8% NO

“Virginia Beach, in general, is a safe place to live.” 88.2% 94.0% -5.8% YES

“My neighborhood is a safe place to live.” 86.4% 90.2% -3.8% NO

“The roads I use in Virginia Beach are generally too

congested.”79.2% 72.7% 6.5% YES

“Overall, I receive a good value for my City tax dollar.” 75.2% 80.0% -4.8% NO

“I know how to inform the City about the way I feel on

important issues.”69.8% 73.1% -3.3% NO

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Perceptions of Safety

Perceptions of safety of neighborhoods in the City has been in gradual

decline for more than a decade. This year, perceptions of the City

overall slipped.

96.4%93.6% 93.2% 93.6%

92.0%90.7% 90.2%

86.4%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

"My neighborhood is a safe place to live."

(% "agree" or "strongly agree.)

95.6% 94.8%92.8%

94.2% 94.6% 94.8% 94.0%

88.2%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

"Virginia Beach in general is a

safe place to live."

(% "agree" or "strongly agree)

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Perceptions of Safety by Area

23451 has lower ratings on both measures

Best ratings on both measures are in 23455.

"My neighborhood is a safe place to live." "Virginia Beach in general is a safe place to live."

Percent agreeing or strongly agreeing with each statement.

< 70%

70% - 79.9%

80% - 84.9%

85% - 89.9%

90% - 94.9%

95% - 99.9%

100%

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Key Drivers of Satisfaction

Living in Virginia Beach

City’s efforts to communicate

with and engage residents

Overall appearance of your

neighborhood

Overall appearance of the city

Planning for residential

development

Job opportunities in Virginia

Beach

City Services

City’s efforts to communicate

with and engage residents

Overall appearance of your

neighborhood

City’s work with other area

communities to address issues

impacting our region

City’s public school system

City’s museums, the aquarium

and cultural arts activities

Planning and construction of new

City roads

Analysis included a statistical model to show which items are most closely associated with Overall Satisfaction with living in Virginia Beach and City Services

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What Can Be Done to Make Virginia Beach a Better Place to Live?25% of the 500 respondents answered with comments about roads and traffic

“Fix the potholes.”

“Working on the traffic issues. The number of traffic lights and the congestion

and where schools are located, where I work is a nightmare that there's a

hospital and high school is on the same road and the time the lights change are

the same time. They don't have enough access where a lot of people travel.”

“They should design a better transportation system. There are too many cars

and too much traffic and it's hard to get from place to place because of the

congested roads.”

Taxes

Cost of living

Flood control

Care for the needy and homeless

Communications

Recreation

Appearance of the City

Greenspace/Environment

Jobs and Economic

Development (both for and

against)

Crime

Other topics mentioned include:

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Communications with Residents

8%

3%

7%

12%

13%

13%

25%

34%

37%

38%

58%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Do not get…

Some other way

311 call center

Newsletters like City…

Email from the City

Civic league…

City's cable TV…

Radio

Printed newspaper

Friends or family

TV news

Offline Sources Used for Information about City, n= 500

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8%

2%

3%

6%

15%

19%

20%

26%

31%

66%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Do not use online…

Other

The City's Twitter feed

Other social media…

The City's Nextdoor…

VB Alerts

Facebook pages…

Pilot Online

TV news websites

City website,…

Online Sources Used for

Information about CIty, n = 500

Communications with Residents

Residents are largely happy with what the City provides today; a quarter of respondents indicated they would like more detail.

Virtually no one feels the City is sending out too much iinformation.

Too much

detail, 1%

About the right level of detail,

65%

Not enough detail, 27%

Not sure, 7%

Do you think the information that is available about City services, programs

and issues has too much detail, about the right amount of detail, or not enough

detail? N = 500

18

Citizen Participation

Survey respondents are active in the city

Public beaches and City parks top the list of resources they’ve used

47% say they have contacted the City for a reason other than a 9-1-1 call

47%

63%

69%

75%

84%

85%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Have contacted the City (excludes 9-

1-1)

Visited City Recreation Center

Visited public library or used library

online service

Visited museum, the aquarium or a

cultural arts event

Visited City parks

Visited a public beach

Residents Reporting Each Activity (n = 500)

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Wrap Up

High level of satisfaction that residents have living

in the City

High level of satisfaction with City services

Areas that appear to require attention:

Perceptions of safety

Awareness of City’s efforts in environmental concerns

and working with other communities on regional issues

Traffic management

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