More than 70 percent of respondents rated Sacramento as a “good” or “excellent” place to live. They also gave the City received high marks as a place to work and raise children.
However, 51 percent rated the availability of affordable housing in the city as “poor.”
These were a few key findings from the first National Citizen Survey for the City of Sacramento, organized by the City Auditor in coordination with the National Research Center.
City Auditor Jorge Oseguera shared results from the survey at the City Council meeting on Sept. 13, 2018.
Randomly sent out to 3,000 residents earlier this year, the survey was designed to gather opinions across a range of issues, including quality of community and City-provided services. More than 500 people responded, a number that allowed for “a greater than 95 percent probability that the observations noted are real,” the auditor’s report said.
The results may be used as a tool by the City to identify categories where respondents feel satisfied as well as places for improvement.
The ratings regarding Sacramento’s overall quality of life were on par with results received from other U.S. cities. Other ratings, including some involving safety and street repair, were lower than the national benchmark.
“The City Manager’s office appreciates and has long been aware of the needs that the National Citizen Survey results display,” Daniel Sanchez, Special Projects Manager, wrote in the report.
“Based on our internal data, particularly around calls for service, we are aware where our unmet needs are,” he said. “After years of shortages of staffing and resources we are now restoring service levels approaching pre-recession levels and in most cases our departments are handling more workload with fewer resources.”
The full survey results can be found here.