FEATURE Review by Mark Ellickson
Citizen Surveys:
Improving Local Government Performance Using Community Feedback Citizen surveys are a powerful tool for local government managers and elected officials seeking to improve government performance and community livability. Unlike other forms of community engagement, professionally designed and implemented citizen surveys provide accurate and unbiased feedback that is representative of the whole community, not just the vocal few. Citizen surveys are also extremely versatile. Survey results can assist local governments with strategic planning and budgeting, measuring citizen satisfaction with municipal services and identifying areas for improvement, assessing community needs and prioritizing those needs, tracking resident perceptions of community quality of life, and evaluating government performance, to name a few. Citizen perceptions of community characteristics commonly measured and monitored using citizen surveys include the following: • Public Safety • Economic Health • Schools/Education • Natural Environment • Image/Reputation • Overall Appearance • Sense of Community • Recreation and Wellness Opportunities • Mobility/Traffic • Built Environment/Housing 10
theReview July/August 2022
Data Collection
D e s i g n i ng and i mpl e me nt i ng a credible citizen survey involves a series of interrelated steps that require specialized expertise, attention to detail and precision. Specifically, the various steps in the survey process include planning, data collection, sampling, questionnaire design, data analysis and report writing, and communication of results.
Planning The most important step in the survey process is having a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of the study. This step is critical because it determines the data collection method, sampling procedure, and the types of questions to consider when designing the questionnaire. A professional survey research firm will work closely with local government officials during this stage to ensure that everyone is onboard with the project’s goals and objectives before proceeding. Careful planning will also facilitate the development of a realistic timetable for completing the survey.
There are three primar y data collection methods associated with citizen surveys — telephone, mail, and online. Historically, telephone surveys have been the data collection method of choice but due to caller ID, call blocking, cell phones, telephone scams, and public fatigue with telephone surveys in general, response rates have plummeted (see Figure 1) raising concerns about the accuracy of telephone survey results. Currently, the most common method of conducting citizen surveys is by mail. Mail surveys have several important advantages over telephone surveys including a significantly higher response rate due in part to its less intrusive nature (mail surveys are self-administered), anonymity of survey responses, and the ability to convey survey legitimacy via a city’s logo on the mailing envelope and signed cover letter by a major city official such as the mayor or city manager. Also, respondents of self-administered surveys (mail and online) are less likely to suffer from “social desirability bias” (i.e., giving “socially acceptable” responses) as is the case with telephone surveys. Finally, mailing lists of community households are regularly updated by the USPS and have nearly 100% coverage in most areas. No other data collection method comes close to that standard. Online surveys are a relatively new data collection alternative. They can be significantly less expensive than mail or telephone surveys, easier to
