City of Visalia 2022 Public Opinion Survey
City Council Meeting,July 18, 20221
•Chair: Frank Ruiz•Sub-Committee Chair Mark Wall•Volunteers: CAC CommitteeOnline Survey Conducted 5/1/2022 – 5/21/20222 Background: QuadrantsIn 2022 – 1,318 surveys receivedIn 2021 – 3,201 surveys receivedIn 2020 – 777 surveys receivedIn 2019 – 1,063 surveys received 3 Northeast18%24%Southeast36%Northwest22%Southwest
Northeast
Southeast
Northwest
Southwest
Survey DemographicsWho responded to the Survey?Where they live & how long have they been here? 40%20%40%60%80%100%120%2022 2021 2020Are you a registered voter?YesNo0%20%40%60%80%100%<2 2-5 6-10 10+How long have you lived in Visalia?2022202120200%20%40%60%80%100%2022 2021 2020Do you own or rent your home?OwnRentOther Age History of Respondents
517%13%15%40%42%58%43%45%27%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
2020 2021 2022
Percentage of Respondents per Year by Age18-3435-5455+
Preferred Method of CommunicationWhich social media platform do you primarily use?Which would be the best source for you to access City information? 6Social Media City Website Mail (PostalService)Email0%10%20%30%40%50%60%Which would be the best source for you to access City of Visalia information?20222021Facebook Twitter Instagram Other None0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%Which social media site do you primarily use?20222021 Quality Of LifeTaking all things into consideration, how would you rate the overall quality of life in Visalia? •87% of citizens view the quality of life as being average to very high compared to 89% in 2021 and 92% in 2020.72%11%48%34%5%2%9%49%35%5%1%7%43%42%7%0%10%20%30%40%50%60% Very Low Low Average High Very High202220212020
Quality Of Life – Cross Tabulation by AgeTaking all things into consideration, how would you rate the overall quality of life in Visalia? 81%12%53%31%4%2%12%49%33%4%2%10%43%39%6%0%10%20%30%40%50%60% Very Low Low Average High Very High
Quality of Life by Age Demographic18-3435-5455+
Quality Of Life – Cross Tabulation by IncomeTaking all things into consideration, how would you rate the overall quality of life in Visalia? 91%9%68%21%0%2%15%49%29%6%1%9%52%33%5%1%10%45%39%5%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80% Very Low Low Average High Very High
Quality of Life by Income Level$15K-$40K$40K-$70K$70K-$100K$100K+ Quality Of Life – Cross Tabulation by QuadrantTaking all things into consideration, how would you rate the overall quality of life in Visalia? 104%12%46%33%5%1%12%49%34%4%1%10%47%36%6%1%12%51%32%3%0%10%20%30%40%50%60% Very Low Low Average High Very HighNortheastSoutheastNorthwestSouthwest Quality Of Life – Insight•Older citizens rated their quality of life higher, especially when compared to the youngest demographic•The income statistics show that as income increased, so did the quality-of-life responses, except for the lowest income range which predominantly rated the quality of life as average.•When it came to quadrant comparison, this year the chart showed a more normal distribution with most responses being average to high. This was very similar to the previous year responses.11 How would you rate the City’s efforts in providing a safe community? 126%15%48%26%5%4%12%51%28%4%2%9%48%35%6%0%10%20%30%40%50%60% Very Low Low Average High Very High20222021202079% of respondents rated the Safety in Visalia as “average” or better as compared to 83% the previous year.
Safety Rating - Cross Tabulation by City QuadrantHow would you rate the City’s efforts in providing a safe community? 139%16%43%29%4%7%15%48%24%5%3%14%52%26%5%6%16%46%25%6%0%10%20%30%40%50%60% Very Low Low Average High Very High
Safety Rating by City QuadrantNortheastSoutheastNorthwestSouthwest Safety Rating - Cross Tabulation by IncomeHow would you rate the City’s efforts in providing a safe community? 141%13%75%8%3%9%19%39%29%4%5%11%55%26%3%5%12%48%27%8%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80% Very Low Low Average High Very High
Safety Rating by Income level$15K-$40K$40K-$70K$70K-$100K$100K+ •Comparing city quadrants, all parts of the City had responses that were evenly distributed. •Respondents with income levels of $40K and above all rated the Safety rating as “average” to “high”•This year’s lowest income level respondents rated the City’s Safety rating as “average” more than any of the past years. Only 11% of this income group rated the safety of the City as “high” or “very high.”15 Police ServicesHow would you rate the police service you received?Of the 32% of respondents that had police contact:
60% rated police services High or Very High, compared to 59% previous year167%9%23%32%29%6%10%25%31%28%4%10%24%30%31%0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35% Very Low Low Average High Very High202220212020
Police Services by City QuadrantHow would you rate the police service you received?Of the 32% of respondents that had police contact:
170%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%
Very Low Low Average High Very HighNortheastSoutheastNorthwestSouthwestPoly. (Northeast)Poly. (Southeast)Poly. (Northwest)Poly. (Southwest) Police Services Takeaways
18 •As it has in previous years, police services has rated average to very high. This year, respondents tended to rate police services higher in general.•Compared to the previous two years, the Northeast section of town rated police services much more favorably.•The trendlines also showed unity in the way police services were rated as all quadrants of the City tended to respond in the same manner.
Fire ServicesHow would you rate the fire service you received?Of the 12.5% of respondents that had Fire contact:
88% rated fire services High or Very High compared to 78% previous year191%2%9%25%63%3%3%15%32%46%1%2%16%26%56%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70% Very Low Low Average High Very High202220212020
Fire Services by City QuadrantHow would you rate the fire service you received?Of the 12.5% of respondents that had Fire contact:
20-20%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Very Low Low Average High Very HighNortheastSoutheastNorthwestSouthwestPoly. (Northeast)Poly. (Southeast)Poly. (Northwest)Poly. (Southwest) •Fire services continued to rate high to very high across the city.•Fire services received the highest ratings from the Northeast quadrant than all previous years.21 Quality of ServicesWhat do you consider the most essential City services besides Police and Fire departments? Road Maintenance is once again the main concern. Those that responded “Other,” primarily mentioned public safety and homeless cleanup as their main concerns in open ended responses.2247%12%17%13%10%52%11%18%8%11%60%11%22%7%0%0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%Road MaintenancePark MaintenanceTraffic Signs & SignalsRecreation ActivitiesOther202020212022 Quality of Services – Age Comparison
23 43%21%20%16%Ages 18-34Road Mtc.Park Mtc.Traffic SignalsRecreation50%14%18%18%Ages 35-54Road Mtc.Park Mtc.Traffic SignalsRecreation59%10%21%10%Ages 55+Road Mtc.Park Mtc.Traffic SignalsRecreation •Road Maintenance and Traffic Signs and Signals were still highest on the priority list for citizens, especially for the oldest age groups.•Open ended responses pointed to the following: •Homelessness•Trash (as related to homelessness)•Open spaces•Growth / Urban Planning24 City V enue Usage 2020How many times have you attended the following Venues in the past year? 25 City V enue Usage 2021How many times have you attended the following Venues in the past year? 2620%52%42%5%20%34%22%12%13%6%11%14%47%4%22%67%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
City Parks Convention Center City Trails Downtown VisaliaNone1 to 2 times3 to 4 times5 or more How would you rate the following services in Visalia?
Note: Some responses came back as “not observed.”270.00%10.00%20.00%30.00%40.00%50.00%60.00%70.00%80.00%How would you rate the following services in Visalia?PoorAverageExcellent Takeaways from City Services Ratings•Services that were rated the highest were Police, Fire, Private Ambulance, and Solid Waste Collection.•Services that were rated mostly average were, Bus Services, Community Services for Seniors, and Services for People with Disabilities.•City Road Maintenance and Traffic Management were the only two categories that received a higher amount of “poor” responses versus “excellent.”28 The City is going to build a new Sports Park. What recreational activities would you like to see?New question 1:
29 What amenities would you like to see in Visalia?New question 2:
30 Do you think that Visalia should have a Public Swim Complex?New question 3:
31 Visual representation of open-ended comments on what citizens felt was the most important item for the City to work on:
32 Major Takeaways from Open Ended Comments•Homelessness is still an unsolved problem•Drug crime and gangs were mentioned frequently.•Some other responses that came up often were roads, traffic and safety.33 Questions & Answers
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