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2018 National Citizen’s Survey Results

NEWS FROM O’FALLON CITY HALL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Posted on: October 26, 2018 - 3:30pm

O’Fallon, Illinois – The results of the 2018 National Citizen’s Survey are now available on the City’s website at https://www.ofallon.org/administration/pages/the-national-citizen-survey. The 2018 survey shows widespread satisfaction in the community: 91% of residents believe O’Fallon is a good place to live and 89% believe O’Fallon is a good place to raise children.

“The results of the survey are proof that O’Fallon is truly a great place to call home,” said Mayor Herb Roach. “The vision, guidance, and compassion shown by the O’Fallon City Council, City Staff, and every O’Fallon resident and business has made this the greatest community in the area.”

Drawing on the results of the survey, the National Research Center provided these conclusions:

  • Residents feel O’Fallon is a good place to live and raise children.
  • Residents enjoy a high quality of life and believe O’Fallon is a good place to live.
  • Citizens support the overall direction of O’Fallon.
  • Safety is a priority for residents.
  • Ratings for Recreation and Wellness are positive and moving in the right direction.
  • Economic Development is important to residents.

In the City’s continuing efforts to receive valuable input from our residents and to improve customer service, the National Citizen’s Survey was conducted beginning in July 2018. This was the sixth time since 2005 the National Citizen’s Survey was conducted in O’Fallon. This year, surveys were mailed to 1,500 randomly selected households. The survey received a 28% response rate, enough for a 95% level of confidence that this survey represents the true responses of the entire population of O’Fallon.

The survey was conducted by the National Research Center using the National Citizen Survey that has been conducted in more than 500 communities throughout the United States. Therefore, responses from O’Fallon residents were not only evaluated according to geographic location, change over time and community demographics, but also in comparison to responses from more than 200,000 residents who have taken the survey across the country.

Community Livability – In O’Fallon, 91% of participants rated the city as an excellent or good place to live. In addition to rating the city as a good place to live, respondents rated several aspects of community quality including O’Fallon as a place to raise children and to retire, their neighborhood as a place to live, the overall image or reputation of O’Fallon and its overall appearance. About 8 in 10 residents or more gave favorable marks to all of these aspects and most were similar to ratings given in communities elsewhere except for overall image of the city, which was above average.

Governance – Eight in ten residents gave favorable evaluations to the overall quality of services provided by the City, while about one-third were pleased with the services provided by the Federal Government; both of these ratings were similar to the national benchmark. Survey respondents also rated various aspects of O’Fallon’s leadership and governance. Roughly two-thirds of residents gave positive reviews to most aspects of government performance and all of these ratings were similar to those given in other communities. Respondents evaluated over 30 individual services and amenities available in O’Fallon. All City services were rated positively by a majority of respondents and were rated similar to or higher than national benchmarks. Services that stood out with above-average ratings included police; crime prevention; land use, planning and zoning; economic development; recreation programs; and health services.

Safety – Almost all residents gave positive ratings to police, fire and ambulance/EMS services; ratings for police services and crime prevention were higher than ratings in other communities. The Police Department received a 90% rating as “excellent” or “good”; 97% of respondents feel safe in their neighborhood; 97% feel safe in Downtown O’Fallon; and 92% have an overall feeling of safety in O’Fallon.

Community Participation -- Two-thirds of residents gave positive reviews to the sense of community in O’Fallon, while 9 in 10 would recommend living in the city to someone who asked and 8 in 10 planned to remain in the city for the next five years. The survey included over 30 activities and behaviors for which respondents indicated how often they participated in or performed each, if at all. All activity levels within the facets of Safety, Recreation and Wellness, Education and Enrichment and Community Engagement were similar to those observed in other communities. O’Fallon residents were less likely than those who lived elsewhere to be under housing cost stress and more likely to have a positive economic outlook; further, more residents had a positive economic outlook in 2018 than in 2016. Compared to 2016, most participation rates remained stable in 2018. Residents in 2018 were more likely to have watched a local public meeting or to have contacted O’Fallon employees.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Grant Litteken at 618-624-4500 x 8760 or email at [email protected].