2024 Rocky View County Citizen Satisfaction Survey Result Released
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Rocky View County conducted a citizen satisfaction survey with Leger from February to March, gathering insights from over 1300 respondents.
The 2024 Citizen Satisfaction Survey provides invaluable data that highlights the necessity for continued dialogue between Rocky View County and its residents. This ongoing conversation ensures that strategic objectives not only align with but also adapt to evolving community needs. By systematically comparing the current survey results with those from previous iterations in 2022 and 2023, the County effectively tracks trends and shifts in resident satisfaction, allowing for timely adjustments to strategies and policies.
Moreover, a detailed comparative analysis reveals that Rocky View County exceeds Alberta benchmarks in several critical areas. The County notably surpasses provincial averages in quality of life and the overall quality of programs and services, demonstrating strong performance in fundamental aspects that affect daily resident life. However, the survey also identifies areas requiring focused improvement. Specifically, Rocky View County aligns with provincial averages in public engagement opportunities but falls below benchmarks in bylaw enforcement, planning services, fire services, and perceived value for taxation.
The survey revealed high satisfaction (88%) with quality of life, engagement with County staff (60%), and positive sentiments about living in RVC (79% would recommend living there, 76% proud, and 76% see it as a great place for families). Satisfaction with County services has improved, notably in communication and public engagement. However, residents seek more information, especially about future plans and development, expressing concerns about overdevelopment and wanting greater transparency in planning. There's a disconnect between residents' feedback and County actions, with many feeling unheard despite high engagement levels. Direct communication is preferred for sharing important information. Addressing transparency, planning, and overdevelopment concerns could enhance resident satisfaction and engagement with Rocky View County.
Summary of Conclusions:
QUALITY OF LIFE
- Most residents (88%) feel they have a good/very good quality of life in Rocky View County and two-thirds (64%) indicate their quality of life has stayed the same within the past 3 years.
- Among those who feel their quality of life improved (11%), having a good lifestyle/country living was the top reason (21%). Among those who feel their quality has worsened, the top reason was overdevelopment/urban sprawl (32%). This has significantly increased since 2022, Preserving the feeling of country life and controlling development and how it is perceived will likely be important in the coming years to ensure residents’ quality of life remains positive.
- Residents in Divisions 1, 2, 3, and 4 are significantly more likely to rate their overall quality of life as good/very good compared to those living in Divisions 5, 6, and 7.
PERCEPTIONS OF COUNTY AND COMMUNITY
- Resident perceptions of living in Rocky View County are quite positive, although there could be an opportunity for the County to inform the residents more of their plan for the future.
- A majority of residents would recommend Rocky View County as a place to live (79%) and are proud to live there (77%).
- Residents' agreement with RVC having a healthy local economy (61%) has improved since 2022, albeit a lesser majority compared to the other top perceptions. Perceptions of RVC’s local economy could be influenced by residents’ lesser agreement that RVC is planning for the future.
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
- Residents' level of satisfaction with the services and programs provided by Rocky View County has decreased since 2022. Residents are most satisfied with the overall level (i.e., how frequently, service response time frame) of services and programs (64%), followed by the quality (50%) and the amount provided (50%).
- Satisfaction is lowest with planning services (40%), road maintenance (20%), and traffic enforcement (27%).
- The top reason for being dissatisfied with planning is the planning for future growth and development/ land use policies (39%), this increased greatly since 2022, we see this trend throughout the report with residents speaking to a feeling of overdevelopment and the want to understand more about the plans for future growth and development.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- RVC’s communication has improved since 2022, more residents feel they get just the right amount of information (58%). RVC appears to be heading in the right direction and should continue to inform and share plans with residents, providing too much information, rather than too little, will likely keep residents happy.
- Ensuring information is available and easily accessible for new developments and construction in the area (87%), County service updates (78%), and Council decisions and meeting updates (76%), is recommended as these are the most important types of information to residents.
- Having both online and offline forms of communication is critical as one quarter (24%) of residents report having poor/very poor internet access.
RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT
- Since 2022, there have been improvements in public engagement perceptions among residents. Residents remain in agreement that they do provide feedback when there are issues (72%) and over half, agree they can voice their opinions (56%).
- Six in ten residents have had contact with Rocky View County staff and/or Council in the last 12 months, with planning concerns being the most common reason for their interaction.
- Residents feel unheard, they are providing feedback but only around three in ten agree the County takes public feedback into account when making decisions (36%) and that the County communicates how resident’s input affects decisions made (28%).
BENCHMARKS TO ALBERTA
- Rocky View County are above the Alberta benchmarks in most areas, including quality of life and overall quality of programs and services and many more.
- RVC are on par with public engagement opportunities and below for Bylaw enforcements, planning services, fire services and value for taxation.
Read full report here.
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