City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results

1. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • Contracted with the National Research Center, Inc. for second time • Survey conducted by mail • 1200 randomly selected residential addresses in the 30030 zip code • 468 returned for a response rate of 40%

2. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • Top 10 Positive Responses (“excellent” or “good’) Decatur as a place to live (97%) Safety in Decatur’s downtown area and neighborhoods during the day (96%) Overall image or reputation of Decatur (94%) Decatur as a place to raise children (93%) Cleanliness (90%)

3. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • Top 10 Positive Responses Sense of Community (90%) Opportunities to participate in social events and activities (88%) City Parks (88%) Opportunities to volunteer (87%) Openness/acceptance towards people of diverse backgrounds (87%)

4. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • Top 5 Needs Improvement Responses (rated“poor”) Traffic signal timing (31%) Amount of public parking (22%) Traffic flow on major streets (22%) Availability of affordable quality housing (20%) Employment Opportunities (16%)

5. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • 96% helped a friend or neighbor; 16% reported at least 26+ times a year. • 96% read “The Focus”; 11% reported at least 26+ times a year. • 89% recycle; 67% reported at least 26+ times a year. • 87% visited a city park; 22% reported at least 26+ visits.

6. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • 77% of those who had contact or an interaction with City of Decatur staff had an excellent or good impression.

7. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • Highest “Excellent” Ratings Fire – 50% Recycling – 45% Police Services - 40% Garbage Collection - 38% Yard Waste Pick-up – 36%

8. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • Highest “Poor” Ratings Traffic Signal Timing – 31% Sidewalk Maintenance - 13% Preservation of natural spaces & open spaces – 13% Codes Enforcement – 12% Services to Low Income – 12%

9. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results How Government Service Providers are Perceived Combined Ratings of “excellent” or “good” City of Decatur – 88% DeKalb County – 39% United States - 37% State of Georgia – 33%

10. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • Interesting Demographics 50% lived in Decatur five years or less 31% someone under the age of 17 18% someone 65 years of age or older Median total housing costs are between $1,000 - $1,499 per month 39% believe that the economy will have a negative or very negative impact in the next six months.

11. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • Observations 94% indicated they would conserve water or energy if asked to in an emergency. 89% rated opportunities to participate in religious or spiritual events and activities as “good” or “excellent”; 51% indicated they “never” participated in religious or spiritual events 31% responded that they talked or visited with their immediate neighbors “just about everyday.”

12. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results • 71% have never watched a City Commission meeting on cable television. • 68% have never ridden a local bus. • 67% have never participated in a club or civic group in Decatur • 61% have never attended a “public” meeting.

13. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results Policy Question #1 To what degree would you support or oppose the City of Decatur using public funds to assure that quality, reasonably priced housing options exist in the city? Strongly Support – 35% Somewhat Support – 36% Somewhat Oppose - 15% Strongly Oppose - 15%

14. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results Policy Question #2 Do city facilities, programs and infrastructure exist that would make it easy for the typical Decatur resident to include at least 30 minutes of physical activity, like walking, in their schedules on a routine basis? Strongly Agree – 38% Agree – 50% Neutral - 8% Disagree - 2% Strongly disagree - 2%

15. City of Decatur Citizen Survey Results Policy Question #3 To what degree would you support or oppose the use of public funding to support arts activities, art facilities and public art within the City of Decatur? Strongly Support – 48% Somewhat Support – 38% Somewhat Oppose - 8% Strongly Oppose - 6%