City Services Satisfaction Survey 2010 City Services Satisfaction Survey | Page 4

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
This is the eighth annual survey among City of Arlington residents to measure
satisfaction with city services. The benchmark study was conducted in December 2000,
and subsequent waves have occurred in November or December each year, except for
the 2006 wave which was conducted in January and February of 2007 and was
significantly changed from previous waves.
Beginning with the 2006 wave, the questionnaire was redesigned to more closely match
the ICMA study. This will allow the City of Arlington to compare the City to other cities
of similar size and makeup across the country.
The purpose of the survey is to assess citizens’ current perceptions of city services, to
identify areas where the City of Arlington is perceived as doing well and areas where
improvement may be needed, and to monitor the effectiveness of the city’s efforts to
improve services. Information gathered from this wave of interviewing will also be used
in planning and budgeting for 2010.
METHODS
A total of 76,055 calls (including 64,179 “No Answer” and “Answering Machine” calls)
were made to obtain 400 telephone interviews among residents within Arlington city
limits. Within this sample, quotas were set for gender, age, and zip code to ensure an
accurate representation of the city’s population. Random-digit sampling was used
primarily. (Some supplemental purchased listed sample was used to fill quotas in a few
zip codes that are difficult to target using random-digit sampling.)
All respondents were aged 18 or over and live within Arlington city limits, excluding
Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego. About half were male and about half were
female.
Interviews were conducted December 11 through December 21, 2009.
A copy of the questionnaire, along with further discussion of data collection and data
processing procedures, is presented in the Appendix.
Decision Analyst, Inc.
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