Sunday, April 27, 2008

Talking Around the Questions

Preliminary results. Raw data. Tabulations. Draft copies. The long awaited community priorities survey is in, but judging from the volume of information and the myriad of ways in which it could be interpreted or spun, it looks like the effort to decipher public opinion has just begun.

We have written before about the distinction between the "scientifically valid" random phone survey and the not so reliable self-selecting on-line survey. Judging from what we've heard and seen we can be confident that the on-line survey has no value from a numerical perspective, as several sources have reported taking the survey multiple times by simply disabling cookies or by using a different IP address. And quite frankly, based on the wording of some of the phone survey questions, we have to wonder about that one as well.

Only one thing appears to be certain, and that is that there will surely be some creative attempts by Winslow Way Streetscape supporters to explain how citizens voting for "safe and efficient utilities" and "maintaining existing roads" were expressing support for the Streetscape despite their low ranking of "downtown planning" and the prevalence of road maintenance and utilities issues Island-wide.

Interested citizens might want to arm themselves with the actual data generated by the two surveys in preparation for their formal presentation to Council and subsequent press. The basic results of both surveys are available as attachments to the upcoming City Council agenda for the April 30th special meeting. However, what is not included are the narrative portions of the on-line survey. Fortunately, a friend of the PostScript forwarded those results to us. We have uploaded a reformatted copy of the first narrative question "What are the top three hopes/desires or issues (if any) about local government that concern you?" It might seem hypocritical to disparage the on-line survey in one breath and in another offer the results, but throwing out the numerical value of the survey need not negate to value of reading the unedited concerns and of Island residents. The proportions may be off, but the flavor is still there.

Go here for the on-line data and here for the phone data that are attached to this weeks Council agenda. For narrative answers we have uploaded the following survey questions:

To read responses to the question of why respondents answered as they did to the question "How would you rate the quality of life on Bainbridge Island now?" (question #3) go here.

To read responses to the question of why respondents answered as they did to the question of "Thinking ahead five years from now, how would you rate the quality of life on Bainbridge Island?" (question #5) go here.

To read responses to the first time (question #1) survey takers were asked "What are the top three hopes/desires or issues (if any) about local government that concern you?" go here.

To read responses to the second time (question #30) survey takers were asked "What are the top three hopes/desires or issues (if any) about local government that concern you?" go here.

To read responses to the question of why respondents chose the two issues they believed jeopardize quality of life on the Island (question #7) go here.

To read responses to the question inviting comments on zoning and planning (question # 9) go here.

To read responses to the question inviting comments on City infrastructure (question # 17) go here.




(To post or read comments on this story click on 'COMMENTS' below)





4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are amazing. Just when I'd begun to hunt on-line for the data, you've offered it here. Thank you, especially for the essay results. I've begun checking the Postscript and the Notebook every day to stay up to date with what's going on in the City.

Anonymous said...

Many thanks for making this so easy. The city's web presentation of the data is very tough to read.

I'm trying to keep in mind that the web survey is just an opportunity for folks to vent. The more valid (process) phone survey was an eye opener. Nice to see the top three core values of the island are still in place.

Anonymous said...

Something is a little scary about this survey when you consider that Hilary Franz and Barry Peters put it together, both of whom seemed to have been drugged a kind of "Be Happy" attitude toward city finances.

mpetry912 said...

Thanks for your continued efforts on digesting the data and getting the word out about what the citizens want, what their elected officials are doing, and how to bring the latter to heel.

The top 5 priorities were water, water, bike lanes, bike lanes, and growth management.

The five top services for tax priority include: ensuring adequate water supply, protecting water quality in Bainbridge streams and shorelines, maintaining bike lanes and walk paths along major roads, and adding bike lanes and walking paths along major roads. The following services are tied for the fifth top tax priority spot: preserving open spaces and natural areas, providing services for residents in need, such as Helpline House, senior citizens assistance, health and youth services, and maintaining safe and efficient utilities.

I guess “using public tax dollars to enrich downtown landowners while demolishing streets and buildings” was further down the priorities list.

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, Wa