Residents think Galesburg is an excellent to good place to live, raise a family and retire. That’s according to a city satisfaction survey that gathered citizen feedback on the city programs, services and quality of life in Galesburg.
The survey was administered in July by ETC Institute via mail, phone, and online, with the goal of collecting at least 400 surveys. The goal was exceeded, with 433 residents completing the survey.
According to a city news release, ETC utilized a random sample to conduct the survey, designed to ensure the results would be statistically valid for the city. The demographics associated with the 433 surveys received indicate a proportional distribution, with a good representation of race, age, gender, location, and income that mirrors the U.S. Census Bureau statistics for Galesburg. This resulted in a survey that is highly representative of the entire population of Galesburg, with a margin of error for the survey of +/-4.7% at the 95% level of confidence.
Previously: Quality of city streets top priority from community survey results
The seven page survey contained 35 questions, including standardized questions utilized by ETC, which allowed for benchmarking against national and Plains Region averages. The Plains Region area includes North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Additional details, as well as the results of the benchmarking analysis, can be found in the survey report on the city’s website.
Additional questions were developed specifically by the City of Galesburg in order to gain insights on particular issues impacting the community, as well as gather baseline approval ratings for goals included in the recently developed Strategic Plan.
An importance Satisfaction (I-S) analysis was also conducted, which highlighted areas for improvement, with priorities based on areas of service where the level of satisfaction is relatively low, and the perceived importance of the service is relatively high. This priority ranking will assist city leaders as they continually work to responsibly utilize limited funding for the highest priority projects and services.
Key findings of the survey were:
- Residents think Galesburg is an excellent/good place to live, raise a family, and retire
- The quality of city streets are most important to residents
- Residents think property codes should be enforced more strictly
- Following national trends, the city’s efforts to prevent crime is most important to residents
- Use the importance-satisfaction analysis to guide priorities
- 62% of residents think the city should build or renovate a community/activity center and 33% of residents have been following the city’s efforts closely
According to the news release, the community survey results provide a great resource for city leaders to take an in-depth look at citizens’ thoughts and priorities for city services. Some reassuring trends were realized, as well as opportunities for improvement. City leaders will have the opportunity to conduct the community survey again in future years in order to track change. This will allow the city to set goals for improvements based on this first round of results and track measurable progress toward the achievement of those goals.
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More information can be found on the city’s website, including the full community survey findings report, community survey maps, and the ETC Institute presentation.
Galesburg 2022 Community Survey Findings Report by WGIL Radio on Scribd
Galesburg 2022 Community Survey Findings by WGIL Radio on Scribd
