Why Conduct A Survey:
1. Obtain Citizen and Consumer Feedback – Local officials and attorneys who wish to measure public opinion need the precision of a well executed survey.
Attorneys can validate plaintiff claims regarding the likelihood of public confusion over trade names, as well as which terms and messages are most persuasive with potential jurors.
2. Improve Performance – The best way to encourage good performance is to assess it. One of the better indicators of how well services are being delivered is a resident satisfaction survey.
Surveys can also serve like warning lights on a car's dashboard – alerting the city agencies to non-obvious problems which, if caught early, can avoid costly "repairs" down the road.
Surveys can also be used to measure public support for revenue enhancement measures.
3. Plan for the Future – A survey is a snapshot of a moving train. The initial survey establishes a benchmark from which future progress – measured by subsequent surveys – can be gauged. See our "importance-satisfaction" matrix.
4. Good Management – Survey results help the city set budget priorities and allocate resources more efficiently.
5. Generate Discussion – Citizens appreciate that city leaders are interested in their opinions. By reading the results in the local newspaper or on the city's website, citizens can also find out what other residents think.
Survey results are often discussed in service clubs and in other venues, such as the local diner or barber shop. Such a discussion can generate the consensus needed to resolve difficult policy issues.
See "Using Citizen Surveys to Restore Trust in Local Government" in Western City Magazine (January, 2007)
1. Obtain Citizen and Consumer Feedback – Local officials and attorneys who wish to measure public opinion need the precision of a well executed survey.
Attorneys can validate plaintiff claims regarding the likelihood of public confusion over trade names, as well as which terms and messages are most persuasive with potential jurors.
2. Improve Performance – The best way to encourage good performance is to assess it. One of the better indicators of how well services are being delivered is a resident satisfaction survey.
Surveys can also serve like warning lights on a car's dashboard – alerting the city agencies to non-obvious problems which, if caught early, can avoid costly "repairs" down the road.
Surveys can also be used to measure public support for revenue enhancement measures.
3. Plan for the Future – A survey is a snapshot of a moving train. The initial survey establishes a benchmark from which future progress – measured by subsequent surveys – can be gauged. See our "importance-satisfaction" matrix.
4. Good Management – Survey results help the city set budget priorities and allocate resources more efficiently.
5. Generate Discussion – Citizens appreciate that city leaders are interested in their opinions. By reading the results in the local newspaper or on the city's website, citizens can also find out what other residents think.
Survey results are often discussed in service clubs and in other venues, such as the local diner or barber shop. Such a discussion can generate the consensus needed to resolve difficult policy issues.
See "Using Citizen Surveys to Restore Trust in Local Government" in Western City Magazine (January, 2007)
