Key results from the online phase of the 2013 Yakima Citizen Survey are largely similar to the results from the mail-in phase of the survey that were released last month.
The online version of the 2013 survey, which was made available in mid July and closed during the first week of August, was filled out by 580 people. That’s about the same number of people who filled out the online questionnaire last year. This year’s scientifically-valid, mail-in survey, which was sent to 3000 randomly-selected households in June, was completed by 762 people compared to the 837 who filled out last year’s mail-in survey.
Both online survey takers and those who returned a mail-in survey gave fire services in Yakima high marks. Results showed 87% of those who took the online survey gave fire services an “excellent” or “good” rating compared to 84% who took the mail-in survey. According to the results, there is still room for improvement when it comes to street repairs. Only 18% of people who took the survey online gave street repairs an “excellent” or “good” rating, which is nearly identical to the 19% of mail-in survey takers who felt local streets are in good shape.
The overall appearance of Yakima received an “excellent” or “good” rating from 24% of online survey takers compared to 28% of those who filled out the mail-in survey.
Both the online results and the mail-in results showed improvement this year by comparison to 2012 when it comes to how the people who took the surveys feel about the overall direction that Yakima is taking. The overall direction of the City rating in the mail-in survey this year was 31% “excellent” or “good” compared to 28% in 2012. This year’s online survey results showed an even greater increase with a 39% “excellent” or “good” rating concerning the overall direction of the City compared to just 18% in 2012.
Results from the 2012 Yakima Citizen Survey helped to determine City priorities and led to several changes being made to programs and services provided by the City. Now with two years of survey data on hand, the City has an even clearer picture of where it is headed.
“The Council heard what the community wanted based on the 2012 survey and took big steps to redesign how the City does business,” said City Manager Tony O’Rourke. “The 2013 survey results show that the City is making progress but still needs to focus on key areas and continue to make improvements. Having that sort of information is invaluable,” said O’Rourke. “Getting feedback from citizens helps the City make good decisions about how best to meet the community’s needs.”
Results of both the 2013 online survey and the 2013 mail-in survey, along with a comparison of ratings in some key categories from 2012 to 2013, can be found in the “Points of Interest” section of the City website – www.yakimawa.gov.
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Contact:
City Manager Tony O’Rourke – 575-6040
Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler – 901-1142