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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-12-20; City Council; Minutes (3)City of Carlsbad 2006 Public Opinion Survey Report Conducted for: City of Carlsbad Conducted by: The Social and Behavioral Research Institute December 17, 2006 Study Team: Allen J. Risley, M.A.; Director of Research Lori Brown Large, M.A.; Survey Study Director Sam Ballard; Research Assistant 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey Table of Contents Table of Contents i Section 1: Methodology 1 Section 2: Rating City Services 3 Overall City Services 3 Police Services 4 Fire Protection Services 5 Paramedic Services 6 Library Services 6 Recreation Programs 7 Park Conditions 8 City Services Ratings in Context 11 Section 3: Rating Contracted City Services 13 Trash Collection 13 Hazardous Waste Collection 14 Recycling Services 15 Summary 16 Section 4: Other City Services or Resources 17 Road Conditions 17 Maintenance of Street Landscaping and Medians 18 Curb and Sidewalk Conditions 19 Traffic Circulation Efficiency 20 Safety 22 Reasons for Using City Parks 23 Section 5: City Information 26 Ratings of Information Dispersal 26 Contact with City Staff 27 City Web Site 27 Accuracy of Information 29 Summary 30 Section 6: Opinions Regarding Development 31 Land Use Balance Ratings 31 Quality of Development 33 Section 7: Environmental Issues 35 Storm Water Pollution 35 Section 8: Commuting 36 Employment Status 36 Mode of Commute 36 Section 9: Spending Patterns 38 Spending in Carlsbad 38 Demographic Differences 38 Section 10: Entertainment Preferences 41 Entertainment Choices 41 Section 11: Ratings of City Government 43 Ratings of City Government 43 Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey ii Confidence in City Government 44 Summary 45 Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey Section 1: Methodology A public opinion survey of residents in the City of Carlsbad was conducted in the summer of 2006. The survey addressed the attitudes of city residents concerning city-provided services, facilities, and issues, and included a number of demographic questions. The survey was conducted for the City of Carlsbad by the Social and Behavioral Research Institute at California State University San Marcos. This is the seventh year the Social and Behavioral Research Institute has conducted this survey for the City of Carlsbad. This report summarizes the results of this telephone survey; it contains a description of the data and an elaboration of the results of the survey. The information in this report is based on 1,031 telephone interviews conducted with adult residents in the City of Carlsbad in 2006, along with data collected in the years 2000 through 2005. Respondent household telephone numbers were selected for contact using random-digit-dial methodology. Using this methodology, all listed and unlisted residential telephone numbers within a geographic boundary have an equal chance for inclusion in the sample. The interviews were conducted with respondent households from four regions in the City of Carlsbad: Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest. The North/South region division was based on whether residents lived north or south of Palomar Airport Road, while the East/West division was based on El Camino Real. Between 219 and 297 interviews were conducted per region (Table 1-1). Table 1-1 Quadrant Where Respondent Lives Northwest Northeast Southeast Southwest Total Frequency 297 222 219 293 1031 Percent 28.8 21.5 21.2 28.4 100.0 The questionnaire used for this study is similar to those used for the City of Carlsbad hi the previous six years. The questionnaire was designed by SBRI in consultation with City of Carlsbad staff. The interview questions can be found in Appendix A. All interviews were conducted by paid SBRI staff members using the SBRI's state-of-the-art Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) system, under the supervision of SBRI's professional staff. Interviewers participate in a general, three-day training program when hired. Additionally, a three to four hour training session was conducted at the outset of this project. During the training session, the interviewers read through the questionnaire, conducted practice interviews, and participated in a debriefing to resolve questions that arose during the training session. SBRI's supervisory staff employs a silent monitoring system to listen to interviews real-time for quality control purposes. Interviewing for this study was conducted between August 15th and September 28th, 2006, on-site at the SBRI Survey Lab at California State University San Marcos. Scheduling of the interviewing sessions was arranged to insure that a representative sample of Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey Carlsbad households were contacted. Up to 9 call attempts were made to telephone numbers before retiring the numbers. The large number of call attempts was made in order to allow Carlsbad residents with busy schedules and lifestyles to have enough opportunities to participate in the survey. SBRI interviewers made 60,718 telephone calls during the course of the study, with an average completed interview length of 19.1 minutes. The response rate for the survey was 47.6 percent. This response rate was calculated using methodology supported by the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) and the American Association of Public Opinion Researchers (AAPOR). The formula used was CASRO response rate formula RR4. The results presented in this report are based on a sample of Carlsbad residents, and as such should be viewed as an estimate of the opinions of Carlsbad residents. The margin of error for this sample survey is +/-3 percent. SBRI conducted statistical analyses for this report using standard appropriate statistical procedures and measures, reporting statistically significant results at the 95%-confidence level. Documentation of the statistical tests employed by SBRI is archived and available for client review. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey Section 2: Rating City Services A major subject area of the survey is the rating of city services by the survey respondents. Respondents are asked a series of questions about different types of services provided by the City of Carlsbad, and are asked to rate these services on a scale of "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," or "Poor." Overall City Services Respondents are asked to give a general rating of all services provided by the City of Carlsbad. Table 2-x presents the results for this question for the 2006 survey. Roughly four out of ten respondents (40.2%) rated Overall City Services as being Excellent, with an additional half of all respondents (51.8%) rating services as Good. These positive ratings make up over 90% of those who answered the question, and represent a high level of satisfaction with City Services in general. Table 2-1 - Overall City Services Rating1 Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 404 521 66 14 1005 40.2 51.8 6.6 1.4 100.0 - "In general how would you rate the overall services provided by the City?" - 26 respondents either refused (1) or answered "Don't Know" to the question (26). Figure 2-1 puts the 2006 results into the context of results from previous years of the survey. Across the seven years of the survey, the evaluation of Overall City Services has been very positive - over 90% of respondents have given ratings of Excellent or Good in each year. In 2006, the percentage of respondents rating city services as Excellent was the highest of any year surveyed, and the distribution of responses was virtually unchanged from 2005. i 2005 \ i 2004 1 • 2003 1 •P ^^•i • 2001 •P _ 1 0% Figure 2-1 Overall City Evaluation 2000-2006i . i i , • .- . i 5KX% 1 407% jl^H 1- . . _ L .. .. „ .. 52.5'%, 1 39.7% LtflHi .: ....j.,. . ; . •- ^^^^ 60.0% 1 33.6% \A\ \ . . . " . • , . 59.8% 1 35.7% U1 1 - , 61.1% 1 33.7% \A. \ 1 1 61.4% 1 34.2% I>^H 62.5% 1 29.0% iJ^^M 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% • Poor Fair • Good • Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey The rating of Overall City Services was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. No significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, age, length of residence, household income, home ownership, household size and presence of children in the household. Police Services Respondents were asked to rate the services provided by the Carlsbad Police Department using the same scale of Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor. The results to this question for 2006 can be found in Table 2-2. The largest group of respondents (45.9%) rated Police Services as being Excellent, with a similar size group (46.9%) rating these services as Good, meaning that Police Services were rated positively by roughly 90% of all respondents. Table 2-2 - Police Services Rating1 Frequency Valid Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 414 423 47 18 902 45.9 46.9 5.2 2.0 100.0 a "How would you rate police services?" "• 129 respondents answered "Don't Know" to the question. Across the seven years of the survey, the evaluation of Police Services has been very positive - over 90% of respondents have given ratings of Excellent or Good in each year. The 2006 ratings for Police Services follow this overall trend, and are statistically no different from previous years. The rating of Police Services was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Older Carlsbad Police Police Police Police Police Police Police Figure 2-2 Police Services Ratings 2006 • ^^^^^•rrtWIM^^^^^M WSSHHf 44 jo/. f mim ^HT 40 ?% KHIISM I^Hl 4J "?"/. 1 wjioa IHi ^(i t "/, ^i'iiH |H 4^.7% f MSt^^f JK.7"/«r 0% 20% 40% • Poor Fair • Good • - 2000-2006 45.9% 45.7% 42.7% 48.1% 41.3% 49.8% 1 41.6% 60% 80% Excellent ^St •BBS? ^Sf mmt ^Sf 100% Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey residents (ages 61 and older) were more likely to rate Police Services as Excellent (55.8%) than were middle- aged residents of Carlsbad (44.5%) or younger residents (36.4%). Homeowners (47.9%) were also more likely to give Police Services an Excellent rating than were renters (37.6%). No other significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, household income, household size and presence of children in the household. Fire Protection Services Respondents were asked to rate the services provided by the Carlsbad Fire Department using the same scale of Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor. The results to this question for 2006 can be found in Table 2-3. Over half of respondents (56.1%) rated Fire Protection Services as being Excellent, with the next largest group (41.7%) rating these services as Good, meaning that Fire Protection Services received nearly universal positive ratings. Table 2-3 - Fire Protection Services Rating Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 438 56 326 41 1 7 15 1.9 2 781 100 3 0 a How would you rate fire protection? "• 250 respondents either refused (1) or answered "Don't Know" to the question (249). Across the seven years of the survey, the evaluation of Fire Protection Services has been very positive - over 90% of respondents have given ratings of Excellent or Good in each year. The Figure 2-3 Fire Protection Services Ratings - 2000-2006 Fire Protection 2006 Fire Protection 2005 Fire Protection 2004 Fire Protection 2003 Fire Protection 2002 Fire Protection 2001 Fire Protection 2000 0%20%40%60%80%100% i Poor Fair • Good • Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 2006 ratings for Fire Protection Services follow this overall trend, and are statistically no different from previous years. The rating of Fire Protection Services was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. As in previous years, Longer-term Carlsbad residents (lived in Carlsbad ten years or more) were more likely to rate Fire protection Services as Excellent (60.6%) than were more recent residents of Carlsbad (50.4%). No other significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, age, household income, home ownership, household size and presence of children in the household. Paramedic Services Respondents were asked to rate the Paramedic Services provided by the City of Carlsbad using the same scale of Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor. The results to this question for 2006 can be found in Table 2-4. Over half of respondents who answered the question (58.0%) rated Paramedic Services as being Excellent, while about a third (39.0%) rating these services as Table 2-4 - Paramedic Services Rating Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 348 234 12 6 600 58.0 39.0 2.0 1.0 100.0 a- How would you rate paramedic services? "• 431 respondents either refused (3) or answered "Don't Know" to the question (428). Good, meaning that Paramedic Services were rated positively by over 90% of all respondents who gave a rating. Interestingly, roughly 40% of all respondents who were asked to rate Paramedic Services answered "Don't Know" to the question, indicating that many citizens do not know enough about the service to feel comfortable rating it. The rating of Paramedic Services was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Older Carlsbad residents (ages 61 and older) were more likely to rate Paramedic Services as Excellent (67.6%) than were middle- aged residents of Carlsbad (55.7%) or younger residents (46.9%). Homeowners (59.6%) were also more likely to give Paramedic Services an Excellent rating than were renters (50.4%). No other significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, household income, household size and presence of children in the household. Library Services Respondents were asked to rate the services provided by the Carlsbad Libraries using the same scale of Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor. The results to this question for 2006 can be found in Table 2-5. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (66.0%) rated Library Services as being Excellent and nearly one-third (31.3%) rated these services as Good. Very few respondents gave ratings of Fair or Poor. Across the six years of survey data, the evaluation of Library Services has also Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey Table 2-5 - Library Services Rating Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 622 295 24 1 942 66.0 31.3 2.5 .1 100.0 a- How would you rate library services? "• 89 respondents either refused (2) or answered "Don't Know" to the question (87). been very positive - over 90% of respondents have given ratings of Excellent or Good in each year. Library Services in Carlsbad are consistently one of the highest-rated (if not highest-rated) services provided by the City. The 2006 ratings for Library Services follow this overall trend, and are statistically no different from previous years. The rating of Library Services was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. No significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, age, length of residence, household income, home ownership, household size and presence of children in the household. Recreation Programs Respondents were asked to rate the programs provided by the Carlsbad Recreation Department using the same scale of Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor. The results to this question for 2006 can be found in Table 2-6. Over one-third of respondents (43.1%) rated Recreation Programs as being Excellent and about half (49.1%) rated these services as Good. Less than ten percent of respondents gave ratings of Fair or Poor. Across the five years of survey data, the evaluation of Recreation Programs has also been positive - around 90% of Figure 2-4 Library Services Ratings - 2000-2006 -ry Library 2006 Library 2005 I Library 2003 Library 2002 Library 2001 Library 2000 31.3% 32.9% 32.5% 35.9% 34.1 % 36.1 % 66.0% 63.8% 64.4% 60.5% 61.8% 59.9% 0%20%40%60%80%100% I Poor D Fair • Good • Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 8 Table 2-6 - Recreational Programs Rating? Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 379 428 55 11 873 43.4 49.0 6.3 1.3 100.0 a How would you rate recreational programs? *>• 158 respondents either refused (2) or answered "Don't Know" to the question (156). respondents have given ratings of Excellent or Good in each year. Recreation Programs continued a trend of receiving slightly more Excellent ratings in 2006 than in previous years - a slightly positive trend in these ratings that has continued since the survey began in 2000. Unlike previous years, no significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, age, length of residence, household income, home ownership, household size and presence of children in the household. Park Conditions Respondents were asked to rate the Condition of City Parks using the same scale of Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor. The results to this question for 2006 can be found in Table 2-7. Nearly half of respondents (48.8%) rated Park Conditions as being Excellent, with a similar size group (45.0%) rating these services as Good, meaning that Park Conditions were rated positively by Table 2-7 - Condions of Parks Rating Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 457 422 49 9 937 48.8 45.0 5.2 1.0 100.0 ' How would you rate the condition of the park/s you or your family use? • 94 respondents answered "Don't Know" to the question. Figure 2-5 Recreational Programs Ratings - 2000-2006 Rec. Programs 2006 Rec. Programs 2005 Rec. Programs 2003 Rec. Programs 2002 Rec. Programs 2001 Rec. Programs 2000 0%20%40%60%80%100% I Poor DFair BGood • Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey Park Park Park Po**Lr l>Qt*lf Figure 2-6 Park Conditions Ratings- 2001 - 2006 mmmm 45.0% i 48.8% LArmm^^m - • • ^^^^•^^^••^^••••^^^^^••••P"""" • mAmmmT 5u% 4n% ^JH *HiiM 44.6% 1 48.9% .^ m^m^ 43.9% 51.6% .^ J*\j\n gap 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% • Poor Fair • Good • Excellent over 90% of all respondents. Across the five years where survey data has been collected on this topic, the evaluation of Park Conditions has been very positive - over 90% of respondents have given ratings of Excellent or Good in each year. The 2006 ratings for Park Conditions confirm that there has been a recent improvement it attitudes regarding Park Conditions, and that these ratings have returned to levels recorded in 2001 and 2003. The rating of Park Conditions was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Significant differences were found in respondent opinions based on their age, length of residence in Carlsbad and the presence of children in their household. Younger respondents (ages 18-40) gave Park Conditions ratings of Excellent at a higher rate (59.0%) than did respondents in the 41-60 or 61 and older categories (46.1% and 46.2%), respectively. There was no significant difference in the distribution of Fair or Poor scores - only differences in the distribution of Excellent and Good scores. More recent residents of Carlsbad (less than ten years) were also more likely to rate Park Conditions as Excellent (53.3%), compared to longer- term residents (44.3%). These two results are related, as newer Carlsbad residents also tend to be younger. Park Conditions were also rated higher by respondents with children in their households. A majority (54.8%) of these respondents rated Park Conditions as "Excellent," compared to less than half (45.5%) of those residents without children in their households. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 10 Data from previous survey years has shown that younger adult Carlsbad residents, many of whom are new to the city and have small children, use parks more and also evaluate their condition more positively. This trend looks to be continuing in 2006. No other significant differences in the 2005 ratings of Park Conditions were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, household income, home ownership and household size. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 11 Figure 2*9 Comparison of City Services Ratings Library Paramedic Services Fire Protection Park Conditions Police Recreational Programs 31.3% 39.0% 41.7% 45.0% 46.9% 49.0% 66.0% 58.0% 56.1% 48.8% 45.9% 43.4% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Poor O Fair • Good • Excellent City Services Ratings in Context The chart above (Figure 2-9) arrays the ratings received by each individual city service area, in descending order according to the percentage of "Excellent" ratings. As has been the case in past years, ratings for Library Services and Fire Protection Services are the highest. These services have been joined by a service rated for the first time in 2006 - Paramedic Services. Once again in 2006, even for those services that receive the lowest ratings in this group, over 90% of all respondents to the survey gave positive ratings to each service listed. Carlsbad residents continue to be extremely satisfied with the quality of the services delivered by the City. Responses to these city services questions are related to responses to other questions in the survey. Correlation analysis was conducted to test these relationships. In nearly all Citizens who rated city services favorably also feel more confidence and trust in city government, and have other favorable opinions about life in Carlsbad. Citizens who rate services poorly (or less favorably) feel less confidence and trust in city government, and have less favorable opinions in other areas. cases, respondent opinions regarding overall and individual city services correlated positively with ratings of other aspects of city government, Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 12 including confidence in city government actions, trust in city government, ratings of quality of life in Carlsbad and ratings of other City departments and service areas (e.g., land development, traffic conditions, and information dispersal). This means that in general, respondents who rated city services favorably also feel more confidence and trust in city government, and have other favorable opinions about life in Carlsbad, and those who rate services poorly (or less favorably) feel less trust and confidence in city government, and have less favorable opinions in other areas. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 13 Section 3: Rating Contracted City Services Some of the services provided to residents of the City of Carlsbad are not offered by the City, but are instead contracted from outside organizations. These services include Trash Collection, Recycling, and Hazardous Waste Disposal. As was the case with services provided by the City, respondents were asked a series of questions about these services, and were asked to rate these services on a scale of "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," or "Poor." Trash Collection Respondents were asked to give a rating to Trash Collection Services contracted by the City of Carlsbad. Table 3-1 presents the results for this question for the 2006 survey. Roughly four out of ten respondents (41.5%) rated Trash Collection Services as being Excellent, with nearly half of all respondents (45.6%) rating services as Good. These positive ratings make up over 80% of those who answered the question. While these ratings do not approach those garnered by City-run services, they do represent a high level of satisfaction. Table 3-1 - Trash Collection Rating1 Frequency Percent Excellent 421 Good 463 Fair 111 Poor 20 Total 1015 a- How would you rate trash collection? b- 16 respondents answered "Don't Know" to the question. 41.5 45.6 10.9 2.0 100.0 Figure 3-1 puts the 2006 results into the context of results from the two previous years where questions were asked Figure 3-1 Trash Collection Services Ratings - 2003-2006 Trash Collection 2006 Trash Collection 2005 Trash Collection 2004 Trash Collection 2003 0%20%40%60%80%100% Poor Fair • Good • Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 14 specifically about Trash Collection. Across these four years, the evaluation of Trash Collection been quite stable - differences in the percentages displayed are not statistically significant but do seem to represent a small increase over time. The rating of Trash Collection was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Older residents were more likely to give higher ratings to Trash Collection Services than were younger residents. Roughly half (49.5%) of respondents over age sixty rated Trash Collection Services as "Excellent," compared to four in ten middle-aged residents (39.9%) and one- third of younger adult residents (34.0%). No other significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, presence of children in the household, length of residence, household income, home ownership, and household size. Hazardous Waste Collection Respondents were asked to rate the Hazardous Waste Collection services using the same scale of Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor. The results to this question for 2006 can be found in Table 3-2. Table 3-2 - Hazardous Waste Disposal Rating Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 144 343 162 74 723 19.9 47.4 22.4 10.2 100.0 a- How would you rate household hazardous waste disposal? t>- 308 respondents answered "Don't Know" to the question. One in five respondents (19.9%) rated Figure 3-2 Hazardous Waste Disposal Services Ratings - 2002-2006 Haz. Waste Disposal 2006 Haz. Waste Disposal 2005 Haz, Waste Disposal 2004 Haz, Waste Disposal 2003 Haz, Waste Disposal 2002 I I -46.6'%,19.7% 48.5% I 19.7% I 53.5%16.0% 52.0%13.5% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Poor Fair • Good • Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 15 Hazardous Waste Collection services as being Excellent, with nearly half (47.4%) rating these services as Good, meaning that roughly two-thirds of all respondents rated Hazardous Waste Disposal services positively. This particular service typically receives some of the lowest ratings of any contracted service. Our expectation is that because the process of dealing with hazardous waste is generally unpleasant and time-consuming, this service is destined to receive relatively low ratings. Across the five years of collecting data on this question, the evaluation of Hazardous Waste Disposal has remained stable, and the 2006 ratings are statistically no different from previous years. The rating of Hazardous Waste Disposal was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. No significant differences in the 2005 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, age, length of residence, household income, home ownership, household size and presence of children in the household. Recycling Services Respondents were asked to rate the Recycling services provided to the city using the same scale of Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor. The results to this question for 2006 can be found in Table 3-3. Roughly one-third of respondents (36.0%) rated Recycling Services as being Excellent, with half of respondents (48.6%) rating these services as Good. A separate question for Recycling Services has been asked in the survey for the past four years. The ratings for these services have been virtually identical for each year - roughly 80% of all respondents each year have given positive ratings to Recycling Services. Table 3-3 - Recycling Collection Rating1 Frequency Percent Excellent 357 Good 482 Fair 113 Poor 40 Total 992 a- How would you rate recycling collection? "• 39 respondents either were missing (1) or answered "Dont Know" to the question (38). 36.0 48.6 11.4 4.0 100.0 The rating of Recycling Services was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. More recent Carlsbad residents (lived in Carlsbad less than ten years) were less likely to rate Recycling Services as Excellent (34.6%) than were longer term residents of Carlsbad (37.5%). Roughly twice as many newer residents rated recycling services as "Poor" than did longer-term residents (5.7% vs. 2.6%). Older residents were also more likely to rate Recycling Services as "Excellent" (42.8%) compared to middle-aged (32.7%) and younger adult residents (35.4%). Additionally, residents with higher household incomes were slightly more likely to rate Recycling Services as "Poor". No other significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 16 Recycling Recycling Recycling Recycling Figure 3-3 Recycling Services Ratings 2003-2006 -^ , ^^^^^^^^^\^^^^^^^ETiliTil Umm 48.6% 1 36.0% ! ,4lB M ! 1 1 Bffli iBBa" 50.0% 32.7% kJI •Bv- . ^{^^•^^^•{^•^••^••B^^^^HII^^^HS FTiTJYl PNM^l 48.4% 1 33.1% Jll^l ^ .^^ BgTiliia ifcMM 49.8% 32.9% ^^ P^ x"" / / / / 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% • Poor Fair • Good • Excellent region of residence, home ownership, household size and presence of children in the household. Summary Most contracted services were rated positively by residents. In general, the ratings for these services were positively and significantly correlated with other ratings of city services, as well as measures of confidence and trust in government. Respondents who rate these contracted services positively are also positive about city government. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 17 Section 4: Other City Services or Resources This section of the report covers a variety of city services not covered by their own individual sections. Road Conditions Respondents were asked to give a rating to Road Conditions in the City of Carlsbad. As was the case with services provided by the City, respondents were asked to rate road conditions on a scale of "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," or "Poor." Table 4-1 presents the results for this question for the 2006 survey. A small percentage (14.5%) rated Road Conditions as being Excellent, with over half of all respondents (59.6%) rating conditions as Good. While these ratings do not approach those garnered by City-run services, they do represent a generally positive level of satisfaction. Table 4-1 - Rating of Overall Road Conditions" Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 149 611 218 48 1026 14.5 59.6 21.2 4.7 100.0 - How would you rate overall road conditions? - 5 respondents either refused (1) or answered "Don't Know" to the question (4). Figure 4-1 puts the 2006 results into the context of results from the seven years of the survey. The 2006 evaluation of Road Conditions demonstrates a statistically significant increase in satisfaction with road conditions, from recent years of the survey. While the proportion of "Excellent" ratings did not change much, the proportion of "Good" ratings increased to the point that the 2006 positive ratings are the best seen since 2003. Figure 4-1 Overall Road Conditions Ratings 2000-2006 Overall Roads 2006 Overall Roads 2005 Overall Roads 2004 53.0%113.4%! Overall Roads 2003 | 13.8% Ir- - Overall Roads 2002 | 13.9% Overall Roads 2001 | 13.7% 17.0% 0% 20% 25.2% 40% 60% 80% Poor Fair • Good • Excellent 100% Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 18 The 2006 evaluation of Road Conditions reflects a turnaround of what had been a recent trend of decreasing satisfaction with road conditions. The proportion of positive ratings increased to the point that nearly three out of four survey respondents rated Road Conditions favorably. The rating of Road Conditions was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Unlike in past years of the survey, no significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region, age, household income, length or residence, home ownership, presence of children in the household and household size. Low satisfaction ratings that had been given in past years by residents from areas in the City that were experiencing construction-related traffic delays were not found in the 2006 data. Figure 4-2 presents evidence that increases in the proportion of "Good" ratings for Road Conditions have occurred across all four quadrants of the City. Maintenance of Street Landscaping and Medians Respondents were asked to give a rating to the Maintenance of Street Landscaping and Medians in the City of Carlsbad. As was the case with road conditions, respondents were asked to rate this maintenance on a scale of "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," or "Poor." Figure 4-2 Road Conditions Ratings by Quadrant Southeast'06 ••% 25.7% Southeast'05 wSSSf 24.4% k fe L Southwest'06 :•% 19.1% Southwest'05 fi% 24.0% Northeast'06 p|% 20.6% Northeast'05 ••• 23.9% Northwest'06 Northwest'05 0% 20.9% 27.3% 20% 40% 60% 80% • Poor Fair • Good • Excellent 100% Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 19 Table 4-2 - Maintenance of Street^Landscaping and Medians Rating Frequency Percent Excellent 268 Good 533 Fair 189 Poor 32 Total 1022 26.2 52.2 18.5 3.1 100.0 a- How would you rate maintenance of street landscaping and medians? b 9 respondents either refused (1) or answered "Dont Know" to the question (8). Table 4-2 presents the results for this question for the 2006 survey. Roughly one quarter of respondents (26.2%) rated Maintenance of Street Landscaping and Medians as being Excellent, with over half of all respondents (52.2%) rating conditions as Good. These ratings represent a very positive level of satisfaction. The rating of Maintenance of Street Landscaping and Medians was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Middle-aged (41 to 60 years old) residents were less likely to rate Maintenance of Street Landscaping and Medians as "Excellent" (20.4%) compared to older (28.5%) and younger adult residents (34.1%). Additionally, newer residents (30.3%) were also more likely to rate Maintenance of Street Landscaping and Medians as "Excellent" compared to longer-term residents (22.2%) and renters (31.1%) handed out more "Excellent" ratings than did home owners (24.9%). Curb and Sidewalk Conditions Respondents were asked to give a rating to Curb and Sidewalk Maintenance Conditions in the City of Carlsbad. As was the case with road conditions, respondents were asked to rate this maintenance on a scale of "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," or "Poor." Table 4-3 presents the results for this question for the 2006 survey. Roughly one fifth of respondents (21.8%) rated Curb and Sidewalk Maintenance Conditions as being Excellent, with over half of all respondents (58.8%) rating conditions as Good. These ratings also represent a very positive level of satisfaction. Table 4-3 - Curb/Sidewalk Condition3 Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 220 592 163 32 1007 21.8 58.8 16.2 3.2 100.0 How would you rate curb and sidewalk conditions? • 24 respondents either refused (1) or answered "Dont Know" to the question (23). The rating of Curb and Sidewalk Maintenance was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Significant differences in ratings were found among residents of different regions of the City and based on one's length of residence. Newer residents of Carlsbad (less than 10 years) were more likely to rate Curb and Sidewalk Conditions as "Excellent" (27.4%) than were longer- term residents (16.1%). Longer-term residents also gave higher proportions of "Farr" and "Poor" ratings. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 20 Figure 4-3 Curt) and Sidewalk Maintenance Ratings by Quadrant Northwest • 23.0% Northeast Southeast 114.4 Southwest 14.1 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% • Poor Fair • Good • Excellent Residents of Northwest Carlsbad were less satisfied with Curb and Sidewalk Conditions, compared to residents from other parts of the City. Figure 4-3 shows that Northwest Carlsbad residents gave considerable more "Fair" and "Poor" ratings for this City feature, and that Southwest Carlsbad residents were much more likely to rate these conditions as "Excellent." These regional differences are most likely related to the length of residence differences - residents of Southwest Carlsbad are newer City residents who live mostly in newer development areas, where curbs and sidewalks have not had time to deteriorate. No other significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: respondent age, household income, home ownership, household size and presence of children in the household. Traffic Circulation Efficiency Respondents were asked to give a rating to Traffic Circulation Efficiency in the City of Carlsbad. As was the case with road conditions, respondents were asked to rate this maintenance on a scale of "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," or "Poor." Table 4-4 presents the results for this question for the 2006 survey. Very few respondents (8.5%) rated Traffic Circulation Efficiency as being Excellent, with over one-third of all respondents (40.0%) rating conditions as Good and a similar one-third (38.4%) rating Traffic Circulation as "Fair". These ratings are some of the lowest found throughout the 2006 survey. Table 4-4 - Traffic Circulation Efficiency Frequency Percent Excellent Good Fair Poor Total 87 409 392 134 1022 8.5 40.0 38.4 13.1 100.0 a- How would you rate: Traffic circulation efficiency, excluding freeways? b- 9 respondents answered 'Don't Know" to the question Figure 4-4 puts the 2006 results into the context of results from previous years of the survey. The 2006 evaluation of Traffic Circulation Efficiency reflects a significant improvement in ratings for this topic from previous years. The balance between positive and negative ratings had stayed relatively stable from 2000-2004, with negative ratings being Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 21 Figure 4-4 Traffic Circulation Ratings 2000-2006 Traffic Circulation 2006 Traffic Circulation 2004 Traffic Circulation 2003 Traffic Circulation 2002 Traffic Circulation 2001 Traffic Circulation 2000 40.0%IF3BJ5P 37.9%E32F 37.4% 38.8% 38.2% 36.2% 20% 40% 60% 80% Poor Fair • Good • Excellent 100% in the majority. In 2006, however, the proportion of citizens who give the City positive versus negative ratings on Traffic Efficiency is virtually even. The rating of Traffic Circulation Efficiency was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Significant differences in opinion were found between respondents of different ages. Figure 4-5 shows that residents age 41 to 60 gave the lowest ratings, with one in twenty (4.6%) rating Traffic Circulation as "Excellent" and about one in seven (15.8%) rating it as "Poor." Renters also gave higher ratings to Traffic Efficiency than did home owners. Twice as many (13.5%) Renters rated it as "Excellent," compared to home owners (7.0%). No other significant differences in the 2006 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, length of residence, Figure 4-5 Traffic Circulation Efficiency by Age of Respondent 18 to 40 El 32.7% 41 to 60 61 and Older 0% 50% 100% • Poor Fair • Good • Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 22 household income, household size and presence of children in the household. Additionally there were no significant differences in the ratings given to Traffic Circulation based on employment status, or between those employed Carlsbad residents that work in Carlsbad and those who work outside the City. Safety The safety of the community is a common topic of interest for city residents, staff and city officials. Respondents were asked two questions related to their feelings of safety in the City of Carlsbad. These questions had been asked in previous years (2000- 2003, 2005). The two questions each asked respondents to rate how safe they felt walking alone in their own neighborhood, with one question asking about safety during the day, and the second question asking about safety at night. Each question was measured on a zero to ten scale, with zero meaning "not at all safe" and ten meaning "completely safe." Figure 4-6 displays the average response score given by survey respondents for the two questions for the current year, as well as for previous years. The averages of 9.47 (daytime safety) and 7.69 (night- time safety) reflect an extremely high level of safety felt by residents of Carlsbad. These values do not differ significantly from previous years of the survey. Significant differences were found in the ratings of daytime safety based on whether or not respondents owned then- home. Renters gave somewhat lower ratings for daytime safety (9.16) than did home owners (9.54). No other significant differences in the 2006 daytime safety ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: age, location of residence, length of residence, household income, presence of children in the household and household size. Figure 4-6 Residents' Feelings of Safety ~9.56~~/9.46 Average Rating (0-10 Scale) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 D Day • Night Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 23 Average Rating (0-10 Scale) Figure 4-7 Residents' Feelings of Safety by Police Services Rating Night I Poor D Fair • Good • Excellent Significant differences were also found in the ratings of nighttime safety based on home ownership. Renters once again gave somewhat lower ratings for nighttime safety (7.32) than did home owners (7.78). Also, respondents with higher incomes generally reported higher ratings of nighttime safety than those with lower incomes. Location of residence, age, length of residence, presence of children in the household and household size did not affect ratings of nighttime safety. As might be expected, the general trend for these safety ratings is reflected in the evaluation of Carlsbad's Police Services. In general (as can be seen in Figure 4-9), residents who feel higher levels of safety in their neighborhood rate their satisfaction with Police Services higher. Reasons for Using City Parks Respondents were asked two questions regarding their motivations for using City parks. The first question asked respondents to rate (using a scale of zero to ten) the importance of rest, relaxation and open space, as a reason for visiting Carlsbad parks. The average rating equaled 7.90, which could be considered a high rating. The second question asked respondents to rate the importance of attending entertainment events and social gatherings, as a reason for visiting Carlsbad parks. This statement received an average rating of 6.72 - still relatively high, but considerably lower than the previous question. Based on these results we can say that on the average, Carlsbad residents see parks as more important as a venue for passive activities like rest and relaxation, rather than as a venue for entertainment events and social gatherings. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 24 Figure 4-8 Ratings of Importance of Parks for Rest and Relaxation by Age 9-1 8- Average Rating (0-1Q Scale) 7- 6- I I I I 18 to 40 41 to 60 61 and over Rating Scale: 0 =Poor 10 = Excellent Ratings of the importance of parks for rest and relaxation were analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Significant differences in opinion were found between respondents of different ages, and whether or not the household included children. Figure 4-6 displays that younger adults were more likely rate the importance of open space for rest and relaxation highly (8.25) than were middle-aged adults (8.05) or older adults (7.43). Respondents from households with children also placed more importance on using City parks for rest and relaxation (8.13) when compared to respondents from non-child households (7.77). The second statement, rating the importance of parks for attending events and social gatherings was also analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Significant differences in opinion were once again found between respondents of different ages, but the pattern of these different opinions was different. Middle-aged residents (ages 41 to 60) gave the highest importance rating to using parks for entertainment events or social gatherings (6.98), compared to younger adults (6.47) and older adults (6.42). The importance ratings given to both statements were related to how respondents rated the condition of City parks. In general, respondents who rated the condition of parks as "Excellent" gave higher importance ratings for parks as a place both for rest and relaxation and parks as a place for entertainment events and social gatherings, compared to respondents who rated the condition of the parks lower. Respondents were also asked to rate an evaluative statement about the City's role in promoting health and welhiess. The statement was: "how well do you think the City of Carlsbad promotes health and wellness through its recreational programs and facilities?" The average score on the zero to ten scale was 7.37, reflecting a general belief on the part of respondents that the City's recreational programs do promote health and wellness. No significant demographic differences were found in the ratings of Carlsbad's promotion of health and wellness. However, as should be expected, ratings of how well the City promotes health and wellness were strongly correlated with the ratings respondents gave to both the condition of City parks and to the City's recreational programs (Figure 4- 7). Residents who rated Park Conditions and Recreational Programs as either "Good" or "Excellent" were more likely Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 25 Figure 4-9 How Well Carlsbad Promotes Health and We lines s by Ratings of City Parks and Recreational Programs Parks Rating Rec. Programs Rating Poor D Fair • Good • Excellent to give positive ratings to the City's role in promoting health and wellness. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 26 Section 5: City Information This section of the report covers survey questions on the topic of citizen evaluation of City information dispersal, and the types of City information citizens want to receive. Ratings of Information Dispersal Respondents were asked to give a rating to Information Dispersal by the City of Carlsbad. The survey question asked: "Using a scale of zero to ten where zero means poor and ten means excellent, how would you rate the job the city does in providing you with information that is important to you?" Figure 5-1 reports the average score on this scale for 2006, and puts the 2006 results into the context of results from four previous years of the survey when this question was asked. The 2006 evaluation of information dispersal (7.55) is a relatively high rating, located in the upper quarter of the response scale. The 2006 score represents a significant improvement from 2004- 2005. The rating of Information Dispersal was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Significant differences were found in the ratings given for information dispersal by residents based on their age and the length of time they have lived in Carlsbad. Residents over 60 gave higher ratings (8.00) than did residents age 41 to 60 (7.41) or residents ages 18 to 40 (7.27). Household income and home ownership status were not related to ratings for information dispersal. Additionally, residents who have lived in Carlsbad more then ten years gave City Figure 5-1 Ratings of City's Information Dispersal 2001-2006 10 8 Average Rating " (0-10 Scale) 4 2 0 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Rating Scale: 0 = Poor 10 = Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 27 Information Dispersal higher ratings (7.70) than did newer residents (7.40). Contact with City Staff Survey respondents were asked whether or not they had had contact with a City staff person (in the course of their work) in the past year. Over half of all respondents (57.3%) said that they had been in contact with City staff (Figure 5- 2). Survey respondents with higher household incomes and those from larger households were slightly more likely to have contact with City staff. Those residents who reported that they had contact with City staff were asked to report they ways that they had had contact with City staff, and these Figure 5-2 Has Respondent had Contact with City Staff in Past Yeai? In the past year, did you have any contact with employees of the City of Carlsbad as they carried out their job? responses are reported in Table 5-1. Nearly three-quarters (73.5%) of respondents who had had contact with the City said that their contact had been face-to-face. Over half (57.2%) also reported that they had spoken with City staff on the telephone. Table 5-1 Type of Contact with City Staff Face-to-Face Telephone As Part of a Group Letter E-mail Other Refused Frequency 428 333 91 84 72 10 3 Percent 73.5% 57.2% 15.6% 14.4% 12.4% 1.7% .5% Respondents who had contacted City staff were then asked to rate the level of customer service that they experienced in their dealings with staff. Table 5-2 shows that nearly half of these respondents (49.5%) rated the customer service of City staff as "Excellent," with another large group (40.1%) rating customer service as "Good." Table 5-2 - Rating of Customer Service of City Staff Based on Interactions Frequency Percent Excellent 284 Good 230 Fair 41 Poor 19 Total 574 49.5 40.1 7.1 3.3 100.0 a- How would you rate the level of customer service you experienced in your interactions with City staff? "• 8 respondents either refused (1) or answered "Don't Know" to the question (7). Customer service ratings were analyzed based on the type of contact the respondent had with the City. Figure 5-3 shows that residents who had Face-to- Face contact with City staff gave the largest proportion of "Excellent" ratings (52.0%), followed by those who had contact via Telephone (49.8%) and E- mail (42.3%). City Web Site Previous surveys of Carlsbad City residents have found that very high Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 28 Figure 5-3 Customer Service Ratings by Type of Contact fcFace-to-Face B7.6O/1 Telephone E-mail Part of Group H 13.6% Letter 42.6%49.8% 40.8%42.3% ^1 43.2%37.5% 47.0%34.9% 75.0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% • Poor Fair • Good • Excellent 12.5% 100% percentages of households in the City have Internet access, many with high- speed connections. Therefore, most Carlsbad residents should have the ability to access the City's web site. Survey respondents were asked if they had accessed the City's web site in the past year to find out information about accessed the City's web site in the past year. This is a significant increase from the 2003 survey, where only 39.0% of respondents had accessed the City's web site. Respondents who had used the City's web site were asked whether they were Table 5-3 - Visited the City's Web|ite for Information about the City Frequency Percent Yes No Total 561 467 1028 54.6 45.4 100.0 - Have you accessed the City's website in the past year to find information about the City? • 3 respondents either were missing (1) or answered "Don't Know" to the question (2). the City. Table 5-3 shows that slightly over half of all households (54.6%) Figure 5-4 Did Respondent Find Wanted Information on City Web Site? Did yon find what you were looking for on the city's website? Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 29 able to find the information they were looking for. A very high proportion (88.2%) was able to find the information they sought (Figure 5-4). This proportion was nearly identical to the proportion reported in the 2003 survey (86.2%). Respondents reported searching for a wide variety of City-specific information. Table 5-4 displays the types of information that respondents reported searching for. Information about Parks and Recreation was mentioned most often, by over one third (38.0%) of those who had searched. Library information, building code and zoning information, and recycling and hazardous waste disposal information were all mentioned by at least ten percent of the searchers. Table 5-4 - Information Respondent Searched For on the City Web Site Frequency Parks & Recreation Information Library Information Building Codes, Zoning, & Permit Information Recycling & Hazardous Waste Information General Information Road Closures & Construction Information Job Openings Special Events Info Local Business Info City Politics & Meeting Times Utilities Housing Info Public Safety City Phone Numbers Other Don't Know 213 87 77 61 52 41 31 30 17 15 11 10 8 4 109 22 Percent 38.0% 15.5% 13.7% 10.9% 9.3% 7.3% 5.5% 5.3% 3.0% 2.7% 2.0% 1.8% 1.4% .7% 19.4% 3.9% Table 5-5 displays the types of answers that were given. The largest group of respondents (27.3%) said that they would like to receive information about upcoming and current development and construction projects, along with road work. About one in ten respondents mentioned schedules for city services (11.0%), special event information (9.6%) and information about recreation classes and programs. One interesting point to consider is that the answer given most often was "Don't Know" - indicating that most residents are not actively engaged in thinking about the type of unsolicited information they want to receive from the City. Table 5-5 - Types of Information Respondent Would Like to Receive from City Frequency Development Projects, Roadwork, Construction Schedules for City Services Special Event Info Recreation Classes and Programs Recycling and Hazardous Materials School Information City Calender Other Dont Know 281 113 99 96 61 40 22 117 342 Percent 27.3% 11.0% 9.6% 9.3% 5.9% 3.9% 2.1% 11.4% 33.3% All survey respondents were asked to relate the types of information that they would like to receive from the City. Accuracy of Information To conclude the questions regarding City information, respondents were asked the following question to see how they evaluated the accuracy of information provided by the City: "Using a scale of zero to ten where zero means NOT AT ALL CONFIDENT and ten means VERY CONFIDENT, how would you rate your level of confidence that the information you get from the Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 30 Figure 5-5 Accuracy of Information Rating 300-x 250- « 200§ soa.an 150-x 100- 50-x n i 23456 0-10 Rating 8 9 10 City is accurate?" The average rating given by respondents on the zero-to-ten scale was 8.16, a very high rating (Figure 5-5). The rating of Information Accuracy was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Statistically significant differences in these ratings were found based on respondent age and presence of children in the household. Younger adults had the most confidence in the accuracy of City information (8.46) compared to middle-aged respondents (8.12) and older respondents (8.10). Respondents from households with children also gave higher ratings (8.33) than did respondents with no children in the household (8.08). information they receive from the City, and are generally pleased with the way in which the City disseminates information. More than half of City residents make use of the web site to find information, and most that use the web site are able to successfully find what they are looking for. City employees also received very positive ratings regarding their customer service skills. Based on this data you could say that informing its citizens is something that the City is doing well. Summary In summary, City residents have a great deal of confidence in the accuracy of the Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 31 Section 6: Opinions Regarding Development This section of the report covers survey questions on the topic of land use and development. Land Use Balance Ratings In each of the past five City surveys, respondents were asked to rate how well they thought the City of Carlsbad balanced the different land uses within the City. The survey question asked: "One of the tasks of city government is to balance various land uses in the city - uses such as residential, commercial, industrial and recreational. On a scale from zero to ten, where zero means very poor and ten means excellent, how would you rate the job the City of Carlsbad is doing in balancing the various land uses in the city?" Figure 6-1 reports the average score on this scale for 2006, and puts the 2006 results into the context of results from three previous years of the survey when this question was asked. The 2006 evaluation of land use balance (6.08) is one of the lower zero-to-ten performance ratings measured in the survey. Survey results from the current year and previous years have demonstrated that growth and overcrowding are among the top concerns of Carlsbad residents. This low land use rating is evidence that survey respondents place some of the responsibility with city government. The average score on this question remained virtually unchanged from 2002 to 2004, but dropped significantly in 2005. The 2006 rating constitutes a small but significant increase in the land use rating. The rating of Land Use was analyzed to look for differences between Figure 6-1 Ratings of City's Balance of Land Uses 2001-2006 Average Rating (0-10 Scale) 2002 2003 2004 2005 Rating Scale: ft = Very Poor 10= Excellent 2006 Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 2/27/2006 r C r~ r* 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 32 demographic groups. Significant differences were found in the ratings given for Land Use based on a respondent's age and whether they rent or own their home. On average, home owners (5.99) gave the City lower ratings on Land Use than did renters (6.45). Middle-aged respondents (ages 41-60) gave the City the lowest Land Use ratings (5.75), compared to younger residents (6.53) and older residents (6.45). Household incomes, length of residence, region, presence of children in the household and household size were not related to Land Use opinions. Land Use ratings were strongly linked to respondents' overall evaluation of City services. Figure 6-2 displays the average land use rating of respondents, broken down by their Overall City Services rating. Clearly, respondents who were displeased with the City's land Figure 6-2 Average Land Use Ratings by Overall City Services Rating 10 8- Average 6 Rating (0-10 Scale) 4 I Poor O Fair • Good • Excellent use policies or actions were also unhappy with the services provided by the City in general. Figure 6-3 Quality of Development Rating Quality of Development 2006 Quality of Development 2005 0%20%40%60%80% 100% I Poor D Fair • Good • Excellent Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 2/27/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 33 Quality of Development Respondents were asked to rate the Quality of Development over the last three years in the City of Carlsbad, using the "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," and "Poor" scale featured in other parts of the survey. Figure 6-3 displays the results of this question for 2006 and 2005. Approximately one out of seven respondents (14.2%) rated the Quality of Development as being Excellent, with nearly half of all respondents (45.3%) rating development quality as Good. These positive ratings represent a slim majority of those who answered the question. These ratings are somewhat improved from 2005 - the proportion of "Excellent" ratings has increased (11.9% to 14.2%) while the proportion of "Poor" ratings has decreased (14.4% to 10.3%). The opinions that respondents hold regarding development quality are related to their opinions about land use policy in the City of Carlsbad. As was the case in 2005, respondents who rated Figure 6-4 Average Land Use Ratings by Development Quality Rating Average Rating (0-10 Scale) 4. I Poor D Fair • Good • Excellent the quality of development higher, on the average, gave higher ratings to the way the City handles land use issues (Figure 6-4). Those who rated development quality lower had similarly low ratings for land use policy decisions. Statistical analysis showed that 33% of the variation in land use ratings could be explained simply by using the respondent's rating for development quality - an extremely high percentage for this type of analysis. The rating of development quality was analyzed to look for differences between demographic groups. Longer-term Carlsbad residents (lived in Carlsbad more than ten years) were more likely to rate development quality as "Poor" (13.1%) than were more recent residents of Carlsbad (7.3%). Younger respondents were more likely to rate development quality as "Excellent" (19.4%) than were middle-aged respondents (10.8%), and younger respondents were also less likely to rate development quality as "Poor" (5.6%) than were middle-aged respondents (11.3%) or older respondents (10.5%). No other significant differences in the 2005 ratings were found when comparisons were made based on: region of residence, home ownership, household income, household size and presence of children in the household. Respondents who rated development quality as "Poor" were asked to explain their reasons for giving the low rating. A review of these answers found that "Overdevelopment" and "Crowding" were mentioned regularly by many respondents as a reason for their low rating. Nearly all of the reasons given by respondents were related to issues of growth and crowding (e.g., lack of open Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 2/27/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 34 space, traffic congestion, and insufficient infrastructure), so it is clear that most of the dissatisfaction with the quality of development is related to growth and crowding, rather than aesthetics or craftsmanship. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 2/27/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 35 Section 7: Environmental Issues This section of the report covers two survey questions related to storm water pollution. Storm Water Pollution The City of Carlsbad provides a Storm Water Quality Hotline that can be used to report illegal discharges into the storm water system, or to ask questions about ways to reduce storm water pollution. The City also regularly provides information in City publications and mailings regarding what citizens can do to reduce water pollution. Respondents were asked if they had seen or heard any information about how residents can prevent the pollution of creeks, lagoons and ocean. Nearly two- thirds (64.6%) of respondents answered that they had either seen or heard information about how to prevent pollution of creeks, lagoons and the ocean (Figure 7.1). This is an improvement from the last time this Figure 7-1 Has Respondent Seen or Heard Water Pollution Prevention Information During the past year, have you seen or heard any information about how residentscan prevent the pollution of our creeks. question was asked in the City survey (2003), when the proportion of "Yes" answers was 58.1%. Respondents who said that they had heard information on preventing pollution were asked what, if anything, they had done in the past year to help reduce the amount of water pollution. Table 7-1 displays the answers given most often by respondents. Table 7-1 - Things Respondents Report Doing to Reduce Water Pollution Frequency Did Nothing Properly Disposing of Hazardous Waste Cleaned Up Trash At Beach, Roadside, Etc. Using Environmentally-Friendly Soaps, Pesticides, Etc. Used A Commercial Car Wash Recycling Reduce Water Run Off/ Reduce Fertilizer and Pesticide Use Cleaned Up Animal Waste Other Don't Know 163 148 144 92 91 76 74 42 100 17 Percent 24.7% 22.4% 21.8% 13.9% 13.8% 11.5% 11.2% 6.4% 15.2% 2.6% The answer given most often by respondents (24.7%) was that they did nothing to reduce water pollution. Properly disposing of hazardous waste (22.4%) and cleaning up outdoor trash (21.8%) were also mentioned by more that twenty-percent of those respondents who had heard about how to reduce water pollution. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 36 Section 8: Commuting Questions were added to the 2006 survey to look at the methods that working Carlsbad residents commute to their jobs. This section of the report covers survey questions related to mode of commute, with comparisons made between demographic groups and residents employed either inside or outside of Carlsbad. Employment Status Early in the survey, respondents were asked about their employment status - whether or not they worked for pay or owned a business. Figure 8-1 displays Figure 8-1 Is Respondent Employed, and Is Jo)> Located in Carlsbad Employed Outside Carlsbad 275% the responses to this question. Just under half of all respondents said that they were not employed (47.4%). Of those who said they were employed, nearly equal proportions said that they employment was located in Carlsbad (24.8%) and outside of Carlsbad (27.9%). Along with looking at the individual survey respondents, the survey also asked whether the entire household contained someone who was employed, and whether any of the household members commuted to outside of Carlsbad. As can be seen Figure 8-2 Is Anyone in Household Employed, and Do Household Members Work Outside Carlsbad Some Outside Carlsbad 55.7% from Figure 8-2, when employment status and location is viewed from the household perspective, significantly more households include someone who is employed, and significantly more households include someone who commutes outside of the City. In the analysis that follows, we will focus on differences in commuting patterns for residents based on their status reported in Figure 8-1, however, it should be recognized that far more households contain at least one household member who commutes outside of the City. Mode of Commute Survey respondents who were employed were asked to list all of the methods they had used to commute to work during the past year. Table 8-1 displays the proportion of employed respondents who used the listed commuting modes at least Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 37 once in the previous year. Driving alone (79.1%) was the commuting mode used by the greatest number of working respondents in the past year. Over a quarter of respondents said that they had worked at home at least once during the year (26.5%), one in seven said that they had carpooled (15.3%) and one in ten said that they had used public transportation at least once. Table 8-1 - Commute Methods Used by Employed Respondents Drive Alone Work at Home Carpool Public Transportation Walk Bicycle Other Frequency 439 147 85 65 37 35 15 Percent 79.1% 26.5% 15.3% 11.7% 6.7% 6.3% 2.7% (6.5%) were mentioned less often as the commuting method used most often by employed respondents. As might be expected, mode of commute did differ significantly between respondents employed in Carlsbad and those employed outside of Carlsbad. Although both groups drove alone most often (over 75% of each group), respondents employed outside of Carlsbad were more likely to report carpooling and use of public transportation, while respondents employed in Carlsbad were more likely to report working from home (many may have home-based businesses). Asking about all of the methods used can result in overestimation of the impact of commuting methods used less often. Therefore, those respondents who listed more than one method of commuting were asked which method they used most often. Table 8-2 shows that driving alone (76.1%) is still far and away the method used most often to commute. Public transportation (7.6%), working at home (7.6%) and carpooling Table 8-2 - How Respondent Gets to Work on Most Days (Those Who Used More Than One Method) Drive Alone Public Transportation Work at Home Carpool Bicycle Walk Total Frequency 140 14 14 12 3 1 184 Percent 76.1 7.6 7.6 6.5 1.6 .5 100.0 Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 38 Section 9: Spending Patterns New to the survey in 2006 were a series of questions aimed at learning more about the spending patterns of Carlsbad residents. For a series of spending categories, survey respondents were asked to estimate the proportion of their spending that occurred in the City of Carlsbad. The spending categories were: clothing, home improvement items, groceries, dining out and entertainment. The list of items was presented in a random order to each respondent, in order to reduce bias in the data. Spending in Carlsbad For each of the spending categories, there were respondents who answered as low as zero percent and as high as one hundred percent. Table 9-1 displays the average percentages of shopping dollars spent in each category, ranked from high to low. Table 9-1 - Percentage of Types of Spending Done in Carlsbad Average Percentage Groceries Dining Out Clothing Entertainment Home Improvement Items 72.10 55.76 47.74 44.51 34.18 On the average, survey respondents said that they made nearly three-quarters (72.1%) of their grocery purchases in the City of Carlsbad. Respondents averaged over half of their dining dollars spent in Carlsbad (55.8%) and nearly half of their clothing purchases (47.4%). The average spending proportion for entertainment purchases (movies, plays, live music, etc.) was nearly one-half (44.5%), while respondents averaged about a third (34.2%) of their home improvement spending within the City of Carlsbad. Demographic Differences Obviously the relative size of these percentages is affected the most by the presence or absence of these types of merchants inside the City's boundaries, but there were also significant differences in some proportions based on demographic factors. Respondent Quadrant Significant differences in spending percentages for respondents from different quadrants were seen for three of the spending categories; clothing, groceries and dining out. Interestingly, as can be seen in Figure 9-1, the patterns differed based on the specific spending category - in other words, respondents from different quadrants do not uniformly shop hi or out of Carlsbad - shopping patterns are based on both respondent living location and the types of retailers that are convenient to them. In the case of both clothing expenditures and dining out expenditures, respondents from the northern quadrants reported higher proportions of spending in Carlsbad than did respondents from the southern portion of the City. This is probably the case because of the presence of more retail and dining opportunities for north Carlsbad residents in the Carlsbad Village and Plaza Camino Real commercial centers. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 39 Figure 9-1 Spending Differences by Quadrant Clothing Groceries Dining Out Northwest D Northeast • Southeast • Southwest Spending proportions for groceries, however, reflect a reversed pattern. South Carlsbad residents report spending more of their dollars for groceries in Carlsbad compared to northern residents. This reflects the difference in development mix between the regions, where the master-planned communities that dominate southern Carlsbad included grocery stores in their development plans. Length of Residence Spending for clothing and for dining out differed significantly based on how long respondents had lived in Carlsbad. In both instances, longer-term residents were more likely to report spending more on both clothing and dining out in Carlsbad (Figure 9-2). These spending patterns may reflect the fact that the longer residents live in the City, the more likely they are to become familiar with the retail locations and restaurants that are in the City. Figure 9-2 Spending Differences by Length of Residence 0% Clothing Dining Out I LTTen Years • More Than Ten Years Employment Status While the respondent's employment status was not significantly related to Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 40 spending patterns, employment status of the household was. In the case of spending on clothing and on home improvement items, households where at least one person was employed reported spending less in Carlsbad, and Figure 9-3 Spending Differences by Employment Status 60%i 0% Clothing Home Improvement I None Employed I Some Jin ployed I Some Em p. Outside Carlsbad households with at least one person employed outside of Carlsbad reported even lower spending proportions in the City (Figure 9-3). The following demographic factors were not related to spending patterns: respondent employment status, respondent job location, respondent age, household income, home ownership, presence of children in the household and household size. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 41 Section 10: Entertainment Preferences Previous City surveys have asked questions about the types of public facilities that respondents would like to see built. While these questions can be helpful for City planners, it often begs the question: "If we build it, what will we do with it?" In the 2006 survey we looked at the issue of entertainment venues not by asking residents about the type of facility they would like to see built, but by asking what type of entertainment they have had to travel outside of Carlsbad to enjoy. This will allow decision-makers to see the types of entertainment that residents enjoy that is not offered as often in the City as residents would like. Entertainment Choices Respondents were presented with a series of entertainment types and asked whether they had ever had to travel outside of Carlsbad to attend this type of activity. The entertainment types were: • Nationally-known musical acts. • Foreign or art-house films. • Music, dance or theater productions in which their family or neighbors were performers. • Local musical groups that you can dance to. • Professional-quality theater or dance. • Art exhibits or displays. • Stand-up comedy. • Ethnic culture fairs Respondents were asked to answer whether or not they had ever traveled outside the City of Carlsbad to experience that type of entertainment. Table 10-1 reports the proportions of respondents that had gone outside of Carlsbad for each entertainment type. Table 10-1 - Percentage of Respondents Who Have Ever Travelled Outside Carlsbad to See Type of Entertainment Art Exhibits or Displays Professional-Quality Theater or Dance Nationally-Known Musical Acts Professional-Quality Jass or Symphonic Music Local Musical Groups with Dancing Stand-Up Comedy Ethnic Culture Fairs Foreign or Art House Films Music, Dance or Theater Productions Involving Family Cases 816 807 796 656 535 533 521 508 396 Table Response % 83.0% 82.1% 81.0% 66.7% 54.4% 54.2% 53.0% 51.7% 40.3% • Professional-quality symphonic music. jazz or Art exhibits or displays (83.0%), Professional-quality theater or dance (82.1%) and Nationally-known musical acts (81.0%) were all mentioned by over eighty percent of respondents. All of the remaining entertainment types (except productions involving family or friends) were mentioned by over half of all respondents. Based on these results, it is clear that a significant proportion of Carlsbad residents are used to traveling outside of Carlsbad for entertainment options. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 42 Respondents who answered "Yes" to at least one of the entertainment choices were asked which of the types of entertainment they had traveled for was their favorite. Table 10-2 shows that professional-quality theater or dance (30.1%) was the type of entertainment preferred by the largest number of people who had traveled outside of the City for entertainment. While more people had traveled outside the City to see art exhibits, it was not the top choice of out-of-town entertainment activities. Table 10-2 - Favorite Type of Entertainment for which Respondent has Traveled Outside of Carlsbad Frequency Professional-Quality Theatre or Dance Nationally-Known Musical Acts Professional-Quality Jazz or Symphonic Music Art Exhibits or Displays Music, Dance or Theatre Productions Involving Family Local Musical Groups with Dancing Stand-up Comedy Ethnic Culture Fairs Foreign or Art House Films Total 281 194 101 101 68 56 46 44 43 934 Percent 30.1 20.8 10.8 10.8 7.3 6.0 4.9 4.7 4.6 100.0 These results demonstrate that a large proportion of Carlsbad residents have traveled outside of the City to enjoy entertainment, and that the largest proportions of residents have traveled to see performances that require large stages and (most likely) indoor facilities: theater or dance, well-known music acts, and symphonic or jazz bands. These are also the most popular entertainment types among those who have left the City for entertainment. Citizen support for the addition of a large entertainment venue would be expected to be high. The largest proportion of residents had left the City to see art exhibits. While this was not the favorite entertainment of many of those respondents, the fact that many had traveled outside of Carlsbad for this activity shows that there is wide- spread interest in this activity. Since art exhibits do not typically require as large a venue, this entertainment choice might be easier to provide. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 43 Section 11: Ratings of City Government One of the important roles played by a survey such as this is to provide a tool for assessing the general level of satisfaction that citizens have in their local government. City officials can benefit greatly from having an assessment tool other than those typically at their disposal - calls and requests from citizens, as well as testimony at Council and Commission meetings, can over-estimate negative assessments, as citizens are typically spurred to communicate using these methods when faced with a problem or crisis. The other typical method for assessing citizen opinion - the ballot box - is an expensive and unwieldy way to receive broad citizen feedback. Household surveys allow city officials to ask a representative sample of citizens to give feedback on how well, or how poorly, the City is doing. For the past seven years, this survey has included questions that ask citizens to give the City feedback not only on how they evaluate the City's tangible services, but to evaluate the confidence they have in the City's ability to make sound decisions and carry them out. This section looks at these issues, and reports on the seven-year trend in confidence in City Government. Ratings of City Government This year's survey included five questions that intended to tap a variety of dimensions of resident's evaluation of city government performance. For each question, respondents were asked to use a zero to ten point scale to rate their agreement to the statement that was presented. The questions were presented in random order so as to reduce bias. The text of the statements was: • "I receive good value for the local taxes I pay." • "The City of Carlsbad welcomes citizen involvement." • "The City of Carlsbad listens to its citizens." • "I am pleased with the overall direction the City of Carlsbad is taking." • "In general, I think the City of Carlsbad government is doing a good job." Table 11-1 displays the results for these questions, with the number representing the average agreement rating for the statement on the zero-to-ten scale. Each of the statements received average agreement scores above the midpoint of the scale, which indicates a general agreement with the statements across all respondents. Responses to these statements correlate statistically at an extremely high level, which reflects the fact that all five of these statements are Table 11-1 - Agreement With Statements About Carlsbad City Government Mean The City of Carlsbad Welcomes Citizen Involvement In General, I Believe that the City of Carlsbad Government is Doing A Good Job I Recieve Good Value for the Local Taxes I Pay I am Pleased with the Overall Direction the City of Carlsbad is Taking The City of Carlsbad Listens to Citizens 7.35 7.21 7.16 6.68 6.62 Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 44 related to an underlying evaluation of the effectiveness of City government. The highest level of agreement was with the statement about Carlsbad welcoming citizen involvement (7.35). This is particularly interesting when compared to the statement with the lowest agreement rating - whether the City listens to its citizens. One explanation for this could be that there are citizens who feel that the City provides ways for citizens to participate in City activities, but that the citizens' opinions or preferences are not taken into consideration for decision-making. The data for these statements was analyzed to look for demographic differences in the ratings. Some consistent demographic differences were found for these statements - Older respondents and those who did not have someone in the household who was employed gave higher average scores to each of the statements about the City. These opinion differences were independent of household location, length of residence, household income and household size differences in residents. Among the individual statements, only the statement about receiving good value for local taxes was consistently rated differently between some demographic groups. Respondents who were employed, younger, were newer residents, lived in south Carlsbad and had children in the household all gave slightly lower agreement ratings to that statement than did their counterparts. Confidence in City Government A question that has been included in the survey for seven years and that has been used as a yardstick of Carlsbad city government performance is the following: "On a scale of zero to ten, where zero means NOT AT ALL CONFIDENT and ten means VERY CONFIDENT, how Figure 11-1 Confidence in City Government Ratings 2000-2006 10 8 Average Rating " (0-10 Scale) 4 2^ 0 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Rating Scale: 0 = Not at All Confident 10 = Very Confident Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cal State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 45 confident are you in the Carlsbad City government to make decisions which positively affect the lives of its community members? " Figure 11-1 reports the results for 2006, as well as for previous years of the survey. The average rating of 6.97 given by respondents in 2006 is a very high rating for this measure, and reflects continued confidence in the actions of Carlsbad's city government. While this rating does not differ statistically from the previous years' ratings, it is the highest rating that the City has received in seven years of survey administration. The data for city government confidence was analyzed to look for demographic differences in the ratings. Significant differences were found between some groups that reflect some of the differences just seen in City government ratings, and in some of the City service ratings reported earlier. Older Carlsbad residents (7.31) gave higher confidence ratings than did younger (ages 18-40) residents (7.12) or middle-aged residents (6.77). Employment status was also related to confidence in government. Respondents who were employed gave lower average confidence ratings (6.80) than did respondents who were not employed (7.18). This trend was also true when respondents were divided based on employment status of the household. Respondents from households where no one was employed had the highest confidence in City government (7.30), compared to households with only people employed in Carlsbad (6.81) and households with at least one person employed outside of Carlsbad (6.86). No other demographic groupings displayed statistically significant differences in confidence in City government. As in previous years, this measure did correlate significantly with all other ratings of city government services and policy performance, indicating that confidence in government is a product of citizen's evaluations of the actions taken by the City. Summary This survey and report have been the seventh in an annual series of citizen evaluation surveys conducted for the City of Carlsbad by the Social and Behavioral Research Institute at California State University San Marcos. Throughout this report, data has been presented that reflect the actions and opinions reported by a representative sample of households hi the City of Carlsbad, California. According to the responses given by residents, they are generally pleased with life hi their city, with the services provided by the city, and with the way in which city government is carried out. Survey respondents answered consistently throughout the survey that they were satisfied with the services provided by the city, and that they positively evaluate the City's government. As has been the case in previous years, the topics that consistently receive a higher than average proportion of negative comments and ratings are the topics of growth, development and traffic. This year, as in years past, when open-ended follow-up questions were Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey 46 asked of respondents who replied negatively to ratings questions, the reasons given for the negative ratings were overwhelmingly related to growth and overcrowding. One positive note in this area is that opinions regarding both road conditions and traffic circulations posted significantly higher ratings than in recent years. Steps that the City has taken to open connector streets, the completion of some major road construction projects and continued communication about the reason for traffic delays have contributed to these higher ratings. Another area that continues to receive positive ratings from citizens is the way the City communicates with its residents. Communication by the City is consistently rated high and this year respondents positively evaluated their use of the City's web site to find needed information. The City's employees also received high marks for the level of customer service that they display when working with citizens. The City should continue to exploit these tools that are working well, as increased communication (especially on difficult subjects) continues to be on of the City's most effective tools. Prepared by Social and Behavioral Research Institute, Cat State San Marcos 12/17/2006 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A1 City of Carlsbad 2006 Public Opinion Survey SQHELLO Hello, my name is and I'm calling on behalf of the City of Carlsbad from the SBRI survey lab at Cal State University San Marcos. We're talking to Carlsbad residents to get their opinions on City services and we'd like to include your opinions. 1. TO CONTINUE WITH INTERVIEW QINTRO1 Are you one of the primary decision makers in your home, and at least 18 years of age? {IF NOT, ASK FOR THE MALE/FEMALE HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD} 1. TO CONTINUE WITH INTERVIEW SHELLO2 The interview will take about fifteen to twenty minutes and your participation is voluntary. The answers you give will be kept strictly confidential and you may stop the interview at any time. I am also required to let you know that this call may be monitored for quality control purposes. May we continue? 1. TO CONTINUE WITH INTERVIEW QAREA1 Are you currently a resident of Carlsbad? QAREA2 O.No l.Yes 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED [SKIPTO CLOSE] [SKIPTO CLOSE] [SKIPTO CLOSE] First, to be sure that you live in our study area, what is your zip code? [DO NOT READ] 1. 92008 2.92009 3.92010 4.92011 5. OTHER [Specify: ] [SKIPTO NOTQUAL3] 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED [SKIPTO CLOSE] [SKIPTO CLOSE] 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A2 QAREA3 To be sure we talk to people from all areas of Carlsbad, do you live east or west of El Camino Real? LEAST 2. WEST 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QAREA4 Do you live north or south of Palomar Airport Road? 1. NORTH 2. SOUTH 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QWORK2 Do you currently work for pay or own a business? 0. NO [SKIPTO TCHAD] LYES 8. DON'T KNOW [SKIPTO TCBAD] 9. REFUSED [SKIPTO TCBAD] Q WORKS Is your job or business located in the City of Carlsbad? O.NO LYES 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED TCBAD My first few questions ask about your general impressions of Carlsbad. [PRESS C TO CONTINUE] 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A3 QCB AD 1 What do you like most about living in the City of Carlsbad? TOO NOT READ ANSWER CHOICES] [CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY] 1. THE BEACH/OCEAN 2. QUIET SMALL TOWN/VILLAGE FEEL 3. WEATHER/CLIMATE 4. LIKE THE COMMUNITY/PEOPLE 5. CITY GOVERNEMENT/PLANNING/SERVICES 6. BEAUTIFUL/CLEAN 7. LOCATION 8. CONVENIENCE OF STORES/ENTERTAINMENT 9. TRAILS/PARKS/RECREATION 10. SCHOOLS 11. OTHER 12. DON'T KNOW 13. REFUSED 14. NO MORE ANSWERS QCBAD2 What is your biggest concern regarding the City of Carlsbad? TOO NOT READ ANSWER CHOICES] [CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY] 1. GROWTH/OVERCROWDING 2. TRAFFIC 3. GOVERNMENT PLANNING & RESPONSIVENESS/POOR CITY SERVICES 4. COST OF LIVING/HOUSING 5. QUALITY & CROWDING OF SCHOOLS 6. OTHER 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QGENSRV In general how would you rate the overall services provided by the City? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey QSERV1 How would you rate: Recreational programs? A4 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED skip to QSERV2 skip to QSERV2 skip to QSERV2 skip to QSERV2 skip to QSERV2 QSERV1P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated recreational programs as poor? QSERV2 How would you rate: Library services? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED skip to QSERV3 skip to QSERV3 skip to QSERV3 skip to QSERV3 skip to QSERV3 QSERV2P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated library services as poor? QSERV3 [HOW WOULD YOU RATE] fire protection? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED skip to QSERV4 skip to QSERV4 skip to QSERV4 skip to QSERV4 skip to QSERV4 QSERV3P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated FIRE PROTECTION as poor? QSERV4 [HOW WOULD YOU RATE] police services? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED skip to QSERV6 skip to QSERV6 skip to QSERV6 skip to QSERV6 skip to QSERV6 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A5 QSERV4P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated POLICE SERVICES as poor? QPRKRATE How would you rate the condition of the park/s you or your family use? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QPRKRTP [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated parks as poor? QSERV9 How would you rate: Paramedic services? 4. Excellent -> skip to TSERVICE 3. Good -»skip to TSERVICE 2. Fair -» skip to TSERVICE l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW -> skip to TSERVICE 9. REFUSED -* skip to TSERVICE QSERV9P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated Paramedic services as poor? [RANDOMLYADMINISTER THE FOLLOWING TRANSITION STATEMENT TO HALF THE RESPONDENTS] TSERVICE The City of Carlsbad receives a number of services from outside agencies. Please rate each of the following services as excellent, good, fair, or poor. [PRESS C TO CONTINUE] QOUTSRV1 How would you rate trash collection? 4. Excellent -» skip to QOUTSRV3 3. Good -» skip to QOUTSRV3 2. Fair -» skip to QOUTSRV3 l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW -> skip to QOUTSRV3 9. REFUSED -> skip to QOUTSRV3 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A6 QOUTSV1P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated TRASH COLLECTION as poor? QOUTSRV3 [HOW WOULD YOU RATE] household hazardous waste disposal? [IF RESPONDENT DOES NOT USE THIS SERVICE, PLEASE ENTER "8" FOR DON'T KNOW] 4. Excellent -»• skip to QOUTSRV5 3. Good -». skip to QOUTSRV5 2. Fair -» skip to QOUTSRV5 l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW -» skip to QOUTSRV5 9. REFUSED -»• skip to QOUTSRV5 QOUTSV3P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL as poor? QOUTSRV5 [HOW WOULD YOU RATE] recycling collection? 4. Excellent -» skip to TSTREET 3. Good -» skip to TSTREET 2. Fair -> skip to TSTREET l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW -> skip to TSTREET 9. REFUSED -». skip to TSTREET QOUTSV5P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated RECYCLING COLLECTION SERVICES as poor? TSTREET The next few questions have to do with traffic and road maintenance in Carlsbad. Please rate the condition of each of the following items as excellent, good, fair, or poor. QSTREET1 How would you rate: Overall road conditions? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QSTRT1P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated OVERALL ROAD CONDITIONS as poor? 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A7 QMAIN1 How would you rate: Maintenance of street landscaping and medians? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QMAIN1P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated MAINTENANCE OF STREET LANDSCAPING AND MEDIANS as poor? QMAIN5 How would you rate: Curb and sidewalk conditions? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QMAIN5P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated CURB AND SIDEWALK CONDITIONS as poor? QSTREET5 How would you rate: Traffic circulation efficiency, excluding freeways? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QSTRT5P [If "poor"] is there a specific reason why you rated TRAFFIC CIRCULATION EFFICIENCY as poor? 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A8 TCOMUT [ASK IF QWORK1 = YES] Now I have a few questions about your commute. QCOMUT1 During the past year, which of the following ways have you used to get to work from home? Did you... [SELECT ALL THAT APPLY] 1. Drive alone, 2. Carpool, 3. Use public transportation [BUS, TRAIN, TROLLEY], 4. Bicycle, 5. Walk or 6. Work at home 7. OTHER [SPECIFY] 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QCOMUT2 How do you get to work from home, on most days? 1. DRIVE ALONE, 2. CARPOOL, 3. USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION [BUS, TRAIN, TROLLEY] 4. BICYCLE, 5. WALK 6. WORK AT HOME 7. OTHER [SPECIFY] 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED TWHYP Next I would like to ask you to rate some reasons for using Carlsbad parks, according to their importance to you. As I tell you each reason, please rate each reason on a scale of zero to ten, where zero means it is NOT IMPORTANT and ten means it is VERY IMPORTANT to you. QWHYP1 How important are rest, relaxation and open space to you, as a reason for visiting Carlsbad parks? [0= NOT IMPORTANT 10= VERY IMPORTANT] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A9 QWHYP3 [HOW IMPORTANT ARE] attending entertainment events and social gatherings [TO YOU, AS A REASON FOR VISITING CARLSBAD PARKS]? [0= NOT IMPORTANT 10= VERY IMPORTANT] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QWELL Thinking overall about recreational programs and facilities in Carlsbad, using a scale of 0 to 10 where zero means not at all well and ten means very well, how well do you think the City of Carlsbad promotes health and wellness through its recreational programs and facilities? [0= NOT WELL AT ALL 10= VERY WELL] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED TSPND The next few questions have to do with how you purchase goods and services - specifically whether you make these purchases in Carlsbad or someplace else. I'm going to list several spending categories. For these questions, please tell me what percentage of your spending would be in Carlsbad. The first item is... [RANDOMIZE] QSPND1 Clothing [WHAT PERCENTAGE WOULD YOU NORMALLY SPEND IN CARLSBAD?] [ENTER 0-100] 998. DON'T KNOW 999. REFUSED QSPND2 Home improvement items [WHAT PERCENTAGE WOULD YOU NORMALLY SPEND IN CARLSBAD?] [ENTER 0-100] 998. DON'T KNOW 999. REFUSED QSPND3 Groceries [WHAT PERCENTAGE WOULD YOU NORMALLY SPEND IN CARLSBAD?] [ENTER 0-100] 998. DON'T KNOW 999. REFUSED 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A10 QSPND4 Dining out [WHAT PERCENTAGE WOULD YOU NORMALLY SPEND IN CARLSBAD?] [ENTER 0-100] 998. DON'T KNOW 999. REFUSED QSPND6 Entertainment [MOVIES, PLAYS, LIVE MUSIC, ETC.] [WHAT PERCENTAGE WOULD YOU NORMALLY SPEND IN CARLSBAD?] [ENTER 0-100] 998. DON'T KNOW 999. REFUSED TENT Next I have a few questions about entertainment - namely some of the types of entertainment that you might enjoy. I'm going to read a list of types of entertainment. For each item that I read, please tell me if you have ever traveled outside of Carlsbad to experience this type of entertainment. The first one is... [RANDOMIZE] QENT1 Nationally-known musical acts. O.NO LYES 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED [REPEAT ANSWER CHOICES FOR ALL QENT QUESTIONS] QENT2 Foreign or art house films. QENT3 Music, dance or theater productions in which your family or neighbors were performers. QENT4 Local musical groups that you can dance to. QENT5 Professional-quality theater or dance. QENT6 Professional-quality j azz or symphonic music. QENT7 Art exhibits or displays. QENT8 Stand-up comedy. QENT9 Ethnic culture fairs. 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A11 QENTX [SHOW ALL ITEMS THAT RESPONDENT ANSWERED YES FROM QENT1 TO QENT9] Here is a list of all the types of entertainment you said you visited outside of Carlsbad. Please tell me your favorite out of all of these. TLAND Now I have a few questions for you about development and land use. QLAND One of the tasks of city government is to balance various land uses in the city - uses such as residential, commercial, industrial and recreational. On a scale from zero to ten, where zero means very poor and ten means excellent, how would you rate the job the City of Carlsbad is doing in balancing the various land uses in the city? [RANDOMLY INCLUDE OR EXCLUDE "industrial" and TRACK CONDITION IN SEPARATE FIELD] [0= POOR 10= EXCELLENT] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QLAND2 TDEV QDEV1 QDEV1E QDEV1P TVILL2 [IF QLAND < 4] What could the City do to improve your rating on this issue? We are interested in your opinions about development in the City of Carlsbad in terms of architecture, traffic patterns, site layout, landscaping, and recreational and open spaces. How would you rate the overall quality of the development in Carlsbad in the last three years? 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED [SKIP TO QDEV1E] [SKIP TO QDEVIMP] [SKIP TO QDEVIMP] [SKIP TO QDEV1P] [SKIP TO QDEVIMP] [SKIP TO QDEVIMP] What is it about the development that leads you to rate the quality of the development as Excellent? (open end) [SKIP TO QDEVIMP] What is it about the development that leads you to rate the quality of the development as Poor? (open end) The next several questions cover a variety of additional topics about the City of Carlsbad. 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A12 QVIL1 QPOLL1 QPOLL3 TSAFE QSAFE1 QSAFE2 How often do you visit the Downtown Village Area of Carlsbad? 1. Every day 2. Once a week or more 3. Once a month or more 4. A few times each year 5. Once a year 6. Never 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED During the past year, have you seen or heard any information about how residents can prevent the pollution of our creeks, lagoons and ocean? 0. No 1. Yes 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED [SKIP TO TSAFE] [SKIP TO TSAFE] [SKIP TO TSAFE] Have you personally done anything in the past year to reduce the amount of pollution of our creeks, lagoons and ocean? [IF SO...] What have you done? [SELECT ALL THAT APPLY] 1. DID NOTHING 2. PROPERLY DISPOSED OF HAZARDOUS WASTE 3. USED ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY SOAPS, PESTICIDES, ETC. 4. CLEANED UP ANIMAL WASTE 5. USED A COMMERCIAL CAR WASH 6. CLEANED UP TRASH AT BEACH, ROADSIDE, ETC. 7. OTHER 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED 10. NO MORE ANSWERS The next few questions have to do with neighborhood safety and police services. For each question, please use a scale of 0 to 10 where zero means not at all safe and ten means very safe. How safe do you feel walking alone in your neighborhood during the day? Rating How safe do you feel walking alone hi your neighborhood after dark? Rating 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A13 TRAT Now I have a few statements about Carlsbad City Government. Please rate each statement on a scale of zero to ten, where zero means you totally disagree and ten means you totally agree with the statement. [These items would be randomized] [Last asked in 2004] QRAT1 I receive good value for the local taxes I pay. [0 = TO ALL Y DISAGREE 10= TO ALL Y AGREE] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QRAT2 The City of Carlsbad welcomes citizen involvement. [0 = TO ALLY DISAGREE 10- TOALLY AGREE] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QRAT3 The City of Carlsbad listens to citizens. [0 = TOALLY DISAGREE 10= TOALLY AGREE] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QRAT4 I am pleased with the overall direction the City of Carlsbad is taking. [0 = TOALLY DISAGREE 10= TOALLY AGREE] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QRAT5 In general, I believe that the City of Carlsbad government is doing a good job. [0 = TOALLY DISAGREE 10= TOALLY AGREE] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QRATF [Ask if any of QRAT1 - QRAT5 are less than 4] Why did you disagree with the statement(s) about [show summary of statement (s)]? 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A14 QCONTCT3 In the past year, did you have any contact with employees of the City of Carlsbad as they carried out their job? 0. NO [SKIPTO QCITINF2] LYES 8. DON'T KNOW [SKIPTO QCITINF2] 9. REFUSED [SKIPTO QCITINF2] QCONTCT2 We would like to find out more about the contact you have had with City staff. Which of the following ways did you have contact with the City or City staff? Was it... [SELECT ALL THAT APPLY] 1. By telephone, 2. By letter or other written correspondence, 3. By e-mail, 4. Face-to-face, individually, 5. As part of a group, or 6. Some other way? [SPECIFY] 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QCONTCT4 How would you rate the level of customer service you experienced in your interactions with City staff? Would you rate it as... 4. Excellent 3. Good 2. Fair l.Poor 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QCCONT4P [If QCONTCT4 = 1 ] is there a specific reason why you rated the City's customer service as poor? QCITINF2 Using a scale of zero to ten where zero means POOR and ten means EXCELLENT, how would you rate the job the city does in providing you with information that is important to you? [0= POOR 10- EXCELLENT] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QCITIN2P [If QCITINF2 < 4] is there a specific reason why you rated the City's information delivery as poor? 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A15 QCWEB1 Have you accessed the City's website in the past year to find information about the City? O.No l.Yes 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED [SKIPTO QCITINF4] [SKIPTO QCITINF4] [SKIPTO QCITINF4] QCWEB2 Did you find what you were looking for on the city's website? O.No l.Yes 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED QCWEB3 What type of information were you looking for? (open end) QCITINF4 What types or topics of information would you like to receive from the City? (open end) QCITINF3 Using a scale of zero to ten where zero means NOT AT ALL CONFIDENT and ten means VERY CONFIDENT, how would you rate your level of confidence that the information you get from the City is accurate? [0= NOT AT ALL CONFIDENT 10= VERY CONFIDENT] 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QCITIN3P [If QCITINF3 < 4] is there a specific reason why your confidence in the City's information is so low? QCONFID3 On a scale of zero to ten, where zero means NOT AT ALL CONFIDENT and ten means VERY CONFIDENT, how confident are you in the Carlsbad City government to make decisions which positively affect the lives of its community members? Rating IF ((QCONFID3 > 8) & (QCONFID3 < 98)) SKP QCONHIGH IF ((QCONFID3 < 9) & (QCONFID3 > 3)) SKP TDEMO 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A16 QCONLOW Is there a specific reason why your rating for confidence in city government was so low? (open end) 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QCONHIGH Is there a specific reason why your rating for confidence in city government was so high? (open end) 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED TDEMO And now a few final questions, for classification purposes only. DEMO1 How many years have you lived in Carlsbad? (open end) DEMO2 Do you own or rent your home? 0. RENT 1. OWN 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED DEMOS How many people currently reside in your household, including yourself? (open end) 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED DEMO4 DEMO7 DEMOS [IF 1 SKIPTO QDEMO7] How many children under the age of 18 do you have in your household? (open end) 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED [IF QWORK2 IS "YES"] Earlier you said that you worked for pay or owned a business. On average, how many miles do you travel, one way, to get to where you work? MILES 998. DON'T KNOW 999. REFUSED Including yourself, how many adults in your household work outside of the home? (open end) 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED [IF 0 SKIPTO QAGE] 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A17 DEMO6 How many of those who work outside the home work outside of the City of Carlsbad? (open end) 98. DON'T KNOW 99. REFUSED QAGE In what year were you born? QRACE What race do you consider yourself to be? 1. White/Caucasian 2. African American or Black 3. Asian 4. American Indian, Aleut, Eskimo 5. Hispanic or Latino 6. Other [Specify] 8. DON'T KNOW 9. REFUSED Q STREET One of the ways that we will present the results of this study is to compare the answers given by people in different neighborhoods. So that we can do this, could you tell me the name of the street that you live on? QSTREETA Is that a street, road, avenue, or something else? QXSTREET And what is the nearest cross street? QXSTRET2 Is that a street, road, avenue, or something else? 2006 City of Carlsbad Public Opinion Survey A18 QINCOME Please stop me when I reach the category that best describes your household's total income last year before taxes? 1. Under $25,000 2. $25,000 to under $35,000 3. $35,000 to under $50,000 4. $50,000 to under $75,000 5. $75,000 to under $100,000 6. $100,000 to under $125,000 7. $125,000 to under $150,000 8. $150,000 to under $200,000 9. $200,000 and above X. DON'T KNOW Y. REFUSED QCOMMENT Do you have any additional comments you would like to make about any of the topics that we covered? QBYE Those are all the questions I have for you today. Thank you for your time and cooperation. Goodbye. GENDER RESPONDENT'S GENDER I.MALE 2. FEMALE QCOM [INTERVIEWER: PLEASE ADD ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE INTERVIEW] QCOOPER How cooperative was the respondent? QUNDR In general, how well did the respondent understand the questions? QATTEND How well was the respondent able to pay attention during the interview?