CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
July 16, 2024 {{section.number}}b
2024 CORONADO COMMUNITY SURVEY REPORT
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file the 2024 Coronado Community Survey Report.
BACKGROUND:
Since 2014, the City has proactively sought community feedback through a satisfaction survey soliciting resident input on community livability. The survey is an important tool to assist in identifying priorities that align with community feedback. The survey is developed by the National Research Center in collaboration with the International City/County Management Association and executed by Polco.
The National Community Survey (NCS) compares opinions from a random, statistically valid sample of residents on a variety of quality of life issues. The results of this scientific survey are then compared to a database of nearly 500 National Benchmark communities throughout the United States. The City has conducted the survey approximately every two years, with a gap between 2018 and 2021 due to COVID and a second gap between 2021 and 2024 to regain alignment with event numbered years. The survey was last administered in 2021.
ANALYSIS:
Survey Administration
The community survey opened March 5, 2024 and closed April 16, 2024. Of the 2,820 households that received an invitation to participate, 478 completed the survey, with an overall response rate of 17% and a margin of error of ±5%. Results are statistically weighted to reflect the existing demographics of the City of Coronado. The survey included standardized questions, with one customized question, to facilitate comparison to other benchmark communities.
In addition to the randomly selected sample of households, an open-participation survey was made available to the Coronado community via the City’s website. This survey was identical to the random sample survey, with two small updates: it asked respondents whether they are a resident of Coronado and how they had heard about the survey. The open-participation survey was available at the start of April for two weeks. A tab at the end of the online report provides the open-participation responses.
When looking at the survey results, it is important to understand that the scores provided throughout the report do not equate with typical letter grades, where a score of 75% would be considered a “C.” Rather, the evaluations shown for individual survey items represent the “percent positive” ratings provided for each—that is, the percentage of respondents who selected one of the top two most positive response options (e.g., “excellent” or “good”, “very safe” or “somewhat safe”, etc.), excluding neutral or negative responses.
Survey Summary Results
Overall, respondents said the City is a highly desirable and safe place to live, giving positive ratings to Coronado as a place to live and its overall quality of life. Of the 122 evaluative survey items, Coronado residents rated 84 items higher than the national average, 34 items similar, and 4 lower. This indicates widespread satisfaction with life in the community, while also highlighting a few specific areas where residents see opportunities for improvement.
Quality of Life
Please rate each of the following aspects of quality of life in Coronado. (% excellent or good)
Facets of Community Livability
The survey asks residents to rate the quality of ten different overall categories that cumulatively quantify quality of life within Coronado and compares those facets of livability to other benchmark communities. The chart below summarizes those category rankings. Coronado exceeds the national benchmarks on 8 out of 10 categories while presenting similar rankings in the remaining two categories.
Highest-performing areas
• Residents continued to enjoy a high quality of life in Coronado in 2024, with nearly all related evaluations, surpassing national comparison communities. • While still named a top priority for the community, safety ratings provided by residents were overwhelmingly positive.
• The city maintained above-average marks for survey items related to alternative transportation, including the ease of travel by bicycle, walking, and public transportation. • Assessments of community engagement opportunities trended upward over both 2021 and 2018 results.
Lowest-performing areas
• Nearly all survey items related to Coronado's utilities experienced significant declines from 2021 results, with the largest drops seen in:
o stormwater management
o sewer services
o power (electric and/or gas) utility
o utility billing
o overall quality of the utility infrastructure
• Water resources also received significantly less favorable evaluations this year. • Reviews for the ease of travel by car and ease of public parking in the community ranked below national averages.
• Results suggested a growing concern over affordability, showing notable declines in the cost of living and availability of affordable quality food.
Other notable results:
• When asked to share in their own words the single most important thing the City could do to improve their quality of life, 26% of residents indicated significant concern around cross border sewage impacting ocean access locally.
• Respondents also identified managing traffic and limiting traffic noise as an important focus area for the City.
Areas of greatest change since 2021:
When compared to results from Coronado’s community survey results from 2021, in 2024, 7 received ratings that were statistically significantly higher than the previous survey iteration, 78 received similar ratings, and 37 received lower ratings.
Most Notable Increases:
• Affordable high-speed internet access (+11%)
• Opportunities to attend special events and festivals (+10%) • Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds (+9%) • Opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities (+7%) • Opportunities to participate in social events and activities (+7%) • Opportunities to volunteer (+6%)
Most Notable Decreases:
• Stormwater management (storm drainage, dams, levees, etc.) (-38%) • Water resources (beaches, lakes, ponds, riverways, etc.) (-36%) • Overall quality of the utility infrastructure (water, sewer, storm water, electric/gas, broadband) (-27%)
• Sewer services (-20%)
• Power utility (-17%)
The full survey results are available on the City’s Project Coronado website at projectcoronado.org/community-survey-2024.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of the Community Survey was $31,400 and was included within the Fiscal Year 2023/2024 City Manager's Budget (10012201-8055).
ALTERNATIVE:
None.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT:
Not Applicable.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
No notice required.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Coronado Community Survey Report – Summary of Results Submitted By: City Manager's Office / Andrea McCullough