Auburn residents are generally pleased with police, parks and recreation and Internet access, but the City of Auburn could step up its game as far as street and sidewalk conditions and repair.
Those are among the findings of a recent phone survey measuring resident’s opinions and behaviors, the City’s latest effort to figure out what people think of City services and the overall quality of life in Auburn.
Elway Research, Inc. conducted the baseline survey in 2005 on behalf of the City, and the latest survey follows up from the 2006-09 results.From June 2-8, 2011,
Elway Research, Inc. called a total of 500 heads of households, picking residents from listed households and tapping a database of residents with listed numbers to randomly select them. Each respondent had to be the head of the household and a current resident of Auburn.
According to the survey, quality of life indicators stayed generally positive, people rating natural environment the shiniest facet of their quality of life and job and economic opportunities the dullest.
A significant number of respondents said they liked the small-town atmosphere in the middle of a large metropolitan area.
General concerns about crime and safety continued to increase from previous years; however, eight in 10 respondents said they felt safe in Auburn and in their neighborhoods.
Customer satisfaction has increased from 66 to 75 percent from the last survey. Of those who had contact with the City, three in four said they were generally satisfied with the result, most rating City’s efforts to inform and involve residents positively.
“To have these kinds of positive results in these times is huge,” said Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis. “We are in a down time nationwide, yet we recorded improvements in nearly every category. That is amazing. This is a reflection of the hard work of our employees and elected officials each and every day.”The complete survey can be downloaded from the City’s website.For more information about Elway Research, Inc. visit www.elwayresearch.com.
