The Communications Department worked with the Kennesaw State University A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research to conduct the city’s third community survey of residents. The goal of the survey is to gauge residents' satisfaction levels with city services as well as gather feedback and insights on select issues and compare the new data and findings with previous community survey findings collected in 2013 and 2015.
Similar to previous community surveys conducted by the city, survey questions covered important topic areas including: Quality of Life; Public Trust; City Services; Community Events; Department Interaction; Community Communication, and Policy Issues.
The community survey was developed by the city staff and the team at Kennesaw State University A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research and was distributed to a representative sample of 6,000 residential addresses in the city. Participants visited a secure online survey site, open to invitees from the end of February through the first week in April 2018. When the survey closed usable data from 516 respondents had been obtained, resulting in a response rate of 9 percent. The margin of error for the sample was at ±4.3% at the 95% confidence level. The data and findings from the 2018 Community Survey are included in the attached 2018 Dunwoody Community Survey presentation and 2018 Community Survey Final Report.
The majority of the scores fell into a range between 3.50 and 4.00, representing generally good to very good perceptions of the issues under examination. Viewed in the aggregate, the main theme emerging from the results is “holding steady/consistently supportive, with areas for improvement.”
When
considering strengths of the City of Dunwoody, location, a safe community, police services, and parks were pointed out by survey respondents. Whereas,
traffic, streets and infrastructure, and transportation remain the top three weaknesses identified by the survey respondents.
Comparing the 2018 Community Survey responses with the previous years, 2013 and 2015, there were several key perception levels that were notably different. The services of the Police Department improved noticeably from 2013 and 2015 levels. Opinions of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department services had higher ratings compared to 2013 and 2015 responses as well. The customer service from the city’s employees was given higher ratings in all aspects by the survey respondents.
As a whole, Dunwoody residents provided positive features of the city in their evaluations. Areas that reflected top scores include several aspects of the customer service provided by the city employees, perceptions of the city as a good place to raise children, access to retail opportunities, selected perceptions of personal safety, and the importance of maintaining a balance between providing a healthy economic environment and maintaining the city’s character.
