Insight for Business & Government
2016 Cowra Shire Council Community Survey - Services Final Management Report Prepared for
Prepared by IRIS Research Ltd May 2016
IRIS Research
ABN 16 002 278 793
Level 1, iC Central, Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong Postal address: Northfields Ave, Wollongong NSW 2522. Telephone: (02) 4285 4446 Fax: (02) 4285 4448 Net: http://www.iris.org.au Email: research@iris.org.au
Table of contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 4 Background ................................................................................................................ 4 Study Objectives ........................................................................................................ 4 Attitude Measurement ................................................................................................ 5 Survey Response ....................................................................................................... 7 Survey Results .................................................................................................................... 8 Overall Performance ........................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Overall Performance ........................................................................................ 10 Council Services and Facilities ....................................................................................... 13 3.1 Satisfaction – Infrastructure.............................................................................. 14 3.2 Satisfaction – Community and Cultural Services & Facilities ........................... 16 3.3 Usage – Community and Cultural Services & Facilities.................................... 18 Prioritising Services and Facilities.................................................................................. 19 4.1
Quadrant Analysis ........................................................................................... 19
Staff and Councillor Performance ................................................................................... 23 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5
Resident Contact with Council ......................................................................... 23 Contact Reason ............................................................................................... 24 Media Used to Contact Council ........................................................................ 25 Satisfaction with Council Staff Performance ..................................................... 26 Satisfaction with Councillor Performance ......................................................... 28
Council Communications and Media Usage................................................................... 29 6.1 Resident Preferred Source of Council Information ........................................... 29 6.2 Resident Satisfaction with Council Communication ......................................... 30 Community Safety and Connectedness.......................................................................... 31 7.1 7.2
Perceptions of Safety and Community Connectedness.......................... 31 Volunteering ........................................................................................... 33
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Strategic Planning ............................................................................................................ 34 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4
Importance of Infrastructure ................................................................... 34 Importance of Infrastructure Renewal and Maintenance ........................ 36 Resident Willingness for Rate Increase - Infrastructure.......................... 38 Resident Perceptions of Council’s Planning ........................................... 39
Appendix 1......................................................................................................................... 40 9.1 ANOVA Tables ................................................................................................... 40 9.2 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 43 Sample Design ............................................................................................ 43 Data Collection ............................................................................................ 44 Response Performance ............................................................................... 44 Survey Accuracy .......................................................................................... 45 Disclaimer ………………………………………………………………………………….46
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Introduction
Background This study was commissioned by Cowra Shire Council with the intention of monitoring community satisfaction with the delivery of services provided by Cowra Shire Council. The goal of the study was to measure Cowra Shire Council’s performance and provide up-to-date insights into perceptions of service delivery, as well as uncovering community issues of importance. The survey is designed to provide a high-level community view of the performance of council services to assist the council in identifying service priorities for review and improvement. This survey was conducted on the IRIS Computer- Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) system during May 2016. To qualify for an interview, respondents had to have been a resident in the Cowra Shire Council area for at least the last 6 months and aged 18 or older.
Study Objectives The objectives for the community survey process were to:
Measure the satisfaction with services and facilities provided by Cowra Shire Council;
Assist Cowra Shire Council by identifying the priority issues for the community;
Identify key drivers of resident dissatisfaction;
Measure resident satisfaction with staff and councilor performance
Identify preferred communications methods
Assess perceptions of community safety and connectedness
Evaluate Council’s strategic planning and willingness to fund an infrastructure rates increase
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Attitude Measurement In the first section of the questionnaire, a series of 18 Council services and facilities were read out to respondents. For each, respondents were asked to give a satisfaction rating. Results from these ratings form the basis of much of the analysis in this report. The satisfaction, importance and agreement rating scales used in the questionnaire are exhibited below:
Satisfaction scale 1 = Very dissatisfied 2… 3… 4… 5 = Very satisfied 6 = Can’t say
Importance scale 1 = Not at all important 2… 3… 4… 5 = Very important. 6 = Can’t say
Agreement scale 1 = Strongly disagree 2… 3… 4… 5 = Strongly agree 6 = Can’t say
For all rating scales, those respondents who could not provide a rating, either because the question did not apply to them or they had no opinion, were entered as a ‘Can’t Say’ or a rating of 6. Rating scale results have generally been presented in two basic forms. Firstly, the results have been presented in terms of the proportion (%) of respondents giving a particular rating for a specific service or facility. These results are presented in full and in collapsed category tables, where proportions have been assigned to one of the following categories: Table 1.3.1: Collapsed rating scores
Can’t say
Rating score given
6
Low
Medium
High
agreement /
agreement /
agreement /
satisfaction /
satisfaction/
satisfaction/
importance
importance
importance
1&2
3
4&5
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Secondly, the numeric values recorded for each attribute have been converted into an overall mean score out of five. To derive the mean score for an attribute, all respondents’ answers are 'averaged' to produce an overall rating that conveniently expresses the result of scale items in a single numeric figure. This makes data interpretation considerably easier when comparing multiple services and facilities. The mean score excludes those respondents who could not give a valid rating (i.e. 'Can't Say'). Given that IRIS Research undertakes many community surveys such as this, we are able to benchmark mean scores. As such, mean importance and satisfaction scores can be further classified as being a 1 star, 2 star or 3 star score based on this experience. Table 1.3.2 highlights the mean classifications.
Table 1.3.2: Classification of mean scores Mean satisfaction scores 0 – 2.99
1 Star
3.00 – 3.74
2 Star
3.75 – 5.00
3 Star
Mean importance scores 0 – 2.99
1 Star
3.00 – 3.99
2 Star
4.00 – 5.00
3 Star
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Survey Response A total of 306 interviews were conducted with residents from the Cowra Shire Local Government Area (LGA). Strict sampling procedures ensured that characteristics of selected respondents mirror those of the overall adult population of the area. Table 1.4.1 displays the sample characteristics for selected demographic variables. For a detailed description of the survey methodology refer to the Appendix.
Table 1.4.1: Sample Respondent Characteristics
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Survey Results
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Overall Performance This section presents the overall satisfaction levels amongst residents towards Cowra Shire Council as an organisation. Residents were asked to rate their overall level of satisfaction with Council on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = ‘Very dissatisfied’ and 5 = ‘Very Satisfied’. These ratings are also presented ‘collapsed’ where ‘Low’ = 1 and 2, ‘Medium’ = 3 and ‘High’ = 4 and 5. The Appendix contains three tables summarising all mean scores and breaks each result down by demographics to identify statistically significant differences.
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2.1
Overall Performance
To gauge the overall performance of Council, residents were asked to rate their level of overall satisfaction with Cowra Shire Council as an organisation.
Table 2.1.1: Distribution of Overall Satisfaction Ratings
Mean score 3.8 out of 5
Table 2.1.2: Distribution of Overall Satisfaction Ratings - Collapsed
Mean score 3.8 out of 5
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Key Results:
Cowra Shire Council received an overall mean satisfaction score of 3.8 out of 5 which is a 3 star category ranking.
In terms or proportions 64% of residents gave a high level of satisfaction, 25% gave a medium level of satisfaction and only 11% rated Council in the low level of satisfaction.
Residents that have lived in the LGA greater than 10 years have a higher level of satisfaction than those that have lived in the area less than 10 years.
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Table 2.1.3 below summarises the reason why residents gave the rating they did for Council's overall performance. Table 2.1.3: Reason for Satisfaction Rating (%) Happy with council
60.4
Interact with residents
8
Attracting businesses
7.6
Roads/parking issue/signage
7.3
Unhappy with council
5.5
Upgrade_maintain facilities/services
4.4
Waste removal
2.5
Rates_expenses
2.2
Wasting money
2.2 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Table 2.1.4: Reason for Satisfaction Rating by Level of Satisfaction (%)
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Council Services and Facilities This section presents the satisfaction levels amongst residents towards 18 key services and facilities provided by Cowra Shire Council. Residents were asked to rate the satisfaction of each of the 18 Council services and facilities on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = ‘Very dissatisfied’ and 5 = ‘Very Satisfied’. These ratings are also presented ‘collapsed’ where ‘Low’ = 1 and 2, ‘Medium’ = 3 and ‘High’ = 4 and 5. The Appendix contains three tables summarising all mean scores and breaks each result down by demographics to identify statistically significant differences.
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3.1
Satisfaction – Infrastructure
Table 3.1.1: Infrastructure – Satisfaction
Table 3.1.2 Infrastructure – Satisfaction - Collapsed
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Key Results:
Mean satisfaction scores for the nine items under the heading of infrastructure ranged from a relative high of 4.3 out of 5 for ‘provision of waste management facilities’ through to 3.0 out of 5 for ‘the condition of rural road surfaces’.
Four services and facilities in the infrastructure category achieved a three-star rating with means scores achieving a satisfaction rating above 3.75. These items were ‘waste facilities’, ‘recreational areas’, ‘street and directional signage’ and ‘sewerage services’.
The remaining four services and facilities were 2 star rated services and these were ‘footpaths’, ‘water services’, ‘urban roads’ and ‘rural roads’.
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3.2
Satisfaction – Community and Cultural Services & Facilities
Table 3.1.1: Community & Cultural Services & Facilities – Satisfaction
Table 3.1.2: Community & Cultural Services & Facilities – Satisfaction – Collapsed
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Key Results:
For the ten items under the category of satisfaction with Community & Cultural Services & Facilities mean satisfaction scores ranged from a relative high of 4.5 out of 5 for ‘parks and gardens’ through to 3.8 out of 5 for ‘Cowra civic centre’.
All ten items in this category achieved a three star rating with all means scores achieving a satisfaction rating above 3.75.
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Usage – Community and Cultural Services & Facilities
3.3
Table 3.1.1: Community & Cultural Services & Facilities – Usage
Key Results:
A majority of residents have used five of the nine community and cultural services and facilities in the last 12 months.
The most frequently used are parks and gardens followed by sporting fields and amenities with 44% and 38% of residents using them respectively.
The Cowra peace precinct and the festival of international understanding are also well patronised.
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Prioritising Services and Facilities Given the range of services and facilities Cowra Shire Council has to manage, it can often be a difficult task to prioritise. The sheer number of services and facilities under management can diffuse focus and distract attention away from the areas of critical importance to improving resident satisfaction. This section of the report aims to identify the key drivers of resident satisfaction via a deeper analysis of the satisfaction scores presented in the previous section.
4.1
Quadrant Analysis
Quadrant analysis is a useful way of simultaneously analysing the derived importance a service holds for residents against their satisfaction with the provision of that service. To do this, mean satisfaction scores are plotted against derived importance scores for each Council service or facility. In order to form the quadrants (or opportunity matrix) that separate higher and lower level priority services combined mean importance and satisfaction scores were calculated for the entire set of 18 Council services and facilities. These scores were: Importance score = 4.0 and Satisfaction score = 4.0. Thus, for example, services or facilities with a mean importance score of less than 4.0 (i.e. a score lower than the overall mean derived importance score), were classified as having ‘lower’ importance. Conversely, services or facilities with a mean score above 4.0 were classified as having ‘higher’ importance. The results of the quadrant analysis are displayed in Chart and Table 4.1.1.
Each of the four quadrants has a specific interpretation: 1. The upper right quadrant (higher importance and higher satisfaction) represents current Council service strengths. 2. The upper left quadrant (higher importance but relatively lower satisfaction) denotes services where satisfaction should be improved. 3. The lower left quadrant (relatively lower importance and relatively lower satisfaction) represents lower priority services.
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4. The lower right quadrant (relatively lower importance and higher satisfaction) is often interpreted as representing ‘overkill’ services where effort exceeds expectations. The attributes in the upper left quadrant are all candidates for immediate attention. Residents placed a higher importance on these attributes but also reported relatively lower satisfaction.
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Chart 4.1.1: Quadrant analysis for all services and facilities
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Table 4.1.1: Opportunities Matrix for Council Services and Facilities
2. HIGHER IMPORTANCE LOWER SATISFACTION
1. HIGHER IMPORTANCE HIGHER SATISFACTION
The condition of urban road surfaces The condition of rural road surfaces The provision of footpaths Indigenous cultural activities (e.g. NAIDOC Week)
The Festival of International Understanding The provision of waste management (garbage and recycling) facilities The overall appearance of the Cowra region The provision of sewer services
3. HIGHER IMPORTANCE LOWER SATISFACTION
4. HIGHER IMPORTANCE HIGHER SATISFACTION
Cowra Civic Centre The quality of water services
Recreational areas along Lachlan River Cowra Regional Art Gallery Cowra Regional Library Cowra Peace Precinct (inc. POW Campsite) Cowra Aquatic Centre Parks and gardens Sporting fields and sporting amenities Provision of appropriate street or directional signage
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Staff and Councillor Performance 5.1
Resident Contact with Council
“How many times have you contacted Council in the past 12 months?”
Table 5.1.1: Frequency of contact with Council
Key Results:
Overall 57% of residents indicated they have contacted Council in the past 12 months, with 13% contacting council more than 10 times.
43% of residents have not contacted council
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5.2
Contact Reason
Residents who could recall having contact with Council staff were then asked a further question relating to how the resident contacted Council.
“Over the past 12 month, what have you contacted council about?”
Table 5.2.1: Main reason for contacting council
Key Results:
The most common reason for contacting council was in regards to water (23%) and rates (22%).
Around half of contact was for other reasons. The key themes found in other included footpaths, trees and sewer.
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5.3
Media Used to Contact Council
“On the most recent occasion you contacted Council, how did you make contact?”
Table 3.3.1: Media Used to contact Council
Key Results:
The most common method to contact council was via the phone with 62% of residents using this method.
31% of residents visited council premises on the most recent occasion.
Other modes of contact such as email, fax/letter and the internet were used by less than 3% of residents.
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5.4
Satisfaction with Council Staff Performance
After asking about their interaction with Council staff, those respondents who had contact with a Council employee were asked the following question:
“..how would you rate Council’s staff performance in dealing with your enquiry?”
Table 5.4.1: Satisfaction with Council Staff Performance
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Table 5.4.2: Satisfaction with Council Staff Performance - Collapsed
Key Results:
Mean satisfaction scores ranged from 4.5 out of 5 for courteous to 4.2 out of 5 for prompt.
All four staff performance measurement items fell into the three star rating with over 75% of residents providing a high satisfaction rating for each item.
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5.5
Satisfaction with Councillor Performance
All respondents were asked the following question about Council’s elected representatives.
“How satisfied are you with the overall performance of Councillors?”
Table 5.5.1: Councillor Performance – Satisfaction Mean score 3.5 out of 5 54% high satisfaction 25% medium satisfaction 15% low satisfaction
Key Results:
Residents rated the overall satisfaction with the performance of Councillors as 3.5 out of 5. This result fits within a two star rated performance.
In terms of proportions 54% gave a high satisfaction rating, 25% gave a medium rating whilst only 15% gave a low rating.
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Council Communications and Media Usage 6.1
Resident Preferred Source of Council Information
“What is your preferred source of information on Council services and activities?”
Table 6.1.1: Preferred Media Source (%)
Key Results:
The most preferred media source was the local media (papers, radio and TV) 60%.
This was followed by pamphlet or letter box drop (38%) and the quarterly newsletter (28%).
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6.2
Resident Satisfaction with Council Communication
“How satisfied are you with the way Council communicates with you?” Table 6.2.1: Council Communication with Residents – Satisfaction
Mean score 3.7 out of 5 63% high satisfaction 24% medium satisfaction 11% low satisfaction
Key Results:
Overall 63% of residents rated a high level of satisfaction with the way council communicates.
This was a mean score of 3.7 out of 5 which is on the cusp of a three star rated level of satisfaction.
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Community Safety and Connectedness The survey also sought to explore perceptions of safety, social connection and community pride amongst Cowra Shires’ residents. Residents were asked the following question and presented with ten attitude statements:
7.1
Perceptions of Safety and Community Connectedness
“The next section is about your neighbourhood as a place to live. How much do you agree with each of the following statements?”
Table 7.1.1: Perceptions of safety and connection – Agreement
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Table 7.1.2: Perceptions of safety and connection – Agreement - Collapsed
Key Results:
Ten items were used to measure community safety and connectedness. Scores ranged from a relative high of 4.6 out of 5 for ‘I can call on a neighbour or local relative if I need assistance’ through to 4.0 out of 5 for ‘I make a contribution to the community I live in’.
All ten items are rated as three star items, indicated a high level of community connectedness and feelings of safety.
Significantly over 70% of residents gave a high agreement level rating for all ten items measured.
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7.2
Volunteering
“Are you a member of any of the following types of local volunteer or social groups?”
Table 7.1.1: Volunteering (%)
Key Results:
The most popular social group membership or volunteer is with community groups (33%) and sporting groups (29%). Around 1 in 4 residents are a member or volunteer at a Church or school group.
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Strategic Planning The survey also sought to explore perceptions of safety, social connection and community pride amongst Cowra Shires’ residents. Residents were asked the following question and presented with ten attitude statements:
8.1
Importance of Infrastructure
“Could you please indicate how important the following types of services and infrastructure are to you”
Table 8.1.1: Infrastructure – Importance
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Table 8.1.1: Infrastructure – Importance - Collapsed
Key Results:
Mean importance scores for local infrastructure ranged from a high of 4.6 for roads through to 4.1 for cultural facilities.
All nine infrastructure items are rated as three star importance with all mean scores being greater than 4.0 out of 5.
The items of roads, supporting business and waste management were rated by over 90% of residents as being of high importance to them.
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8.2
Importance of Infrastructure Renewal and Maintenance
“How important is it for Council to renew and maintain each type of services and infrastructure at an acceptable level?”
Table 8.2.1: Infrastructure renewal and maintenance – Importance
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Table 8.2.2: Infrastructure renewal and maintenance – Importance - Collapsed
Key Results:
Overall a very high importance was attached to residents’ belief that council renew and maintain each of the nine categories of infrastructure measured. Mean importance scores ranged from 4.7 for water infrastructure through to 4.3 for cultural facilities.
Again all nine items rated as being in the three star importance classification with over 90% of residents rating seven of the nine items as being of high importance.
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8.3
Resident Willingness for Rate Increase - Infrastructure
“Would you consider paying higher rates to direct towards any of these priorities?”
Table 8.3.1: Willingness to fund infrastructure (%)
Key Results:
When asked 40% of residents agreed they would be willing to pay higher rates to direct towards any of the priorities measured.
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Resident Perceptions of Council’s Planning
8.4
“How much do you agree with the following statement? Cowra Shire Council plans well for the region’s future”
Table 8.4.1: Perceptions of Council Planning - Agreement (%)
Mean score 3.3 out of 5 43% high agreement 33% medium agreement 23% low agreement
Key Results:
43% of residents agreed that Cowra shire council plans well for the region’s future. This converted into a mean agreement score of 3.3 out of 5 which is a two star level of agreement.
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Appendix 1 9.1 ANOVA Tables
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ANOVA – SATISFACTION INFRASTRUCTURE Male Female The condition of urban road surfaces 3.4 3.3 The condition of rural road surfaces 3.1 2.9 Provision of appropriate street or directional signage4.2 4.0 The provision of footpaths 3.8 3.4 The quality of water services 3.5 3.5 The provision of sewer services 4.1 4.0 The provision of waste management (garbage and recycling) 4.2 facilities 4.3 Recreational areas along Lachlan River 4.1 4.0
18-49 3.2 2.9 4.0 3.8 3.4 3.9 4.4 3.8
50-64 3.4 2.9 4.0 3.6 3.3 4.4 4.0 4.1
65+ 3.5 3.3 4.2 3.4 3.9 4.0 4.4 4.5
<= 5 yrs 6 to 10 yrs 10+ yrs 3.8 2.9 3.4 3.0 2.6 3.0 4.0 4.1 4.1 2.7 3.8 3.6 3.4 2.7 3.6 4.0 3.6 4.1 4.5 4.0 4.3 4.4 4.1 4.1
Overall 3.4 3.0 4.1 3.6 3.5 4.1 4.3 4.1
<= 5 yrs 6 to 10 yrs 10+ yrs 4.3 3.9 3.8 4.6 4.1 4.2 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.4 3.8 4.2 4.2 3.6 4.3 4.7 4.3 4.6 4.7 4.3 4.5 3.6 4.2 3.9 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.0 3.9 4.3
Overall 3.8 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.5 4.5 3.9 4.1 4.3
ANOVA – SATISFACTION COMMUNITY CULTURAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES Male 3.8 Cowra Regional Art Gallery 4.0 Cowra Regional Library 4.2 Cowra Peace Precinct (inc. POW Campsite) 4.1 Cowra Aquatic Centre 4.1 Parks and gardens 4.5 Sporting fields and sporting amenities 4.5 Indigenous cultural activities (e.g. NAIDOC Week) 3.9 The Festival of International Understanding 4.0 The overall appearance of the Cowra region 4.3 Cowra Civic Centre
Female 3.8 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.5 4.0 4.1 4.3
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18-49 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.2 4.6 4.5 3.9 4.3 4.3
50-64 3.5 4.1 4.2 4.0 4.1 4.4 4.4 3.9 3.8 4.1
65+ 3.9 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.6 4.5 4.0 4.1 4.4
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ANOVA – SATISFACTION Male Female 18-49 Satisfaction with the way Council communicates 3.7 3.8 3.8 Satisfaction with the overall performance of Councillors 3.5 3.6 3.6 Overall satisfaction with Council 3.7 3.8 3.9
50-64 3.6 3.4 3.5
65+ 3.8 3.6 3.8
<= 5 yrs6 to 10 yrs 10+ yrs Overall 2.8 3.1 3.8 3.7 3.3 2.6 3.6 3.5 3.7 2.9 3.8 3.8
65+ 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.3 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.5
<= 5 yrs6 to 10 yrs 10+ yrs Overall 4.3 4.0 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.1 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.1 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.1 4.5 4.5 3.3 4.2 4.0 4.0 3.8 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.0 3.8 4.2 4.2 4.6 3.8 4.2 4.1 4.7 3.9 4.3 4.3
ANOVA – SATISFACTION COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CONNECTEDNESS Male Female 18-49 I feel safe in my own home 4.6 4.4 4.6 I feel safe walking around my neighbourhood 4.5 4.3 4.6 I can call on a neighbour or local relative if I need assistance 4.7 4.6 4.8 I feel I belong to the community I live in 4.4 4.4 4.6 My neighbourhood is a friendly place to live. 4.5 4.4 4.6 I make a contribution to the community I live in 3.9 4.2 4.2 I mainly socialise in my local area 4.0 4.2 4.3 I feel Cowra Shire has a strong sense of community 4.1 4.2 4.3 People in Cowra are generally proud of their area. 4.1 4.2 4.2 I would recommend the Cowra region to others as a good 4.2 place 4.4to live4.3
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50-64 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.3 4.4 3.9 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.2
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9.2 Methodology Sample Design A telephone-based survey aiming to secure a response from approximately 300 residents from throughout the Cowra Shire LGA was used. The survey unit was permanent residents of the Cowra Shire Local Government Area who had lived there for 6 months or longer. Respondents also had to be aged 18 years or older to qualify for an interview. The 2011 Census was used to establish quotas to ensure a good distribution of responses by age and sex. The sample base for the survey was the electronic White Pages. This sample is known to be sub optimal, as the churn of telephone numbers due to people moving and new numbers being added as dwellings are occupied affects about 12% to 15% of possible numbers. Furthermore, from previous research we know that the proportion of silent numbers is increasing and can be as high as 25-30% in some areas. To deal with these issues, IRIS Research uses a technique that starts with the population of numbers listed in the telephone book and adds new and unlisted numbers using the ‘half open’ method. In this method, all numbers were incremented by five to create new numbers in the ‘gaps’ between the listed numbers. The resultant universe of numbers was then deduplicated to remove any numbers that may be repeated. This process was replicated five times to create a new theoretical universe of telephone numbers. This provided the opportunity for all potential numbers to be selected in the sample. This equal and known opportunity for selection is the first criterion of good random sampling. Once the potential universe of numbers had been generated, a computer program was used to randomise the database. Following this, a sequential sample (e.g. every 110th number) was extracted from the database. The sample was geographically stratified and evenly distributed within strata. This process gave a very even distribution of potential numbers across the whole survey area. Every household therefore had an equal and known chance of selection and every part of the survey area received a fair proportional representation in the final sample drawn.
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Data Collection Interviews were conducted over two evenings on the 14th and 16th May, 2016. Calls were made between 4.30 and 8.30 p.m. If the selected person was unavailable at that time to do the survey, call-backs were scheduled for a later time or day. Unanswered numbers were retried three times throughout the period of the survey. These procedures ensure a good sampling process from the sample frame used so that statistical inferences could be made about the entire resident population. Non-private numbers and faxes reached during the selection process were excluded from the sample. The survey was implemented under IQCA quality guidelines. Interviews were conducted using our Computer-Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) system. Continuous interviewer monitoring was used and post interview validations were conducted within five days of the close of the survey.
Response Performance At the end of the survey period, 306 completed interviews had been collected. The table below shows the compliance rate achieved for the entire sample. The compliance rate is the number of refusals as a proportion of completed surveys plus refusals. A compliance rate of 66% is a good result.
Table 8.4.1 Survey compliance rate Response sequence Interviews Refusals Valid contacts (Excludes disqualified â&#x20AC;&#x201C; businesses, out of area, under 18yrs etc.) Compliance rate
2016 Cowra Shire Council Community Survey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Services - Management Report
Outcome 306 157 463 66%
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Survey Accuracy When analysing results for the entire sample, the maximum error rate will be about Âą5.7% at the 95% confidence level, assuming a proportional response of 50%. Put another way, we can be confident that if the survey were to be repeated there would be a 95% chance that the new result would lie within Âą5.7% of the result achieved in this survey.
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Disclaimer All possible care has been taken in the preparation of this information. However Illawarra Regional Information Service expressly disclaims any liability for the accuracy and sufficiency of the information and under no circumstances shall be liable in negligence or otherwise in and arising out of the preparation or supply of any of the information aforesaid. Persons who utilise the information provided herein do so at their own risk. It is recommended that before any reliance is placed upon the information provided, independent, expertise advice be sought.
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