The city of Goodyear regularly conducts a survey to gauge residents’ satisfaction with city services and better understand the perception of our community. The results of the survey provide the city with valuable insight about which services Goodyear residents consider the highest quality, which could be improved, and the overall level of satisfaction. In years past, City Council and management have utilized the results to make improvements to city services and/or consider new programs. The city previously contracted with the National Research Center/Polco to administer citizen surveys in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2021. The National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) at Polco conducts the confidential survey on the city’s behalf, using the National Community Survey (NCS) instrument which is specific to local governments, allowing Goodyear to benchmark results against over 600 communities across the country. The NCS captures residents’ opinions considering ten central facets of a community: Economy, Mobility, Community Design, Utilities, Safety, Natural Environment, Parks and Recreation, Health and Wellness, Education, Arts, and Culture, and Inclusivity and Engagement. It also allows for a limited number of custom questions. |
Responses to the survey were down compared to previous years. Participation in the opt-in, open participation online survey was likely impacted by the requirement to provide an email address and zip code, which would prevent multiple entries and may also deter some respondents. It is unclear what might have impacted the response rate for the randomly-selected statistical sample group.
|
2023 Survey |
2021 Survey |
2018 Survey |
2015 Survey |
Surveys mailed |
3,200 |
3,500 |
3,200 |
3,000 |
Surveys delivered |
3,080 |
3,428 |
3,093 |
2,810 |
Responses received |
404 |
606 |
751 |
657 |
Response rate |
13% |
18% |
24% |
23% |
Open participation (opt-in) online responses* |
362 |
693 |
456 |
N/A |
*Online open participation responses were weighted to reflect the demographics of the Goodyear community but are kept separate from the results from the probability sample. A copy of the 2023 survey results are attached. These results focus on the statistical sample group and were weighted to reflect the demographic profile of adults in Goodyear. With the sample size of 404 responses, the survey data has a margin of error of +/- 4.9% with a 95% level of confidence. Differences of more than 6% between the 2023 and 2021 survey results are considered statistically significant. The report provides comparisons to national benchmarks based on survey results from over 600 communities across the country. Being rated as “higher” or “lower” than the benchmark means that Goodyear's average rating for a particular item was more than 10 points different than the benchmark. If a rating was “much higher” or “much lower,” then Goodyear's average rating was more than 20 points different compared to the benchmark.
|
2023 Survey |
2021 Survey |
2018 Survey |
2015 Survey |
Rated Goodyear as an excellent or good place to live (rating similar to benchmark) |
85% |
94% |
94% |
93% |
Rated Goodyear as an excellent or good place to raise kids (rating similar to benchmark) |
86% |
92% |
88% |
85% |
Rated Goodyear as an excellent or good place to retire (rating above benchmark) |
76% |
84% |
87% |
84% |
Rated overall economic health as excellent or good (rating above benchmark) |
82% |
92% |
76% |
67% |
Rated overall feeling of safety as excellent or good (rating similar to benchmark) |
82% |
84% |
89% |
89% |
When asked how important it was for Goodyear to focus on each of the 10 central facets of a community in the coming two years, overall feeling of safety (95%), overall quality of the utility infrastructure (95%), overall design or layout of residential and commercial areas (92%) and overall economic health (91%), were identified as essential or very important the most frequently. The monthly InFocus magazine (92%) continues to be a primary source for information for residents followed by the city website (78%) and postcards and flyers (77%). Key Findings of the report as identified by Polco include: Resident ratings of the economy and affordability in Goodyear have declined over time. When asked to rate Goodyear’s overall economic health, 82% of survey participants in 2023 rated this as excellent or good. This rating, while a 10% drop from the rating in the 2021 iteration of the survey, was higher than average; all other aspects related to the economy and affordability in Goodyear were similar to the national benchmarks. Further, 9 in 10 residents also responded that they think it is essential or very important for the Goodyear community to focus on the overall economic health of the city in the coming two years. Other economy-related aspects which declined since 2021, but were similar to the benchmarks, included Goodyear as a place to work (74% excellent or good), the overall quality (65%) and variety (50%) of business and service establishments, economic development (66%), the city as a place to visit (59%), and employment opportunities (55%). Further, when asked what impact, if any, residents think the economy would have on their family income in the next 6 months, only one-quarter of residents responded that they believed the impact would be very or somewhat positive; this represented a 17% decrease since the 2021 iteration of the survey. Resident perception of affordability in Goodyear also declined from 2021 to 2023. Ratings for the cost of living (52% excellent or good), the availability of affordable quality food (66%) health care (61%), childcare/preschool (44%), housing (43%), and mental health care (37%) decreased over time; however, it is noteworthy that these ratings remain similar to those given in other communities nationwide. Community Design is a resident priority, with some ratings decreasing over time. Goodyear residents indicated a high degree of importance for the overall design or layout of residential and commercial areas with 9 in 10 of survey respondents rating it essential or very important; Goodyear residents were more likely than those in other communities across the country to rate this facet of community livability as important. Meanwhile, the quality rating for the overall design or layout of residential and commercial areas was similar to the national average, receiving a 64% positive rating from participants. These comparative ratings of quality and importance suggest Community Design as a potential focus area for the City. Residents’ opinion on the variety of housing options remained steady at 68% excellent or good, which was higher than the national average. While a few of the aspects of community design experienced ratings decreases between 2021 and 2023 - including the overall appearance of the city (74% excellent or good), overall quality of new development (62%), and well-planned commercial growth (48%), among others – these ratings remained on par with the national averages. Residents appreciate parks and recreation opportunities in Goodyear, but identify challenges with outdoor amenities and the natural environment. About 8 in 10 residents gave excellent or good reviews to the overall quality of parks and recreation opportunities in Goodyear, recreation centers and facilities, and recreation programs or classes; all of these ratings increased from 2021 to 2023, and the rating for recreation centers was higher than the national average. About three-quarters of respondents gave favorable marks to City parks, and two-thirds were pleased with fitness opportunities and recreational opportunities. These ratings remained stable over time and were similar to the national benchmarks. When evaluating the overall quality of the natural environment in Goodyear, 7 in 10 residents gave positive marks, which was both similar to the national average and the 2021 survey results. Nearly 9 in 10 residents rated the cleanliness of the Goodyear community. Preservation of natural areas and the quality of Goodyear open space were both on par with the national averages, earning 55% and 53% positive ratings, respectively. The importance of the overall quality of the natural environment, at 86% essential or very important, remained similar to both the national benchmark and the 2021 survey results. However, residents’ ratings of air quality (61% excellent or good), the availability of paths and walking trails (53%), and water resources (39%), while remaining stable when compared to the previous survey results, were all lower than national averages. Ratings for educational, arts, and cultural opportunities have improved, and residents report higher levels of engagement at community events. As in 2021, about half of residents positively rated overall opportunities for education, arts, and culture in Goodyear. However, it is noteworthy that some aspects within this facet of livability increased from 2021 to 2023: about two-thirds of residents gave favorable scores to opportunities to participate in social events and activities, to participate in community matters, and to attend special events and festivals, while 6 in 10 were pleased with community support for the arts and about half positively rated opportunities to attend cultural/arts/music activities. Further, 6 in 10 respondents rated residents’ connection and engagement with their community as excellent or good, and one-quarter had attended a local public meeting in the past 12 months. All of these ratings represented increases over time and were similar to those seen in other communities. |