2007 Citizen Survey Quick Facts

Download the Final Report (PDF, 888 KB) and the accompanying GIS maps (PDF, 2.1 MB)

Related: View the 2011 Citizen Survey

Introduction

In the spring of 2007, the City conducted a survey of residents to assess satisfaction with the quality of City services and to gather input about priorities for the community.

The survey was part of ongoing efforts to continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services the City provides.

The survey was conducted by ETC Institute, a firm with twenty-five years of experience and more than 300 clients.

The survey was mailed to 2,500 randomly selected Lawrence households. Residents were also given the opportunity to respond to the survey by phone.

Response Rate

Of the households that received a survey, a total of 1,168 responses were received, for a response rate of 47%.

Confidence and Precision

The results for a random sample of 1168 households have a 95% level of confidence with a precision of at least +/- 2.9%. In other words, if the survey was conducted 100 times, ninety-five times the results would be the same or within 2.9%.

Overall Satisfaction

Seventy-two percent (72%) of residents were satisfied with the overall quality of City services they receive. This exceeds the national average of only sixty-two percent (62%) of residents satisfied overall.

When rating City services overall, residents rated several areas received very high.

  • 90% satisfied with fire and emergency medical services
  • 86% satisfied with trash and yard waste services
  • 85% satisfied with parks and recreation services
  • 79% satisfied with police services
  • 73% satisfied with water and wastewater services

Major City services for which residents reported less satisfaction included:

  • 29% satisfied with maintenance of City streets/infrastructure
  • 32% satisfied with traffic flow and congestion management
  • 32% satisfied with quality of planning and development services

Quality of life. Eighty-four percent (84%) of Lawrence residents were satisfied with their overall quality of life. This significantly exceeds the national average of 71% of residents.

Areas of Increased Emphasis. Residents were asked to rank the areas that should receive increased emphasis from City leaders over the next two years. The top three areas are shown.

Usage of City Services

Residents were asked to report if they used the following City services in the past twelve months.

  • Visited City library – 75%
  • Visited Facility – 71%
  • Assisted by Police – 34%
  • Used Public Transit – 17%
  • Assisted by Fire Medical services – 17%

Customer Service

Forty-two percent(42%) of residents reported contacting the City with a question, problem, or complaint in the past twelve months.

Of those who had contact with the City, the majority were satisfied with the customer service they received.

  • 87% said City employees were courteous and polite
  • 87% said City employees were professional
  • 74% said City employees were responsive

Public Safety

Most residents reported satisfaction with public safety services.

  • 96% felt safe during the day in their neighborhood
  • 89% felt safe during the day in City parks
  • 56% satisfied with frequency the police officers patrol their neighborhood
  • 53% satisfied with enforcement of traffic laws
  • 89% satisfied with response time of emergency medical response personnel

Water and Wastewater

Residents reported satisfaction in a number of areas related to water and wastewater services.

  • 88% satisfied with reliability of water service
  • 82% satisfied with water pressure in their home
  • 72% satisfied with clarity of drinking water

Solid Waste Disposal

Residents reported high satisfaction with solid waste services.

  • 91% satisfied with residential trash collection
  • 86% satisfied with yard waste collection
  • 50% satisfied with City drop-off recycling sites

Parks and Recreation

Residents were also satisfied with a number of parks and recreation services.

  • 88% satisfied with appearance and cleanliness of parks
  • 81% satisfied with condition of equipment at parks
  • 78% satisfied with indoor aquatic facility

Transportation

Residents were less satisfied with transportation related services.

  • 49% satisfied with ease of north / south travel
  • 47% satisfied with availability of pedestrian paths
  • 28% satisfied with ease of east / west travel

Maintenance and Public Works

Residents reported mixed feelings about maintenance services.

  • 76% satisfied with snow removal on major streets
  • 72% satisfied with maintenance of street signs
  • 56% satisfied with adequacy of street lighting
  • 28% satisfied with timeliness of street maintenance repairs