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Below is a memo from City Manager Richard C. Rossi to the Cambridge City Council Regarding 2014 City Survey Results and at the bottom is a link to 2014 Citizen Survey.
I am transmitting the results of the bi-annual City of Cambridge Citizen Telephone Survey for 2014. The survey was conducted over a two week period in September 2014. The statistically valid random telephone survey of residents has been conducted every two years since 2000 by Opinion Dynamics Corporation, a national public opinion research firm, based in Waltham MA. This is the first year that we have included cell phone responses.
While each survey provides a snapshot of public sentiment towards various issues in our city and insight into public services, the City focuses on both individual survey outcomes and long term trends. I am also enclosing a separate compilation of results that aggregates the percentage of responses of "Good or Excellent", and provides corresponding results for each survey since 2000.
Statewide research by Opinion Dynamics has shown a rise in pessimism in Massachusetts since our 2012 Citizen Survey, which included all time highs for positive ratings. This year's survey shows that the City continues to enjoy ratings that are above the norm for most municipal governments; however, our individual positive ratings in some categories are lower than they were two years ago. While we expect ebbs and flows in survey responses, the administration will be carefully examining this year's results and paying particular attention to any trends.
Affordable housing/housing was reported as the "single most important issue facing the City of Cambridge today" by 18% of respondents in this year's survey. This is up from 8% in 2012 and replaces education (10%) as the most important issue identified. Traffic/bikes, a new issue this year, was also identified as the "most important issue" by 10% of survey respondents.
Other new issues raised in the 2014 survey include development/overdevelopment (3%), construction (2%), climate change (2%), and parking (1%). Following trends of previous surveys, the percentage of citizens responding that taxes is the most important issue continued to drop and is now at 1%. Table 1 shows the full results of this open ended question and how current year responses compare to previous surveys.
| Sept. 2014 | Sept. 2012 | Sept. 2010 | Sept. 2008 | Sept. 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affordable Housing/Housing | 18% | 8% | 7% | 13% | 22% |
| Education | 10% | 14% | 13% | 23% | 19% |
| Traffic/Bikes | 10% | - | - | - | - |
| Crime/Public Safety | 7% | 8% | 11% | 10% | 4% |
| Homelessness/Poverty | 7% | 1% | 2% | 1% | - |
| Roads/Infrastructure | 5% | 6% | 7% | 7% | 7% |
| Development/Overdevelopment | 3% | - | - | - | - |
| Public Transportation | 3% | 3% | 4% | 1% | 1% |
| High Cost of Living | 3% | 2% | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Economy | 2% | 9% | 9% | 4% | 2% |
| Construction | 2% | - | - | - | - |
| Employment | 2% | 5% | 4% | - | - |
| Climate Change | 2% | - | - | - | - |
| Government/Politics/Politicians | 2% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 3% |
| Healthcare | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| Taxes | 1% | 2% | 3% | 5% | 11% |
| Green Space/Environmental Issues | 1% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Parking | 1% | - | - | - | - |
| None/Nothing | 7% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Other | 4% | 1% | 1% | 7% | 1% |
| Don't Know/Refused | 9% | 21% | 25% | 15% | 19% |
Compiled in Table 2 are the survey questions with "Excellent or Good" responses that exhibited the largest changes from the 2012 results, as well as the variance of "Excellent or Good" responses from the average of the previous 7 surveys.
| Question (Excellent/Good %) | +/- Change from 2012 | Variance (+/-) 7 Survey Average |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Services (62%) | +14 | +23 |
| Fire (Services) (93%) | +11 | +12 |
| Animal Control (79%) | +11 | +19 |
| Health & Hospitals (88%) | +8 | +15 |
| Sense of Community (78%) | +7 | +12 |
| Garbage Collection (86%) | +7 | +2 |
| Library Services (95%) | +7 | +16 |
| Sidewalk Maintenance (57%) | -9 | +2 |
| Street Maintenance & Cleanliness (64%) | -8 | +1 |
| Snow Plowing* (previously removal) (67%) | -8 | +5 |
| Ability to Get Around Town (80%) | -7 | 0 |
| Ability to Participate in Government (60%) | -6 | +4 |
| As a Place to Retire (61%) | -6 | +8 |
The City continues striving to meet the highest standards in level of service for residents and working to foster the sense of community that makes Cambridge a unique and special place to live, work, play and learn.
Link to 2014 Citizen Survey Results
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