sr-041409-3a~~~
~;tYof City Council Report
Santa Dionica
Date: April 14, 2009
Agenda Item: ~--
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Kathryn Vernez, Assistant to the City Manager for Community &
Government Relations
Subject: Study Session on Results from 2009 Santa Monica Resident Survey
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the City Council hold a study session to review and discuss the
findings of the 2009 Santa Monica Resident Survey.
Executive Summary
The attached report from Goodwin Simon Victoria. Research provides in-depth
information on resident opinions of key issues facing Santa Monica and opinions about
City service delivery. From January 13 - 21, 2009, a total of 430 phone interviews with
randomly selected adults living in Santa Monica were completed in .Spanish and
English, including 60 interviews with adult residents with wireless numbers in the City
and an additional 30 interviews conducted- with Latino residents. While general
satisfaction with City service delivery is very high, the findings. provide the basis for
additional service improvement, as well as areas for ongoing focus.
Background
The City of Santa Monica conducts a bi-annual telephone survey of Santa Monica
residents to assess attitudes about City services and to identify changes in attitudes
compared to similar studies conducted in previous years. A competitive Request for
Quote/Proposals was issued, proposals were rated by staff from the City Manager's
Office, Finance and Community and Cultural Services, and interviews were conducted
with two finalists. Goodwin Simon Victoria Research was selected based on strength of
presentation, inclusion of in-depth analysis by key areas and work with departments on
1
the findings. Because a large percentage of survey questions was updated in 2005,
findings presented in the attached study are compared to the 2005 and 2007 study.
Questions were changed this year to incorporate a satisfaction scale. The results
presented in the attached report will guide staff in identifying community priorities and
developing workplans for the upcoming fiscal year.
Discussion
Research Findings in Brief
Positive ratings continue to be very high for services such as the library, trash/recycling,.
tree trimming and fire services. The City receives less positive ratings for traffic flow,
enforcing laws against begging and panhandling, enforcing laws against overnight
camping and dealing with homeless people. Traffic and homeless issues are cited as
the most important issues facing Santa Monica. A short summary of findings presented
in the report reveal:
• Overall satisfaction with the job the City is doing to provide City services remains
high at 67%. Eleven percent say they are dissatisfied with city services.
• Traffic increase (32%) and homelessness (31%) are cited as the most important
issues facing Santa Monica (results from open-ended question).
• Traffic (71%), affordability of housing (68%) and homelessness (63%) are cited as
top issues (results from closed-ended question).
• Concern about crime has increased since 2002, with 29% now calling it a serious
problem (up from 16% in 2002).. Concern about gang activity has increased from
21 % in 2002 to 27% in 2009 who say it is a serious problem.
• Most residents continue to feel safe in Santa Monica: 68% say crime has stayed the
same or gotten better in the city in the last few years. Fifty-eight percent say they
are satisfied with the job the city is doing in reducing crime, with just 6% who are
dissatisfied.
Thirty-two percent of the City's adult residents contacted City departments for non-
emergency purposes. For those who made contact, staff was rated positively for
being responsive (71 %); knowledgeable (75%); and courteous (80%).
Seventy-one percent of residents feel an ability to voice concerns on major
community decisions:
Fifty-seven percent of residents are satisfied with the City's communication efforts;
13% are dissatisfied.
2
• Parks receive a high level of use, with 85% of park goers very satisfied with their
experience.
• Sixty-one percent expressed satisfaction with the Santa Monica beach experience.
• A majority of respondents (52%) attended arts and cultural events in Santa Monica
in 2008.
Forty-four percent gave money to a panhandler in Santa Monica with more frequent
giving found among renters, no children households, most educated and men over
50:
Financial Impact
There is no financial impact associated with the review of findings in the 2009 Santa
Monica Resident Survey.
Prepared by:
Kathryn Vernez, Assistant to the City Manager for Community & Government Relations
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
t
i ~~-
~ r~i'/Ji~.., i ~~ '~~
/Ka ryn Vern z amont Ewell ,
II Assistant to the City Manager for City Manager ``~
Community & Government Relations
3
G®®DWII~1 SIMON VICT®RIA
2009
SANTA MONICA
RESIDENT SURVEY
Conducted for the
City ®f .Santa Monica
Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
February, 2009
P.O. Box 366 Culver City, CA 90232 310/558-4761 (phone) 310/558-0539 (fax)
email: oaulg@gsvreseazch.com website: www.gsvreseazch.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
METHODOLOGY ............................................:........................................................:......:.. viii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................:......................................................1
BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................1
FINDINGS ...................................................:.................................:...................................:..1
High level of Overall Satisfaction With City Services ...............................................1
Homelessness and Traffic Remain Most Important Issues Facing Santa Monica .2
Evidence of rising Concern Over Economic Issues ...........................:..........:.............3
Affordable Housing and Lack of Parking Still Seen As Serious Problems;
concern over Crime rising slowly .................................................................................3
Evaluation of Specific Services ..........................:...........................................................4
Very LowBatisfaction On Homeless Issues and traffic ..........:.................................5
Emergency Preparedness Highest Funding Priority; tree trimming lowest.....:....6
.Lowest Satisfaction and Highest Priority Given To Homeless Programs, Traffic,
and Services for Youth ...................................................................................:..:............6
LUCE Priorities: Protecting Neighborhoods, Reducing Traffic, and Alternatives
To Driving ...........................................................................................:............................7
Most Residents Are Not Aware Of their Neighborhood Resource Officer; few
have had contact with them ....................:.....................................................................8
High Satisfaction With Emergency 911 Services and Response Time ....................9
Few communication issues or delays during 911 calls were Reported ..................9
non-emergency Contact With City drops off; City Staff Given High Marks .......10
High Use of Parks and Beaches, And Very Positive Ratings ..................................11
More Than Half Attended an Art or Cultural Event; event-goers rate the city
highly for providing them ....................................................................................:......11
Residents feel They Have Input On Major Community Decisions; A Majority
are Satisfied With City Communications Efforts .....................................................12
Newsletter and City Website Popular With Residents As Sources Of City News
and Information:...
................................................................12
DETAILED FIlVDINGS ........................................................................................:...............13
Overview of Findings .............................................:.........................:...........................13
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES FACING SANTA MONICA .....:...........:.....................14
Volunteered Responses To the Open-End Question ...............................................14
Issues Facing the City of Santa Monica ................:...................:.................................17
Traffic Congestion .........................................................:...........................................18
The Homeless Population ................................:........:.................._...........................21
Affordable Housing ..................................................................................................23
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Snroey
Introductory Tables
Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Page ii
Parking ................................:...............................................................................:.......24
Crime ...................................................:......................................................................25
SATISFACTION WITH PROVISION OF CITY SERVICES ........................................27
Overall Satisfaction With The City Of Santa Monica ..............................................27
Evaluations of Specific City Services ..........................................................................29
The Homeless Populatian ........................................................................................33
Aggressive Panhandling and Beggmg ...............................................................:...35
Preventing Overnight Camping in Parks and Doorways ...................................36
Traffic Flow ..................................:.............................................................................37
Fire. Department ........................................................................................................39
Trash and Recycling ...........................................................................:.....................40
Tree Trimming, Street and Sidewalk Cleaning, and Maintenance ....................40
Safe and Clean Public Spaces ..................................................................................42
Public Library ......................................................................................... ...................43
Cultural and Arts Opportunities ......................................................... ...................43
Recreation and Sports Programs ................................................:........ ...................44
Graffiti Removal ..................................................................................... ...................45
Crime and Public Safety .....:..............:................................................... ...................46
City Noise Laws .........................................................................::.......... ...................47
Senior Services ..................................................................................:..... .......:...........48
Youth Services .......................................................:..:............................. ...................49
Helping The Community Be Environmentally Responsible ........... .:...........:.....50
Zoning Enforcement .............................................................................. .:.................51
FUNDING PRIORITIES ................................................................................ ...................52
High Funding Priorities -Emergency Preparedness and Traffic Reduction...53
Other High Funding Priorities ...................................:....:.................... ...................54
A Comparison of Satisfaction and Funding Priorities ........................:. ...................56
Land Use And Circulation Element (LUCE) ......................,................. ....................58
LUCE Element: Protecting Neighborhoods ........................:.............: ...................59
LUCE Element: Reducing Traffic Congestion ..........:........................ ...................60
LUCE Element: Encouraging Alternatives to Driving ...................:. ...................60
LUCE Element: More Affordable Housing ..................................:..... .....:.............62
LUCE Element: Public Involvement in Planning .............................. .....:.............63
LUCE Element: Services Within Walking Distance .......................:.. ...................64
INTERACTIONS WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS AND STAFF .............. ...................64
Contact with the Neighborhood resource Officer .....:........................... ...................65
Satisfaction With Neighborhood Resource Officer ........................... ...................67
Contacting Emergency 911 ....................................................:.................. ...................67
Overall Satisfaction with Emergency Services .................................. ...................68
Emergency Calls to The Police...: ......................................................... ..........:........69
Emergency Calls to Paramedics ........................................................... ...................69
Issues With Emergency 911 Calls ........................................................ ...................70
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
InNoductory Tables ~ Page vi
Contacting The City of Santa Monica ..................................................... ...................71
Satisfaction With City Staff Contact ...........................................:........ ...................73
PARK AND RECREATION SERVICES ....................................:................ ...................74
Number of Park Visits ............................:..............:................................... ..............:....74
Evaluation of parks .....:.............................................................................. ...................75
Evaluation of Beaches .....:............................................:............................. ...................77
ATTENDANCE AT ART AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES ..................... ...................79
CITY COMMUNICATIONS WITH RESIDENTS .............................:....... ...:...............80
Opportunity To Affect Community Decisions ............................:......... ...........:.......80
Satisfaction with City's Efforts to Communicate .................................. ...................82
Main Source Of City News And Information ............:........................... ...............,..83
Best Way To Disseminate Emergency Information ...........................:.. ...................85
HOMELESS LSSUES AND PROGRAMS ................................................:... ...................87
Awareness of Homeless Programs .......................................................... ...................87
Giving Money To Panhandlers- .................................:............................. ...,...............87
BIG BLUE BUS USE.........: ............................................................................. ...................89
SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS ...............................:........................................ ...................90
Length of Residence ..............................................................................:.... ...................90
Zip Code Distribution ............................................................................... ..............:....91
Type of Residence ...................................................................................... ...................91
Own or Rent .........................................................................:...................... ...................92
Children in Household ..........:....................:.............................................. ...................92
Race /Ethnicity .......................:.................................................................. ...................93
Education
Age .:.........
APPENDIX: Aggregate Results
..........................95
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Introductory Tables - Page iv
TABLE OF FIGURES AND TABLES
FIGURES
Figure 1: Most Important Issues Facing Santa Monica, Open End Question, 2002 -
2009 ................................................................................................................................ 16
Figure 2: Comparison of "Serious' ("4" or "5") Ratings on Issues, 2002-2009........,: 18
Figure 3: % Satisfied with Each Service (Ranked by 4 and 5 Rating) .......................... 31
Figure 4: Satisfaction Ratings Ranked by Mean Score (1-5 Scale) ................................ 32
Figure 5: Satisfaction and Funding Priority -Quadrant Plot ........................................ 57
Figure 6: Frequency of Contact With Neighborhood Resource Officer Among All
City Residents ............................................................................................................... 66
Figure 7: Satisfaction Ratings Among Residents Who Met With Neighborhood
Officer (N=47) ............................................................................................................... 67
Figure 8: Possible Problems With 911 Calls, Among Respondents Who Called ( N
=72) ..................................................:.............................................................................. 71
Figure 9: Attendance at Arts or Cultural Events in Santa Monica, 2006-2008 ............ 79
Figure 10: Opportunity to Communicate About Community Decisions, 2002-2009. 81
Figure 11: Sources of City Information, 2000-2009 (up to three replies) .................... 83
Figure 12: Big Blue Bus Ridership 2000-2008 .................................................................. 89
Figure 13: Length of Residence ..................:....................................................................... 90
Figure 14: Areas by Zip Code ............................................................................................. 91
Figure 15: Type of Residence .............................................................................................. 91
Figure 16: Minor Children in Household .............:....................................................:...... 92
Figure 17: Race and Ethnicity ............................................................................................. 93
Figure 18: Educational Attainment ................................................................................... 94
Figure 19: Respondent Age ...........................................................................:.................... 95
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Introductory Tables Page a
TABLES
Table 1: Seriousness of Traffic Congestion 2007-2009 ................................................ ....19
Table 2: Traffic Better or Worse over Last Few Years ....:..:........................................ ....19
Table 3: Homeless Situation Better or Worse in Santa Monica ................................. .... 21
Table 4: Seriousness of The Number of Homeless in Santa Monica, 2007-2009 ..... .... 22
Table 5: Seriousness of Affordable Housing in Santa Monica, 2007-2009 ............... .... 23
Table 6: Seriousness of Lack of Parking In Santa Monica, 2007-2009 ................:...... .... 25
Table 7: Seriousness of Crime, 2007-2009 .........................................:........................... .... 26
Table 8: Crime Better or Worse in Santa Monica, 2007-2009 ..............................:.......... 27
Table 9: Satisfaction with Provision of City Services - 2009 .........:............................... 28
Table 10: Comparison of Satisfaction Ratings for Specific City Services .................... 30
Table 11: Satisfaction with Cit}~s Dealing with Homeless Population ........................ 34
Table 12: Satisfaction with Enforcement of Laws Against Aggressive
Panhandling/ Begging ....................................................................:.......:.................... 35
Table 13: Satisfaction with Enforcement of Laws Against Overnight Camping in
Doorways/ Parks ....................................................:.................:.....................:............. 36
Table 14: Satisfaction with Traffic F1ow ............................................................................ 38
Table 15: Traffic Satisfaction by Zip Code ........................................................................ 39
Table 16: Satisfaction with Fire Services ........................................................................... 39
Table 17: Satisfaction with Trash and Recycling Collection .......................................... 40
Table 18: Satisfaction with Street Tree Trimming, Sidewalk Maintenance, and Street
Cleaning ........................:........................................:........::............................................ 41
Table 19: Satisfaction with Keeping Public Spaces Clean and Safe ............................:. 42
Table 20: Satisfaction with The Public Library ................................................................ 43
Table 21: Satisfaction with Providing Cultural And Arts Opportunities .................... 44
Table 22: Satisfaction with Providing Recreation and Sports Programs ..................... 45
Table 23: Satisfaction with Removing Graffiti ................................................................. 46
Table 24: Satisfaction with Reducing Crime and Increasing Public Safety :................ 47
Table 25: Satisfaction with Enforcing City Noise Laws .................................................. 48
Table 26: Satisfaction with Senior Services, Among All Respondents, and Ages 65+ 49
Table 27: Satisfaction with Providing Youth Services .................................................... 50
Table 28: Satisfaction with Helping the Community Be Environmentally Responsible
........................................................................................................................................ 51
Table 29: Satisfaction with Zoning Enforcement ......:.......:.............................................. 52
Table 30: Funding Priority Rankings For Selected City Services ................................. 53
Table 31: LUCE Priority Rankings .....:.................................:............................................. 59
Table 32: Satisfaction with Emergency 911 Services Among All Residents, and 911
Callers ..................:.:....................................:.....................:.................:.:.......:................ 68
Table 33: Satisfaction With Police Response Time Among Emergency Callers (N =
44) ......:.................................................:....................................................................:..:.. 69
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Introductory Tables Page of
Table 34: Satisfaction With Paramedic Response Time Among Emergency Callers (N
= 49) ...........................................:.................................................................................... 70
Table 35: Non Emergency Contact with The City of Santa Monica, 2004-2008 ......... 72
Table 36: City Staff Interaction Ratings For Courtesy, Responsiveness and
Kno~yledge (N =136) ................................................................................................... 73
Table 37: Number of Park Visits Per Year, 2004-2008 ..................................................... 74
Table 38: Satisfaction with Santa Monica Parks, Among those who visited (N=380) 76
Table 39: Accurate or Inaccurate Description of Santa Monica Parks .......................... 76
Table 40s Satisfaction with Santa Monica's Beaches ....................................................... 77
Table 41: Satisfaction with the City's Communication Efforts ...................................... 82
Table 42: Best Method of Emergency Communication with Santa Monica Residents
.....:.........................................:................................................:....................................... 85
Table 43: Best Method of Emergency Communication, by Age Group ....................... 86
Table 44: Frequency of Giving to Panhandlers, Among Those Who Gave in 2008
(N=189) ..........................................................................:..............:................................ 88
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Infroductory Tables Page vii
METHODOLOGY
The City of Santa Monica asked Goodwin Simon Victoria Research (GSVR) to
conduct a telephone survey of adult residents of the city to assess levels of
satisfaction with city programs and services, and to explore resident attitudes about
issues facing the city.
This study was conducted between January 13 and 21, 2009. GSVR conducted 340
interviews with adult residents with a land line, randomly identified from across the
city using arandom-digit-dial methodology, in which a random list of all active
residential telephone numbers served as the sample. An additiona160 interviews
were conducted using a voter file to reach adult residents with wireless numbers in
the city. An additiona130 interviews were conducted among Latino residents using
a listed sample. .The total number of interviews thus was 430.
The margin of error for citywide results is about plus or minus five percent of a 95
confidence level. That is, if this survey were to be repeated exactly as it was
originally conducted, then 95 out of 100 times the responses from the sample
(expressed as proportions) would be within five percent of the actual population
proportions.
Results were weighted slightly by age and race to match U.S. Census data.
Table ii Methodology
Technique Telephone interviewing
Interview Length 20 minutes
Universe Adult residents of Santa Monica
Field Dates January 13-21, 2009
Sample random-digit-dial land line, voter file wireless, Latino
interviews using listed sample
Sample Size 430 citywide, including 30 additional Latino interviews
Margin of Error +/- 5% for the sample overall
Languages English and Spanish
In this summary, the responses "1" and " 2;' combined will be referred to as
"dissatisfied" and the responses "4" and "5" collectively referred to as "satisfied: '
"Newcomers' refers to those who have been in Santa Monica for four years or less,
while "long-time residents' refer to those who have lived in the city for 20 years or
more.
A few questions in this survey were asked in similar studies conducted in 1998
through 2007, and for those questions we compare current results with those from
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Methodology - Page viii
previous studies. However, many questions were standardized from afour-point to
a five-point scale this year, and in such cases, the findings are not directly
comparable to the past. Only questions which are identical will be compared to
previous surveys. Incases where the scale is different, previous findings may be
touched upon to provide context, and will be noted as such.
In general, we do not compare results from surveys before 2009 unless the questions
were asked using identical or nearly identical wording and in roughly the same
place in the survey.
This report presents results broken out by subgroups of adult residents (e.g., by men
versus women or by zip code) only if the differences are both statistically significant
using standard significance testing, and are of relevance. In the case that a
difference within the survey's margin of error is reported, it is designated as
"slight."
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Introductory Tables Page ix
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Monica asked Goodwin Simon Victoria Research (GSVR) to
conduct a telephone survey of Santa Monica residents to assess attitudes about city
programs and services and to explore resident attitudes about issues facing the city.
A total of 430 interviews were completed citywide with randomly selected adults
living in Santa Monica, which includes 340 interviews with residents on landlines.
Additional samples provided 60 interviews with cell phone users and 30 interviews
with Latino residents. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish between
January 13 and 21, 2009. The margin of error for citywide results is about plus or
minus five percent at a 95% confidence level. For some subgroups, it is higher.
Many questions were standardized from afour-point to a five-point scale this year,
and in such cases, the findings are not directly comparable to the past. Only
questions which are identical will be compared to previous surveys. In cases where
the scale is different, previous findings may be touched upon to provide context,
and will be noted as such.
Note that while the survey was conducted in 2009, most questions report resident
activities conducted in 2008. In those cases we report the results as 2008 data while
referring to the 2009 study in other places throughout the report. When comparing
the findings from such questions to past studies, the same reporting methods will
apply, and will be noted in the text:
FINDINGS
HIGH LEVEL OF OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH CITY SERVICES
When Santa Monica residents rated the "job that Santa Monica is doing to provide
city services' on a five-point scale, two out of three gave the city one of the two
highest ratings of "4" or "5" which will be referred to in the aggregate as "satisfied"
in this report. Just under a third (32%) gave the city the highest rating of "5." Only
12% were dissatisfied ("1" or " 2" on the scale) and another 20% gave the city a
neutral rating of " 3."
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Executive Summary Pagel
HOMELESSNESS AND TRAFFIC REMAIN MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES
FACING SANTA MONICA
Traffic and homelessness continue to top the list of most pressing issues for city
residents, receiving virtually identical amounts of attention this year in an open-
ended question which asked residents for the one or two most important issues
facing Santa Monica. In an identical open-ended question asked in 2007, traffic was
volunteered by the same proportion of residents as found in this most recent survey,
but the proportion who mentioned the homeless population this year dropped
considerably.
Similar findings resulted when residents were asked, as part of a series of closed-end
questions, to rate the seriousness of the two issues on a five-point scale. As with the
satisfaction ratings, the top two values of "4" or "5;' in the aggregate, will be .
referred to as "serious.°
Thirty-two percent of residents said in the open-ended question that issues
such as "traffic flow° and "rush hour congestion' are the most important
facing the city. Traffic issues have leveled off after being mentioned by an
increasing proportion of residents over the past few years. The issue came
close to doubling its 2002 proportion of 18% in 2007 when it rose to 32%; the
same proportion found in the current survey. While volunteered mentions
may have leveled off, however, the 71 % of residents who rated traffic as a
serious issue in the closed-end question in this survey represent a increase
from 65% who rated it as serious in 2007.
Issues of the "homeless population' received 31 % of mentions in the open-
ended question, tying traffic as the city's-most important problem among
residents this year. But even though homeless issues are clearly still on
residents' minds, this year s finding represents a distinct turnaround in what
had been a steady upward trend since 2002 culminating in 45% who
volunteered the problem as the most important problem in the last survey.
The proportion of residents calling the issue a "serious' one dropped as well,
going from 76% in the closed-end question in the last survey to 63% in this
survey, the lowest level of concern since 2002.
°Growth and development" was volunteered third most often in the open-
ended question: 13% said it was the one of the most important problems. This
is a nearly negligible rise from 9% in 2007 and similar to levels found in
previous years.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Executive Summary Page 2
EVIDENCE OF RISING CONCERN OVER ECONOMIC ISSUES
Given the recession and the state of the economy in California, it is not surprising to
find concern over economic issues on the rise among Santa Monica residents.
The proportion who volunteered issues such as "creating jobs' or "creating a
better business climate' as the most important problem facing the city climbed
from abarely-registering 1 % in 2005 to 11 % in this survey.
Residents mentioned recession-related issues such as "the city's budget crisis"
and "cutbacks in city services" in sufficient numbers (4%) to move the
category of onto the list for the first time this year.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND LACK OF PARKING STILL SEEN AS
SERIOUS PROBLEMS; CONCERN OVER CRIME RISING SLOWLY
Lack of affordable housing and parking in Santa Monica continue to be a serious
concern to many city residents, despite a low level of top-of-mind salience.
"Affordable housing;' volunteered by only 3% in the open-ended question,
was called a serious problem by 68%, a proportion second only to "traffic."
These results are similar to the findings from the survey in 2007.
"Lack. of parking' is another issue volunteered by relatively few in the open
ended question (9%) but called a serious problem by many. Nearly six in 10
(58%) called it serious, up from 48% in 2007. The level of seriousness
attributed to this issue has ranged between 48% and 62% in past surveys
without trending in any particular direction, and a nearly identical 8%
volunteered it in the open end in 2007.
"Crime; mentioned by only 6% in the open-end, is experiencing a slow
expansion in resident concern over how serious a problem it is. This year, 29%
called it a serious problem, up from 24% in 2007, and continuing a gentle
upward trend from 2002's 16% serious rating.
"Gangs' were volunteered by 2% and called serious by 27%, both findings are
similar to the those from previous years.
Other issues that were volunteered by smaller.proportions of residents in the
open ended question were related to "the environment" (5%), "overcrowding'
(4%) and "education' (4%). T`he level of attention to each was similar to those
measured in 2007. .
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Executive Summary Page 3
EVALUATION OF SPECIFIC SERVICES
We asked residents to rate their level of satisfaction with each of a series of specific
services offered by the city, using afive-point satisfaction scale, and found that most
ratings had a higher proportion of satisfied ("4" or "5") ratings than dissatisfied ("1"
or " 2„)
Note that some city services, such as emergency 911 services, programs for seniors
and youth, and sports and recreation programs received high average satisfaction
scores, but were given relatively low actual ratings for satisfaction. This is due to the
higher proportions of residents who were unable to rate these services, as average
scores are calculated among those who are able to assign a rating.
• Highest average satisfaction ratings (3.9 or higher) were given to: the public
library, the fire department, emergency 911 services, trash and recycling
collection, street tree trimming, senior services, sports and recreational
programs, cultural and arts opportunities, and community environmental
responsibility.
• Lowest average ratings were given to: dealing with the homeless population
and traffic as well as the enforcement of laws against aggressive panhandling,
overnight camping in parks and doorways, and building and zoning laws.
Satisfaction ratings (proportion of residents who rated as a "4" or "5" rating) and
average scores for city services other than homeless issues and traffic were as
follows:
• Providing public library services (82% satisfied, 4.47 average)
• Putting out and preventing fires (71 % satisfied, 4.32 average)
• Providing emergency911 services (62% satisfied, 4.29 average)
• Collecting trash and recycling from homes (78% satisfied, 4.17 average)
• Keeping street trees trimmed (74% satisfied, 4.04 average)
° Providing services for seniors (51 % satisfied, 4.03 average)
• Providmg sports and recreation programs (59% satisfied, 3.97 average)
• providing cultural and arts opportunities (63% satisfied, 3.94 average)
• Helping the community be more environmentally responsible (63% satisfied,
3.85 average)
• Providing services for youth (47% satisfied, 3.79 average)
• Enforcing laws that keep public space clean & safe (62% satisfied, 3.78
average)
° Removing graffiti (58% satisfied, 3.75 average)
• Reducing crime and protecting public safety, (58 %, 3.75 average)
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Executive Summary Page 4
• Street and sidewalk maintenance (63 % satisfied, 3.72 average)
• Enforcing the cites noise laws (55% satisfied, 3.66 average)
• Keeping streets and alleys clean (57% satisfied, 3.65 average)
• Enforcing the city's building and zoning laws (37% satisfied, .3.39 average).
VERY LOW SATISFACTION ON HOMELESS ISSUES AND TRAFFIC
Santa Monica residents gave low marks to the city for "dealing with the homeless
population' and "traffic." These service's dissatisfaction ratings of 35% and 34%
respectively tied for highest level of resident dissatisfaction. Residents were also
displeased with the city's enforcement of laws against "aggressive panhandling and
begging;' and "banning overnight camping in parks and doorways."
Satisfaction ratings and average scores for traffic and issues relating to the homeless
population were as follows:
• Enforcing laws against overnight camping in parks and doorways (35%
satisfied, 20% dissatisfied,. 3.25 average)
• Enforcing laws against of aggressive begging or panhandling (32% satisfied,
29% dissatisfied, 3.04 average)
• Dealing with homeless people in Santa Monica (31 % satisfied, 35%
dissatisfied, 2.92 average)
• Keeping traffic on city streets flowing smoothly (33% satisfied, 34%
dissatisfied, 2.96 average).
Cifiy of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Executive Summary Page 5
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS HIGHEST FUNDING PRIORITY; TREE
TRIMMING LOWEST
This year, respondents were asked to rank city services on a five-point scale from
low to high funding priority, given budget challenges posed by the recession.
Residents assigned highest priority to emergency preparedness. Residents also
assigned a high priority rating to traffic reduction, youth services, and the public
library. Lowest priorities were tree trimming, and funding for non-profit
organizations in Santa Monica. .
• Emergency preparedness (72%, 4.19 average)
° Services to seniors such as cultural programs and referrals to medical services
(67%; 4.01 average)
• Services for youth such as child care for pre-school kids and assistance for at-
risk teens (67%, 4.01 average)
• Traffic reduction (65%, 3.92 average)
• Homeless services (62%, 3:84 average)
• Public libraries (62%, 3.87 average)
° Environmental programs (54%, 3.68 average)
• Recreation and sports programs (45%, 3.41)
• Street and sidewalk maintenance (50%, 3.5 average)
• Funding for non-profit organizations in Santa Monica (35%, 3.21 average)
• Tree trimming (31%, 2.98 average).
LOWEST SATISFACTION AND HIGHEST PRIORITY GIVEN TO
HOMELESS PROGRAMS, TRAFFIC, AND SERVICES FOR YOUTH
We compared satisfaction ratings and funding priority ratings on the subset of
services for which each type of question was asked, and sorted the services into four
groups: High funding priority and high satisfaction; high priority and low satisfaction, low
priority and high satisfaction, and finally low priority and low satisfaction.
In this context, "high funding" and "high priority" mean that more than half of all
residents gave the service a "4" or "5" rating in each case. "Low funding° and "low
priority" mean that half or fewer residents gave the service one of those two highest
scores.
Low Satisfaction and High Priority Services:
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Siman Victoria Research
Executive Summary I'aSe 6
The homeless situation (31% satisfaction, 62% priority)
Traffic (33% satisfaction, 65% priority)
Youth services (47% satisfaction, 67% priority), although the relatively low
satisfaction rating is due in part to lack of familiarity with these services.
High Satisfaction and High Priority Services:
• Senior services (51% satisfaction, 67% priority)
• Environmental programs (63% satisfaction, 54% priority)
• The public library (82% satisfaction, 62% priority).
High Satisfaction and Low Priority Services:.
Recreation and sports programs (59% satisfaction, 45% priority)
Tree trimming (74% satisfaction, 31% funding)
Maintenance of streets and sidewalks. (63% satisfaction, 50% funding).
No services received low priority-and low satisfaction scores.
LUCE PRIORITIES: PROTECTING NEIGHBORHOODS, REDUCING
TRAFFIC, AND ALTERNATIVES TO DRIVING
Residents were also asked to prioritize six services under consideration for inclusion
in the Land Use and Circulation Element of the City's General Plan (LUCE). They again
assigned priorities on a five point scale.
Each element was assigned a high funding priority by at least half of residents. The
highest priority was "protecting neighborhoods;' followed by "reducing traffic
congestion." The lowest priority was "encouraging development of services within
walking distance of neighborhoods."
The proportion of high priority ratings ("4" or "5") and average ratings for each of
the elements were as follows:
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey - Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
ExecuKve Summary - PaSe ~
• Protecting neighborhoods (80%, 4.34 average)
• Reducing traffic congestion (72%, 4.14 average)
• Encouraging more alternatives to driving such as bike paths, neighborhood
shuttle buses, wider sidewalks for pedestrians, or the Expo light raff line (69%;
4.06 average)
• Having ongoing public involvement in planning for the future of Santa
Monica (67%, 4.0 average)
• Having more affordable housing in Santa Monica (67%, 3.94 average)
• Encouraging walking distance services such as cleaners and food stores (56%,
3.68 average).
MOST RESIDENTS ARE NOT AWARE OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD
RESOURCE OFFICER; FEW HAVE HAD CONTACT-WITH THEM
Seventy-one percent of residents said they were unaware that there is a Santa
Monica Police Department neighborhood resource officer assigned to their
neighborhood.
Of those who had heard of the program, 38% said they had met or had contact
with the officer.
This represents 18% percent of all residents who were aware of the existence
of the program but had not been in contact with the officer, and 11 % of all
residents who had contact with the officer.
Those that had met their local neighborhood resource officer were very positive
about the interaction; large majorities gave high satisfaction ratings on three
measures: responsiveness, accessibility, and cooperation in preventing crime.
Satisfaction ratings ("4" or "5") and average ratings for the job the officer is doing
were:
°In being responsive to your local neighborhood issues or concerns." (81
satisfied, 4.42 average)
"In being accessible to you by phone or e-mail." (81 % satisfied, 4.47 average)
"In working with local residents to help prevent crime." (76% satisfied, 4.46
average)
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Burney Goodwin Siman Victoria Research
Executive Summary I'a$e 8
HIGH SATISFACTION WITH EMERGENCY 911 SERVICES AND
RESPONSE TIME
• Seventeen percent of Santa Monica residents made at least one emergency call
to 911 in 2008. '
• Ten percent called 911 to request police help, down from 18% who called in
2006.
• Eleven percent called 911 with a medical emergency, nearly identical in
proportion to the 12% who called in 2006.
Satisfaction with the city's emergency service overall is high:
• Sixty-two percent of Santa Monica residents gave the city a satisfactory rating
("4" or "5") for "providing emergency 911 services;' including 38% who said
they were very satisfied. Only three percent rated the service as unsatisfactory.
Satisfaction with emergency response times from police and paramedics among
those who called 911 is also high:
Seventy-one percent of those who called 911 for emergency police help said
they were satisfied with the "response time to their emergency calls to the
Santa Monica Police in 2008" including 58 % who were "very satisfied."
Thirteen percent were dissatisfied.
Even more satisfied were callers to emergency 911 in need of medical
assistance: 85% were satisfied with the paramedics' response time to their call
including 75% who were "very satisfied." Five percent said they were
dissatisfied.
FEW COMMUNICATION ISSUES OR DELAYS DURING 911 CALLS
WERE REPORTED
New to the survey this year are a series of four questions on whether residents who
made a call to 911 for either a medical. or police emergency experienced a problem
with communication, or a delay. Most residents who contacted 911 reported no
problems. The most common problem that was reported was experiencing a delay
while calling 911 on a cell phone.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Surrey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Executive Summary Page 9
• Seventy-nine percent of 911 callers said they had no "difficulty in getting the
responder to understand the problem' they were calling about, l6%
experienced difficulties with being understood.
° Seventy-four percent said they did not experience a "delay due to being
transferred between different responder agencies;' but 18% said that they had
been delayed while being transferred.
• Seventy-three percent did not experience a "delay on getting through or being
put on hold when using a landline;' while 20% reported such a delay.
• While almost two in three (64%) were not delayed "in getting through or
being put on hold when using a cell phone; 'more than one in four (26%)
were.
NON-EMERGENCY CONTACT WITH CITY DROPS OFF; CITY STAFF
GIVEN HIGH MARKS
We asked all respondents whether they had been in touch with the city of Santa
Monica city for any non-emergency reason last year, and 32% said they had been.
'This is a 17 point decrease from the 49% who contacted the city in 2007.
Residents who had non-emergency contact with the city rated their interactions with
city staff highly in the areas of courtesy, responsiveness and knowledge. Again,
using the five-point satisfaction scale, a resident giving a rating of "4" or "5" is
considered "satisfied."
Satisfaction ratings in the three areas among those who contacted the city for anon-
emergency reason were as follows:
Eighty percent were satisfied with city staff for "how courteous they were;'
including 58% who said they were very satisfied. Only 10% were dissatisfied.
Three out of four residents were satisfied with city staff for "how
knowledgeable they were;' including 52% who were very satisfied. Eleven
percent were dissatisfied.
Seventy-one percent said they were satisfied with how responsive the city
staff were to their needs, including 49% very satisfied. Sixteen percent were
not satisfied.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Executive Summary Page 10
HIGH USE OF PARKS AND BEACHES, AND VERY POSITIVE RATINGS
Residents were asked how often they had visited a park in Santa Monica in the past
year. Nearly nine out of 10 residents (87%) said that they visited a park at least once
in 2008, the same proportion who reported in the 2007 survey that they had visited a
park in the previous year. A similar proportion (89%) of Santa Monica residents
visited a beach in 2008.
About a third (32%) went to a park 25 times or more - an average of twice a
month. The average number of visits in 2008 overall was 40, and the median
number of visits was 10, slightly less than once a month. This is down
slightly from 2007 when the average was 49 and the median 12.
Park-goers rated Santa Monica s parks very highly: 85 % were satisfied,
including 54% who gave parks the top rating of "5." Only 4% said they were
dissatisfied.
Beach-goers rated Santa Monica s beaches highly as well: 73 % were satisfied,
including 46°/o who were "very satisfied;' and only 8% were dissatisfied.
About one out of five gave beaches a neutral rating of " 3."
All residents were then asked to rate four descriptive statements about Santa
Monica s parks as either accurate or inaccurate: Large majorities in each case called
them accurate, in fact, solid majorities in each case deemed them "very accurate."
These ratings are similar to very high ratings for parks found in the 2007 survey.
Park ratings:
• "Safe for families and chfldren." (86% accurate, 58% very accurate)
"rim,., ~~ iQQ°i ,,,,.,,,..,+o an°i ,,,,w, .,,.,.,,,.~+o~
• "Well-maintained." (89% accurate, 64% very accurate)
• "Convenient to your home." (88% accurate, 68% very accurate).
MORE THAN HALF ATTENDED AN ART OR CULTURAL EVENT;
EVENT-GOERS RATE THE CITY HIGHLY FOR PROVIDING THEM
Fifty-two percent of Santa Monica residents reported attending an "art or
cultural activity specifically in Santa Monica° in 2008. This is very similar to
the 49% response found in the 2007 survey:
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey -Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Executive Summary Page 11
• Three-fourths of those who attended an art or cultural activity specifically in
Santa Monica gave the city a high satisfaction rating for providing such
events.
RESIDENTS FEEL THEY HAVE INPUT ON MAJOR COMMUNITY
DECISIONS; A MAJORITY ARE SATISFIED WITH CITY
COMMUNICATIONS EFFORTS
Seventy-one percent said they feel they "have the opportunity to voice your
concerns to.the city of Santa Monica on major community decisions that affect
your life;',a level very similar to that found in previous years.
Fifty-seven percent said they were satisfied with "the city's effort to
communicate with Santa Monica residents through newsletters, the Internet
and other means;' 13% were dissatisfied and 27% gave the city a neutral
rating of " 3;' for an average rating of 3.71.
NEWSLETTER AND CITY WEBSITE POPULAR WITH RESIDENTS AS
SOURCES OF CITY NEWS AND INFORMATION
• As has been the case in past surveys, the city's website was cited as one of the
most often used resources for information on the city. Twenty-seven percent
cited it this year, virtually the same proportion as in 2007.
• The Seascape newsletter was another top source, mentioned at about the level
(27%) it has held for the past several years.
• Reliance on the Mirror (17%) and/or the Daily Press (14%) was similar to the
level found in 2007.
• Continuing its downward trend from 29% in 2000 was the proportion
mentioning City TV, which was mentioned by 13% this year.
• The proportion relying on the Los Angeles Times also declined, dropping 11
points from 20% in 2005 to nine percent this year; eight percentmentioned the
city's postcards as a source of information, similar to the level in the last few
surveys.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Execufive Summary Page 12
DETAILED FINDINGS
OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS
This report presents the results in the following order:
• We begin with a look at the most important problems facing the city of Santa
Monica. We compare ratings on how concerned residents are about the issues
of traffic, homelessness, parking, housing prices, crime, and gangs and go on
to look at each one in detail.
• Next are satisfaction ratings, beginning with the job the city of Santa Monica is
doing overall, then looking at a comparison table of satisfaction ratings for
twenty-one specific city services across a spectrum of issues from trash
collection to the flow of traffic and parking. This is followed by a detailed look
at each service.
• We next see a comparison table of ranked funding priorities for various
services. This is followed by an in-depth look at priorities for each service.
• A "quadrant plot" is then used to sort services into four categories -from low
satisfaction/high priority ones such as traffic congestion, to high
satisfaction/low priority ones such as tree trimming.
• We then look at priority rankings for a set of six proposed Land Use and
Circulation Element (LUCE) items, beginning with a comparison table and
followed up with an examination of each proposed item.
• Interaction with city departments and staff are examined next, including
frequency of interaction and satisfaction ratings for Santa Monica
neighborhood resource officers, the emergency 911 system, and city staff..
• After that is a look at frequency of use and satisfaction with Santa Monica's
parks, beaches, and cultural events.
• Ratings for city communications are next. Residents weigh in on
opportunities for input on community decisions, rate the city's efforts at
communication with residents, and tell us where they get their city news.
• The final sections address the use of the Big Blue Bus, the frequency with
which residents give money to panhandlers and homeless people, awareness
of city homeless programs, and sample demographics.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey
Detailed Findings
Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Page 13
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES FACING SANTA MONICA
Early in the survey, residents were asked the following open-ended question: "What
would you say are the one or two most important issues facing the City of Santa Monica
today? Up to two responses were accepted.
This was followed by a series of closed-end questions which asked respondents to
rate the seriousness of six issues -traffic, homelessness, affordability of housing,
parking, crime, and gangs - on a five-point scale. Residents could rate each issue
from 1 if they thought it was "not serious at all" to a 5 if they thought it was "a very
serious problem in Santa Monica."
Residents were then asked to say whether they say that crime, the number of
homeless people, and traffic congestion each have gotten better, worse, or stayed the
same in Santa Monica over the last few years.
We begin with a look at the issues that residents volunteered as their top two
concerns in the open-end.
VOLUNTEERED RESPONSES TO THE OPEN-END QUESTION
Traffic congestion and issues of the homeless population topped the list of the two most
pressing issues volunteered by residents, virtually tying for first place at 32% and
31 % respectively (see Figure 1 .below). While these issues have topped the list in
previous years, the proportion who mentioned traffic remains virtually the same as
it was in 2007, but the proportion who mention homeless issues has dropped 14
points from 45 % in 2007 to 31 % today.
Growth and development was the third most often mentioned issue at 13%, up slightly
from nine percent in the survey two years ago,
Given the current troubled economic climate; it is not surprising to see concern
about economic issues rising. this year. The proportion of those whose most
important issues are related to job growth or creating a better business climate in the city
rose to 11%, after barely registering in previous years. Similarly, the budget crisis and
city. cutbacks in services appeared on the list for the first time, with four percent of
mentions.
Other issues such as crime, gangs, parks, education, the environment, rent control, and
taxes continue to register very low in the open-ended responses -each was
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 14
mentioned by fewer than one out of seventeen residents. This does not mean that
they are not considered serious problems by many; rather that they are not currently
"top bf mind" for most residents in Santa Monica at this time.
Affordable housing and parking are examples of such issues. In the open end, only
nine percent put parking on their top-two list, and only three percent mentioned
affordable housing. However, when asked to rate the seriousness of these issues,
sizeable majorities of residents say they are serious problems in the city, as will be
seen in the discussion of the closed end questions below.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page IS
Figure 1: Most Important Issues Facing Santa Monica, Open End Question, 2002 - 2009
Traffic
Too Many Homeles s
Growth/Development
Jobs /Biz climate
Parking
Crime
Environment
Overcrowding
Education
Budget crisis /City cutbacks
P~oadwork
Lack of Afford. Housing
Rent Control
Gangs
Lack of Homeless Serv.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 16
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
ISSUES FACING THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Residents were asked to rate the seriousness of six issues in the city on a five-point
scale from "not serious' to "very serious." In this analysis, the two highest ratings of
"4" and "5" will be referred to in the aggregate as "serious' and the highest rating of
five as "very serious."
As shown in Figure 2 ,more than seven out of 10 residents (71 %) called traffic
congestion a serious problem. The affordability of housing was a close second at 68%,
followed by the number of homeless people in the city at 63%. Large pluralities of 43%
to 45% rated each of these as very serious.
Lack of parking was not far behind at 58%, while crime and gangs lagged with
seriousness ratings of 29% and 27% respectively.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page ll
Figure 2: Comparison of "Serious" ("4" or "5") Ratings on Issues, 2002-2009
Traffic
Afford'ble
Housing
Number of
Homeless
Lack of Parking
Crime
Gangs
0 20 40 60 80
We will now look at each of these issues in more detail, starting with the topic of
traffic congestion.
Traffic Congestion
Resident concern about traffic is strong and growing stronger. As was seen in
Figure 2 ,the proportion rating traffic as a serious problem has steadily increased
over the last seven years from 57% in 2002 to 71 % today. Table 1, below, presents a
comparison of the seriousness ratings on traffic over the last two surveys.
Cihj of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Snmey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page IS
More than seven out of 10 Santa Monica residents citywide rated traffic as a serious
problem in 2009, up from 65% in the survey taken two years ago. The proportions
of those calling traffic a very serious issue is little changed at 45% from the 41%
found two years ago. Only 10% in this survey gave it one of the two lowest ratings, a
statistically similar finding to the 13% who said it was not serious two years ago.
The average (mean) seriousness rating has increased slightly, from 3.9 to 4.04.
Table 1: Seriousness of Traffic Congestion 2007-2009
Percentages in: 2007 2009
5 - "Very serious' 41 45
4 24 26
Total Serious 65 71
3 21 18
2 9 7
1 - "Not serious at all" 4 3
Total Not Serious 13 10
Doritknow/NA 2 1
.Mean 3.90' 4.04
When residents were asked, in a separate question, if traffic congestion has gotten
worse, better, or stayed the same over the last few years, two-thirds said that it is
worse now, including 39% who said the problem has become much worse, as may be
seen in Table 2. Twenty-seven percent said it had stayed the same, and very few
(4%) felt traffic in the city has improved in recent years.
Table 2: Traffic Better or Worse over Last Few Yeazs
Much better 1
Somewhat better 3
Total better 4
Same 27
Somewhat worse 28
Much worse 39
Total worse 67
Dori t know/NA 3
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey .Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 19
Long-time residents were particularly concerned about traffic. Even though those
who have lived in Santa Monica 20 years or more were no more likely others to cite
traffic as one of the top two issues in the open-ended question (33% compared to
31% overall), they are more likely to say traffic is much worse now. They are also
more likely to rank the issue higher on the seriousness scale than those who have
lived in the city a shorter time: The average rating on this issue among long-time
residents was 4.3 compared to 3.9 among those in the city a shorter time.
• Seventy-seven percent of long-time residents said traffic is a problem
compared to 63 % of residents living in Santa Monica the shortest time.
Fifty-seven percent of long-time residents called it a very serious problem.
• The sense that traffic is getting worse becomes stronger with length of
residence. That opinion is held by 53 % of those who arrived within the
last five years, 63% of 5 to 19 year residents and fully 82% of those living
in the city longer. Fifty-seven percent of long-time residents said traffic
has gotten much worse, compared to 35% of the newest residents.
While those living throughout Santa Monica were impacted by traffic, residents in
Sunset Park and Ocean Park in particular said that it is a problem.
• Eighty-percent of residents in the 90405 Sunset and Ocean Park zip code
areas called traffic a serious problem, including 50% who said it is very
serious; and 75% said congestion has increased over the last few years.
Other areas are concerned about traffic, too: 72% of those in the 90401
downtown zip code called it a serious problem, including 54% who said
very serious., Sixty-eight percent in the 90403 Wilshire district and 69% of
90402 north of Montana said traffic is worse now. Roughly six in 10 in
other areas agreed.
• Whites (73%) were more concerned about traffic than non-whites (61%)
and white women (76%) more so than non-white women (60%).
• Eighty-three percent of those who say traffic has gotten worse rated it as a
serious problem compared to 46% of other residents.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Burney Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 20
The Homeless Population
In contrast to the growing issue of traffic, resident concern over the problems
created by the homeless population, while still strong, appears to be easing
somewhat.
As shown in Table 3, when residents were asked directly whether the homeless
situation has gotten better, worse, or stayed the same over the past few years, fewer
than half said it is worse. Half said things are the same or better, that is, 37% said
the situation hasri t changed, and 13% said it is improving.
Table 3: Homeless Situation Better or Worse in Santa Monica
Much Better 2
Somewhat Better 11
Total Better 13
Same 37
Somewhat Worse 20
Much Worse 25
Total Worse 45
Don't know/NA 5
The issue is at the top of residents' most important problem list, virtually tying the
issue of "traffic congestion' for top mention this year at 31%. But that represents a
significant fourteen point drop from two years ago when it was the clear frontrunner
for most important problem at 45% (See Figure 1 on page 16.)
As shown in Table 4 below, the level of seriousness with which residents view the
homeless situation has also dropped. Irt 2007, 76% called it a serious problem,
including fully 60% who said it was very serious. Irt this most recent survey, 63%
said it is a serious issue, and the proportion who gave it the most serious rating of
"5° dropped seventeen points to 43%.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings - Page 21
Table 4: Seriousness of The Number of Homeless in Santa Monica, 2007-2009
Percentages in: 2007 2009
5 - "Ve serious' 60 43
4 16 20
Total Serious 76 63
3 12 21
2 6 10
1 - "Not serious at all" 5 5
Total Not Serious 11 15
Don't know/NA 2 2
Mean 4.24- 3.87:
There is little variation across zip code areas when it comes to rating the
seriousness of the homeless situation as a problem for the city- between
61% and 65% in each area said that the issue is a serious one and residents
of each area volunteered it on their list of top issues. However, in another
question, 56% of residents of the 90402 zip code (north of Montana) were
most likely to say the homeless situation has worsened over the past few
years, compared to fewer than half elsewhere: 49% in 90405 (the Sunset
and Ocean Park areas), and between 39% and 44% in other parts of the
city.
While there is no disagreement by gender over whether the homeless
situation has gotten better or worse, more women (68%) than men (58%)
rate it a serious problem. Nearly half of women (48%) said it was very
serious, compared to 37% of men. Irt particular, more than half of non-
white women called it very serious (51 %).
More than eight out of 10 (83%) of those who think the homeless situation
has gotten worse (a group that makes up two-thirds of the population
overall) said the issue is a serious one for the city, including 65% who said
is very serious. Forty-two percent of that group volunteered the problem
as one of their top two issues.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings - Page 22
Affordable Housing
As was noted earlier, lack of affordable housing was volunteered by only three
percent of residents as one of their top two most important problems.
However, as seen in Table 5 ,respondents assigned affordable housing a level of
seriousness that nearly matches concern over the issues of traffic and homelessness.
Sixty-eight percent of residents, when asked outright to rank the seriousness of the
issue, said affordable housing is a serious problem, including 45% who said it is a
very serious one. This measure has barely changed since 2007 when 69% said it was
a serious problem, although the proportion who gave it the highest rating of very
serious dropped ten percentage points: from 55% in 2007 to 45% today.
Table 5: Seriousness of Affordable Housing in Santa Monica, 2007-2009
Percentages in: 2007 2009
5 - "Very serious' 55 45
4 14 23
Total Serious 69 68
3 14 18
2 7 5
1 - "Not serious at all" 8 6
Total Not Serious 15 11
Don't know/NA 3 3
Mean 4.03 398 ',
• Residents who moved to Santa Monica in the last twenty years were more
likely to say the problem is serious (72%) than those who have been in the
city longer (59%). Just under half (49%) of the group of shorter-term
residents said housing costs are a very serious problem.
° Eight out of 10 residents of the downtown 90401 zip code said housing
costs are a problem, including more than half (52%) who said that it a is
very serious problem. Seventy-two percent in the 90402 zip code north of
Montana said it is at least somewhat serious. Sixty-five percent of
residents in other areas agreed.
• Residents living in apartments (71%) and single family dwellings (69%)
were more likely to characterize affordability of housing as a serious
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Surrey Goodwin Siman Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 23
problem than those living in condos and townhouses (55%). More than
half (52%) of apartment dwellers characterized it as very serious.
Renters (74% serious, including 52% very serious) were more likely than
homeowners (59% serious, including 35% very serious) to say it is a
serious problem.
Concern decreased with age -going from 78% among those under 35 to
71% of 35 to 49 year olds, 60% of those ages 50 to 64, and 54% of residents
65 or older. Nearly half (49%) of residents under the age bf 50 said that
lack of affordable housing is a very serious problem.
More than three-fourths (78%) of men under age 50 called lack of
affordable housing a serious problem, including more than half (51 %)
who called if very serious. This compares to 58% of men age 50 or older
who said it is serious. Similarly, 70% of under-50 women said it is serious
compared to 57% of those who are older.
Parkin
Lack of parking in Santa Monica is another issue that residents said is important
even though it was only volunteered by nine percent of residents as part of their top-
two list of important issues in the city, virtually the same percentage who mentioned
it in 2007.
However, in this survey, 58% called the problem a serious one when asked directly,
including just under four in 10 (37%) who said it is very serious, and that is a 10
point increase from the 48% who said it is a serious issue in 2007.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 24
Table 6: Seriousness of Lack of Parking In Santa Monica, 2007-2009
Percenfagesin: 2007. .2009-
5 - "Ver serious' 27 37
4 21 21
Total Serious 48 58
3 26 22
2 17 13
1 - "Not serious at all" 9 6
Total Not Serious 26 19
Doritknow/NA 2 1
Mean 3.4 ' 3.70
Nearly two out of three (65%) residents of 20 years or more said parking is
a problem, compared to 53% of shorter term residents. Forty-five percent
of long-term residents called it a very serious problem compared to 32% of
other residents.
Apartment dwellers (61%) and renters (61%) were more likely to see
parking as a problem than homeowners (52%), and residents of condos
and townhouses (45%).
Residents of the Wilshire 90403 zip code area were most likely to see
parking as a serious issue - 63% compared to 53% of residents living in
other parts of the city.
Crime
Concern over crime is fairly low, compared to other issues facing the city. Crime
was mentioned by only six percent of residents in the open end (see Figure 1, page
16) as one of the biggest problems for Santa Monica, and the related issue of gangs
was mentioned by only two percent.
As seen in Table 7, when asked how serious a problem it was, more residents gave
crime a "not serious' rating (37%) than a serious one (29%) and only about one in 10
called it a very serious problem. Thirty-one percent ranked it a neutral " 3" on the
scale.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Burney - ~ Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings ~ Page 25
However, the proportion who said that crime is a serious problem has been rising in
recent years: From 16% in 2002, to 24% in 2007, to 29% in 2009. The proportion who
said it is not a serious problem fell from 46% in 2007 to 37% today.
Table 7: Seriousness of Crime, 2007-2009
Percentagesin:'; 2007 2009
5 - "Very serious' 8 11
4 16 18
Total Serious 24 29
3 2S 31
2 35 25
1 - "Not serious at all" 11 12
Total Not Serious 46 37
Doritknow/NA 4 3
Mean 2.75 2.9
• Not surprisingly, those who made an emergency call to the police last year
were more likely (41 %) to call crime a serious problem than those who did
not make such a call (27%).
° Those who have never visited a park were twice as likely to say crime is a
serious problem (41%) than those who visit a part most frequently (20%),
suggesting that fear of crime is keeping some people away from parks.
• Residents who met their neighborhood resource officer were more likely
to call crime a serious problem (45%) than those who have not (27%).
• Concern over crime decreased with education leveL(which correlates with
socioeconomic group.) Among those with no college, 47% say crime is a
serious problem, compared to just 19% of those with graduate degrees.
However, Table 8 shows that more than two out of three residents (68%) this year
said that crime has either stayed the same (54%) over the past few years or gotten
better (14%). Only one in five said'it has gotten worse. Those assessments are
similar to findings in the 2007 survey when virtually the same proportion - 70% -
said crime had stayed the same or gotten better over the previous few years.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 26
Table 8: Crime Better or Worse in Santa Monica, 2007-2009
Percentages in: 2007 2009
Much Better 8 3
Somewhat Better 17 11
Total Better 25 14
Same 45 54
Somewhat Worse 14 14
Much Worse 6 6
Total Worse 20 20
Don't know/NA 11 12
SATISFACTION WITH PROVISION OF CITY SERVICES
We now take a look at how residents rate the job the City of Santa Monica is doing
in providing a variety of city services. We begin with an overall measure of
satisfaction for the city in general and then for specific services in more detail.
OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Before any other substantive questions, respondents were asked to rate their
"satisfaction with the job the City of Santa Monica is doing to provide city services' on the
familiar five-point scale where "1" is "very dissatisfied" and "5" is °very satisfied:"
The responses "1" and " 2;' combined will be referred to as "dissatisfied" and the
responses "4" and "5" collectively referred to as "satisfied."
As seen in Table 9, the survey found residents remain quite positive about city
services. Two-thirds said they were satisfied and only 12% were dissatisfied:
Another two in 10 gave a neutral rating of " 3" and the city's mean satisfaction rating
was 3.79.
Satisfaction with the city's job in providing services was highest among residents
who made use of Santa Monica's parks, as well as among those who felt they are
given the opportunity to have some input into community decisions. Those who
get their information about the city through its publications and web site were also
more positive, as were residents who said they think the homeless situation is
improving or at least not getting worse.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 27
Table 9: Satisfaction with Provision of Citv Services - 2009
5 - "Ve satisfied" 32
4 35
Total satisfied 67
3 20
2 3
1- "Ve dissatisfied" 9
Total dissatisfied 12
Doxit know/NA 1
Mean ' 3:79
• Respondents who said they have the opportunity to have input into
neighborhood decisions were 21 percentage points more likely to give the
city a positive rating than those who did not feel that way (71% vs. 52%)
and 35 % of that group said they were very satisfied.
• Those who get information directly from the city (e.g. from Seascape or the
cites website) were more likely to be satisfied with city services (70%)
than those who get information about the city from other sources (roughly
60%).
• Residents who thought the homeless situation has stayed the same or
gotten better over the past few years were more likely to be satisfied (71 %)
than those who thought the situation has worsened (62%).
• Meeting their neighborhood resource officer did not increase resident
satisfaction with the city overall: 69% of those who hadri t heard of or met
the officer gave the city a satisfactory rating compared to 52% of those
who had.
• Residents who visited a park in 2008 were satisfied in higher proportions
(69%) than who did not (54%) and frequent park goers were most satisfied
of all (78%).
• Newcomers (residents of less than five years) and the related category of
younger adults (under age 35) were more likely to be satisfied than other
residents. Three-fourths of each of those groups were satisfied (75%),
compared to Ei4°/o of residents of five or more years and 65% of those over
age 35. Almost two out of five of the younger/newer residents said they
were very satisfied.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings I'a$e 28
EVALUATIONS OF SPECIFIC CITY SERVICES
City residents are more satisfied than dissatisfied with the City of Santa Monica's
handling of all but the stickiest issues, as shown in Table 10 below. That table
compares ratings for all of the services that were measured on this survey and is
sorted high to low on average satisfaction rating. Figure 3 and Figure 4 show the
.same information graphically, with the first figure sorting the results based on the
percentage rating each service with a 4 or 5 (on a 1 to 5 scale of satisfaction), and the
second figure sorts the results with a mean score.
It should be noted that several services received fairly high percentages of "dori t
know' responses. These responses are excluded from the calculation of the mean
satisfaction score and a service may receive a high average rating even though its
level of satisfaction might be lower than for. other services. Those cases are indicated
with an asterisk in the table below. This also accounts for the difference in the rank
order between Figure 3 and Figure 4.
The city received its highest marks (above 70% satisfied) for providing public library
services (82% satisfied), collecting trash and recycling from your home (78%), keeping
street trees trimmed (74%), and putting out and preventing fzres (71%).
Just over six out of 10 residents gave the city high satisfaction ratings in each case for
keeping city streets and alleys clean, providing cultural and arts opportunities, for enforcing
laws that keep public spaces clean and safe for everyone, and for providing emergency 911
services.
Just over half of residents were satisfied with the cites provision of senior services
(51 %), and fewer than half with how the city provides youth services (47%) or how it
helps the community be more environmentally responsible (37%). However, many
residents were unable to evaluate these services and in each case, residents who
could rate them gave high mean satis#action scores: 4.03 for senior services, 3.79 for
youth services, and 3.85 for help with environmental responsibility.
Many residents were also unable to evaluate how the city enforces building and
zoning laws and it was rated as satisfactory by only 37%. However, this service
received a lower satisfaction score of 3.39 among those who could offer a rating.
Residents were least satisfied with how the city is handling the most difficult issues
of traffic and the homeless population. They gave the city lower satisfaction ratings
for enforcing laws against overnight camping in parks and doorways (35%) and
enforcing laws against aggressive begging or panhandling (32%). They gave the city
a slightly higher negative than positive rating for dealing with homeless people in Santa
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 29
Monica. (35% dissatisfied, 31% satisfied for 2.92 overall) and split over how the city is
doing with keeping traffic on city streets flowing smoothly (34% dissatisfied, 33%
satisfied for 2.96 overall.)
Table 10: Comparison of Satisfaction Ratings for Specific City Services
Percentage ratings for services: Satisfied
j"4" & "5" Dissatisfied
' 1' & "2" Neutral
~~3~~ -Mean
Satlsfaction-
rRating
Public library 82 3 11 4.47
Fire services 71 5 10 4.32
Emergency 911 62 3 11 x'4.29
Trash collection 78 7 14 r 4.17
Tree trimming 74 9 15 4.04
Senior services 51 5 16 '4.03*
Sports & recreation 59 6 22 s3.97*
Culture and arts 63 9 20 3.94
Environmental responsibility 63 9 22 :3.85
Youth services 47 7 23 3.79_,
Public space clean & safe 62 9 27 '3.78
Graffiti removal 58 12 22 `3.75
Public safety 58 6 32 3.75
Street/Sidewalk maintenance 63 13 24 '3.72
City noise laws 55 13 21 3.66
Street cleaning 57 15 27 -3.65
Zoning enforcement 37 15 26 3.39*
Enforcement of ban on overnight
cam in 35 20 28 3.25*
Panhandling/begging 32 29 29 3.04
Traffic flow 33 34 33 `2.96
Dealing with homeless
population 31 35 27 '2.92
* These services have high percentages of "don't know` responses which are excluded from the
calculation of the average sarisfaction raring.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin.Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 30
Figure 3: % Satisfied with Each Service (Ranked by 4 and S Rating)
Library
Trash collection
Treetrisrnning
Fire
Culture/arts
Environment
Streets /sidewalks
911
Clean/safe public spaces
Sports/rec
Public safety
Graffiti
Street cleaning
Noise laws
Seniorservices
Youth services
Zoning enforcement
Ban on camping
Traffic
Panhandling
Dealing with homeless
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings ~ Page 31
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 ~
Figure 4: Satisfaction Ratings Ranked by Mean Score (1-5 Scale)
Library
Fire services
Emergency 911
Trash collection
Tree trimming
Seniorservices
Sports/recreation
Arts/culture
Environment
Youth services
Clean/safe public spaces
Graffiti
Public safety
Streets/sidewalks
Noise laws
Street cleaning
Zoning enforcement
Ban on camping
Panhandling
Traffic flow
Dealing with homeless
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 32
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
A Note About Comparing Individual Satisfaction Ratings To the Past
Due to the change in the ranking scale used in the satisfaction questions this year it
is not possible to compare these ratings directly with the past. That is,. in this
survey, the five-point scale provides a possibly neutral answer of " 3" which is
impossible to compare with the four-point "excellent, good, fair, poor' scale of the
past.
However, we may note that in the surveys taken in 2005 and 2007, the public library,
trash collection, tree trimming, and fire services all received satisfaction ratings in
the 70% range or higher, just as they have in this survey.
We will now tum to a more detailed examination of each category, beginning with
the issues of the homeless population.
The Homeless Population
As noted beginning on page 21, city residents rated the homeless population as one
of the most serious problems facing the city. That finding was echoed again here in
the relatively high dissatisfaction ratings that the city receives for "Dealing with
homeless people in Santa Monica." Table 10 shows that this issue earned the highest
level of dissatisfaction from residents of all the services measured.
As shown below in Table 11, 31 % were satisfied with the job the city is doing in
dealing with the homeless population, 35% were dissatisfied, and 27% gave a rating
of " 3" for an overall average rating of 2.92 on this issue.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Saraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 33
Table 11: Satisfaction with City's Dealing with Homeless Population
5 - "Ve satisfied" 14
4 17
Total satisfied 31
3 27
2 17
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 18
Total dissatisfied 35
Doritknow/NA 6
Mean T:92
Knowing that the city is doing something about the problems of the
homeless makes a difference. Those who were aware of the initiatives the
city has undertaken to help deal with the homeless situation (51 % of the
population) split 35% satisfied to 33% dissatisfied over city's handling of
the issue, while those who hadn't heard of the programs were 12
percentage points more likely to be dissatisfied (39%) than satisfied (27%).
Those who think the homeless situation is worse these days (45% of the
population) were more than twice likely to give the city a negative rating
than a positive one - 53% were dissatisfied compared to 22% satisfied.
Residents who think the situation has stayed the same or gotten better
were more positive: 39% were satisfied, 21% dissatisfied, and 34% gave a
neutral rating of " 3: '
Disapproval of the way the city deals with homeless people was highest in
the north of Montana 90402 zip code where residents were twice as likely
to give a negative response as a positive one (48% dissatisfied, 24%
satisfied.) The highest satisfaction ratings were found among residents
living in the Sunset and Ocean Park zip code 90405 who were more
satisfied than dissatisfied by 39% to 27%. However, those residents were
also about three times as likely to say they wereri t sure than those in other
areas (13% vs. 4%). Those in the downtown 90401 zip code divided 35%
satisfied to 38% dissatisfied. Residents in the rest of the city were
somewhat more negative than positive (36% to 28%) and gave a higher
proportion of neutral " 3" ratings:
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 34
• Non-white residents were more satisfied than dissatisfied with the city's
handling of this issue (41% to 28%.) White residents, on the other hand
were slightly more likely to be dissatisfied (36% to 29%).
• Residents with minor children at home were 14 points more satisfied than
dissatisfied with the city's handling of the homeless situation (41 % to
27%), while non-parents were 12 points more likely to be dissatisfied. (39%
dissatisfied to 27% satisfied.)
We turn next to two other issues related to the homeless population: "Enforcing
laws against aggressive begging. or panhandling' and "Enforcing laws against overnight
camping in parks and doorways."
A look at Table 10 shows that enforcement of these laws are given low ratings by the
public, not much higher than those for traffic and the overall issue of the homeless
population.
Aggressive Panhandling and Begging.,
Santa Monica's enforcement of laws against aggressive panhandling and begging in
the city garnered nearly as many negative as positive ratings among residents, as
may be seen in Table 12. Twenty-nine percent of residents were dissatisfied, 32%
satisfied, and 29% gave the city a neutral " 3." Ten percent wereri t sure, and the city
received an overall mean satisfaction rating of 3.04.
Table 12: Satisfaction with Enforcement of Laws Against Aggressive PanhandlingBegging
5 - "Ver satisfied" 13
4 19
Total satisfied 32
3 29
2 17
1 - "Very dissatisfied" 12
Total dissatisfied 29
Don't know/NA 10
Mean 3:04
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 35
• Women were 13 points more likely to give a positive rating on this issue
than a negative one (36% to 26%), while men were divided, splitting 31%
dissatisfied to 27% satisfied with a high proportion of neutral " 3"
responses (34%). In particular, white women were more satisfied than not
(38% to 25%) while non-white women were divided (30% satisfied to 33%
dissatisfied.) Non-white men were least concerned - 41 % said they were
satisfied, l8% dissatisfied, and 36% gave the city a neutral " 3."
• Residents who said that they feel able to give input into community issues
gave a 13 point positive rating to the city for how it deals with aggressive
begging (36% satisfied to 26% dissatisfied) while those who do not feel
that-way gave the city a 15 point negative rating (36% dissatisfied to 21%
satisfied).
° Those who think the homeless population is getting worse give the city a
13 point negative rating on panhandling (40% to 27%) while those who
see the problem as staying the same or improving gave it a 13 point
positive rating (35% satisfied, 22% unsatisfied.)
Preventing Overnight Camping in Parks and Doorways
Table 13 shows that residents also gave relatively low marks to the city for "enforcing
laws against overnight camping in parks and doorways." Thirty-five percent were
satisfied, 20% dissatisfied, and 28% gave it the neutral ranking of " 3." A large
proportion -17% -weren't sure. The city received an average rating of 3.25 on this
issue:
Table 13: Satisfaction with Enforcement of Laws Against Ovexnight Camping in Doorways/Parks
5 - "Ve satisfied" 15
4 20
Total satisfied 35
3 28
2 10
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 10
Total dissatisfied 20
Doritknow/NA 17
.Mean " 3.25
• Residents in downtown zip code 90401 were most likely to have an
opinion on the city's handling of overnight camping in doorways and
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 36
parks (only 4% not sure) and to give the city a negative (30%) or neutral
rating (38%) on the issue. Residents in the Sunset and Ocean Park areas of
zip code 90405 were the most likely to think the city is doing a good job of.
handling camping (46% were satisfied and 16% dissatisfied with 16% not
sure). Residents elsewhere in the city were somewhat more likely to be
satisfied than dissatisfied by 32% to 20% but 18% weren't sure and the rest
rated the city a neutral " 3."
Those who went to a park in 2008 were much more likely to be satisfied
about enforcement of camping issues than those who did not go at all last
year- 38% compared to 18%. A plurality (41%) of residents who did not
go to a park last year gave a neutral rating of " 3" and 20% weren't sure.
About the same level (roughly two in 10) in each group said they were
dissatisfied.
Traffic Flow
Traffic congestion is a serious issue to residents in Santa Monica. It tied with the
homeless population as most important issue facing the city (see Figure 1, page 16
for a comparative ranking) and it received the highest proportion of "serious'
ratings as well (see Figure 2, page 18). Residents also gave the cites handling of
traffic the third lowest satisfaction rating on the list of measured city services, as
maybe seen in Table 10.
Residents, asked how satisfied they are with how the city is doing "in keeping traffic
on city streets flowing smoothly;' divided neatly into thirds as may be seen in Table 14.
Thirty-three percent said they were satisfied, 34% were not satisfied, and another
33% gave the city a more non-committal rating of " 3:' The city received an average
rating of 2.96 on this issue.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings ~ - Page 37
Table 14: Satisfaction with Traffic Flow
-. %:
5 - "Very satisfied" 12
4 21
Total satisfied 33
3 33
2 17
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 17
Total dissatisfied 34
bori t know/NA 1
Mean 2:96
• Residents who were generally satisfied with Santa Monica were also more
likely to be satisfied with the city's handling of traffic. Thirty-five percent
of those who were satisfied with the city overall were also satisfied with
traffic, while 28% were dissatisfied and 36% were neutral. Residents who
were dissatisfied or neutral on the city's overall rating were significantly
more dissatisfied with traffic as well (46% to 27%).
• About a third of residents said that they think the traffic situation is the
same or improved over the past few years, and just over half (52%) of that
group were satisfied with the city's handling of traffic flow, compared to
24% among the other two-thirds who think traffic is worse.
• Forty-four percent o£ long-time residents were dissatisfied with the city's
handling of the flow of traffic and only 26% were satisfied. Those living in
the city 5 to 19 years were more likely to be satisfied than not by 40% to
24% (with 35% giving a neutral " 3,") while residents of less than five years
were divided -splitting 33% satisfied, 30% dissatisfied and 35% neutral .
• Latinos. (43% satisfied to 25% dissatisfied) and non-whites (43% satisfied,
25% not) were more likely to rate the city positively on traffic while non-
Latinos and whites were closely divided on the issue.
• Table 15 shows that residents who lived in Sunset Park, north of Montana,
and downtown in the 90405, 90402 and 90401 zip codes respectively, gave
the city net strongly negative ratings for handling traffic, while other areas
were more positive.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 3S
Table 15: Traffic Satisfaction by Zip Code
Percentage ratings in areas:. Satisfied
"4"&"5" Dissatisfied
"1" & " 2" Net
Positive
90405 east -Sunset Park 17 51 -34
90402 N. of Montana 23 44 -21
90401 Downtown 20 40 -20
90404 Pico 41 31 +10
90405 west -Ocean Park 36 22 +14
-90403 Wilshire 40 25 +15
Fire Department
"Putting out and preventing fires" is another area in which residents have historically
rated the city positively. Irt both 2005 and 2007 three-fourths of residents gave the
city a rating of "excellent" or "good" for fire services.
More than seven in 10 gave the department a "4" or "5" satisfaction rating this year,
as seen in Table 16 below. Nearly half (49%) were very satisfied. Only five percent
said they were dissatisfied. Ten percent gave the department a rating of " 3" and
14% wereri t sure. The fire departrnent received an average satisfaction rating of
4.32.
16: Satisfaction with Fire Services
%..:
5 - "Ve satisfied" 49
4 22
Total satisfied 71
3 10
2 3
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 2
Total dissatisfied 5
Don't know/NA 14
Mean 4.32
• While satisfaction levels were high among all groups, homeowners (76%)
were even more satisfied than renters (67%).
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 39
Seventy-six percent of residents age 50 or older were satisfied with the
city's fire services, compared to 66% of younger residents. The fire
department was rated particularly highly by women over age 50, 82% of
whom were satisfied compared to between 65% and 69% of other age and
demographic categories.
Trash and Rec, c
This city service continues to get high marks from residents. As seen in Table 17
below, nearly eight out of 10 said they were satisfied with the city's work "in
collecting trash and recycling from your home;' and only seven percent were not.
Fourteen ranked it a " 3." This issue received the 2nd highest satisfaction rating
overall (see Table 10) with an average rating of 4.17.
There was little variation in responses across demographic groups, and the same is
true when looked at by area -between 72% and 82% were satisfied in each city area.
Table 17: Satisfaction with Trash and Recvclin2 Collection
`%
5 - "Ver satisfied" 49
4 29
Total satisfied 78
3 14
2 4
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 3
Total dissatisfied 7
Dori tknow/NA 1
Mean 4.17
Tree Trimming, Street and Sidewalk Cleaning, and Maintenance
hi three questions related to maintenances of streets, sidewalks, and alleys, city
residents were asked to rate how satisfied they were with the city for "keeping street
trees trimmed;' for "street and sidewalk maintenance," and for "keeping city streets and
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suruey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings - Page 40
alleys clean." In each case, residents gave the city a net positive rating, as may be seen
in Table 18 below.
Tree tramming was rated as satisfactory by 74% of residents, and only nine percent
were dissatisfied. Only 14% gave it a " 3" and it earned an average rating of 4.04.
The city was given a 63% positive rating for street and sidewalk maintenance
compared to a 13% negative rating, and 24% rated it a " 3; 'bringing the average to
3.72.
Street and alley cleaning was rated as satisfactory by 57% this year, unsatisfactory by
15%; and given a " 3" by 27% for an average of 3.65.
Table 18: Satisfaction with Street Tree Trimming, Sidewalk Maintenance, and Sfreet Cleaning
Percentage ratings for: Tree
Trimmin Street/Sidewalk
Maintenance Street
Cleanin
5 - "Ve satisfied" 40 26 28
4 34 37 29
Total satisfied 74 63 57
3 15 24 27
2 6 8 10
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 3 5 5
Total dissatisfied 9 13 15
Doritknow/NA 2 1 1
Mean 4.04 3.72 3.65;
Satisfaction is high citywide with the city's maintenance of trees, with
little variation across subgroups.
Care of streets, alleys, and sidewalks is also fairly high citywide, but
highest in the affluent area north of Montana. Roughly two-thirds of
residents the 90402 zip code said they were satisfied in each case and only
around one in ten in were dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction with these services
were highest among downtown residents -fewer than half (46%) of those
living in the 90401 zip code were satisfied with the cleanliness of streets
and alleys while greater than one in four (26%} were dissatisfied.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 41
Safe and Clean Public Spaces
More than six out of 10 residents were satisfied with how the city is "enforcing laws
that keep public spaces clean and safe for everyone." As seen in Table 19 below, 62%
were satisfied, 9% dissatisfied, and 27% gave a middle rating of " 3" for an average
satisfaction rating of 3.78.
Table 19: Satisfaction with Keeping Public Spaces Clean and Safe
%
5 - "Very satisfied" 27
4 35
Total satisfied 62
3 27
2 5
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 4
Total dissatisfied 9
Dontknow/NA 2
Mean 3:78
There was little variation across areas and demographic groups other than to note
that women under age 50 were more likely to say they were satisfied with the city's
job in keeping public spaces clean and safe (70%) compared to men under 50 (57%)
or women over 50 (60%).
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 42
Public Library
Residents gave the highest satisfaction rating this year to the city for "providing
public library services"(see Table 10).
More than three out of five (62%) gave it the highest rating of very satisfied and more
than eight in 10 (82%) assigned a satisfaction rating of "4" rating or higher. (See
Table 20). Only three percent were dissatisfied, and 11 % gave it a " 3" for an average
rating of 4.47.
Table 20: Satisfaction with The Public
%
5 - "Ve satisfied" 62
4 20
Total satisfied 82
3 11
2 2
1- "Ve dissatisfied" 1
Total dissatisfied 3
Dori tknow/NA 5
Mean 4:47
Satisfaction with the public library is very high all across the city, climbing toward
rune out of 10 - as close to unanimous as a survey generally gets - in the Wilshire
area of 90403 zip code (87%) and in 90405 Ocean Park (90%).
Cultural and Arts Opportunities
As may be noted in Table 21 below, more than six out of 10 (63%) residents gave the
city a positive rating for "providing cultural and arts opportunities° and only nine
percent were dissatisfied. Twenty percent gave this issue a °3" for an average rating
of 3.94.
Satisfaction with cultural and art opportunities in the city was significantly higher at
75% among the more than half (52%) of residents who attended at least one cultural
or art activity in Santa Monica last year, compared to a satisfaction rating of 50%
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 43
among residents who did not attend an activity. Nearly half of the group who
attended such an event (47%) said they were very satisfied.
There was little other variation in satisfaction levels with the city's arts and culture
programs across demographic categories such as gender, race, and length of
residency.
Table 21: Satisfaction with Providing Cultural And Arts Opportunities
5 - "Very satisfied" 34
4 29
Total satisfied 63
3 20
2 6
1 - "Ver dissatisfied" 3
Total dissatisfied 9
Dori tknow/NA 8
Mean; 3'.94
Recreation and Sports Programs
The city's sports and recreation programs received very positive marks from
residents, as maybe seen in Table 22 below. Just under six out of 10 (59%) said they
were satisfied with the city's service in "providing recreation and sports programs," and
only six percent of residents said they were dissatisfied. However, 22% gave the
programs a " 3" and 14% were unsure. Overall the service received a mean
satisfaction rating of 3.97 among those who rated them.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Saraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings ~ Page 44
Table 22: Satisfaction with Providing Recreation and Sports Programs
5 - "Very satisfied" 32
4 27
Total satisfied 59
3 22
2 4
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 2
Total dissatisfied 6
Dori tknow/NA 14
Mean 3.97
Residents who visited a park at least once in 2008 rated the cites sports
and recreation programs highly much more often (62%) than those who
did not (37%). Residents who did not visit a park had a very high "don't
know' of 27% and 28 % gave a rating of " 3."
Seventy percent of residents of the Ocean and Sunset Park zip code 90405
gave top marks for this service. Satisfaction was also high in the 90402
(north of Montana) and 90404 (Pico) areas at 62% and 58% respectively.
Satisfaction barely topped half (51%) among residents in other parts of the
city.
Satisfaction with the program decreased with age and familiarity with the
programs increased. Sixty-seven percent of residents under age 35 were
satisfied, compared to 61 % of 35-49 year olds, 54% of 50-64 year olds and
49% of those 65 and older. Among the youngest group, 8% couldn't rate
the programs and that increased to one out of four of those over age 65.
Graffiti Removal
The city's job of "removing graffiti' received a satisfactiomrating of 58% with only
12% dissatisfied, as seen in Table 23 below. With 22% giving the city a rating of " 3;'
the average rating for graffiti removal was 3.75.
City °f Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings .Page 45
Table 23: Satisfaction with Removing Graffiti
5 - "Ve satisfied" 27
4 31
Total satisfied 58
3 22
2 8
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 4
Total dissatisfied 12
Don't know/NA 7
Mean 3.75:
° Women were more likely to be satisfied (64%) with the city's graffiti
removal than men (53 %) because men were twice as likely to give the city
a rating of " 3" (30% of men compared to 15% of women): Men and
women were equally likely to say they were dissatisfied.
• Latinos were more satisfied (72%) than non-Latinos (56%), and non-whites
were slightly (65%) more satisfied than whites (57%).
• Residents in single family homes (61%) and apartments (63%) were more
satisfied (61%) than those in condos and townhouses (41%).
Crime and Public Safety
As may be seen in Table 24, 58% gave the city satisfactory marks for "reducing crime
and protecting public safety." Only six percent said they were dissatisfied, but nearly a
third (32%) gave the city a °3" for this service, and the average satisfaction rating
was 3.75.
City of Santa Mottica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings ~ Page 46
Table 24: Satisfaction with Reducing Crime and Increasing Public Safety
5 - "Ve satisfied" 22
4 36
Total satisfied 58
3 32
2 4
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 2
Total dissatisfied 6
Dori tknow/NA 3
Mean ' 3.75
• Residents who called 911 during a police emergency in the last year were
less likely to be satisfied with the city's efforts to reduce crime (43%) than
those who did not (60%). While dissatisfaction is slightly higher among
those who called 911 (12% compared to 5%), 46% of that group gave the
city a neutral " 3" rating compared to 30% of those who did not call.
• Satisfaction with the city's crime deduction efforts was higher among
residents who have lived in the city fewer than five years (65%) than
among longer term residents (51 %).
• More parents gave Santa Monica a satisfactory rating on public safety
(66%) than those who did not have children (55%), due to a higher
proportion of " 3" ratings among non-parents. Dissatisfaction was
virtually the same in both groups.
City Noise Laws
As seen in Table 25 below, 55% of residents gave the city high marks for "enforcing
the city's noise laws' and only 13% were dissatisfied. With 21 % giving the city a " 3"
for noise control and 12% not sure, the average satisfaction rating overall was 3.66.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 47
Table 25: Satisfaction with Enforcing City Noise Laws
%.:
5 - "Very satisfied" 20
4 35
Total satisfied 55
3 21
2 8
1 - "Ver dissatisfied" 5
Total dissatisfied 13
Dori t know/NA 12
Mean `3.66 '
• Residents who made an emergency call to the police rated the city lower
on this measure (43% satisfied, 25% dissatisfied) than other residents (56%
satisfied, l0% dissatisfied.)
° Residents who have lived in Santa Monica for 20 years or more were least
likely to give the city a satisfactory rating for holding down noise - 51
were satisfied and 17% dissatisfied compared to about one in 10
dissatisfied among shorter term residents.
Senior Services
The general view of the city's senior services was more positive than negative - 51
said they were satisfied with the city's senior services and only 5% were outright
dissatisfied. However, nearly three out of ten residents (29%) said they didn't know
enough about the job the city is doing in "providing services for seniors" to say if they
were satisfied or not, and another 16% gave a "neutral" rating of " 3."
As might be expected, awareness of senior services is much higher among residents
who are 65 and older, as is seen in Table 26 below. Only eight percent of seniors
couldn't provide a rating on this issue. Among respondents of that age range, the
city received very positive reviews: Seventy-two percent of residents of age 65 and
older were satisfied with the city's programs for seniors, including 46% who were
very satisfied, only nine percent were dissatisfied, and 11 % rated it a " 3" for an
average rating of 4.13 among seniors.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 48
Table 26: Satisfaction with Senior Services, Among All Respondents, and Ages 65+
Percentages among:
A ies
g .Age
65+
=73
5 - "Very satisfied" 28 46
4 23 26
Total satisfied 51 72
3 16 11
2 4 4
1 - "Ver dissatisfied" 1 5
Total dissatisfied 5 9
Dori t lmow/NA 29 8
Mean 4.03. 4.13
Youth Services
As maybe seen below in Table 27, the city's job in "providing services for youth" was,
as was the case for senior programs, not clear to about one out of four residents.
However, these services were given more positive than negative reviews - 47% were
satisfied, and seven percent dissatisfied. Twenty-four percent did not give a rating
and 23% gave the cites youth services a rating of " 3: '
Awareness of youth services programs was higher among residents with children at
home, and. among Latino residents. The proportion of those who said they "didn't
know' dropped to 12% among parents and to 10% among Latino respondents.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Pa$e 49
Table 27: Satisfaction with Providing Youth Services
%
5 - "Ve satisfied" 23
4 24
Total satisfied 47
3 23
2 5
1 - "Very dissatisfied" 2
Total dissatisfied 7
Don tknow/NA 24
Mean 3.79 -
• Many Latino residents (63%) and parents (59%), rated the city's youth
programs as satisfactory, compared to 40% of non-parents and 44% of
non-Latinos who were, in each case, more likely to give-the city a neutral
rating of " 3" and to say they didri t know. Sixteen percent of parents and
5% of Latinos were dissatisfied.
Helping The Community Be Environmentally Responsible
The environment question was given a new spin in the study this year, In previous
years, residents were asked to evaluate the city's job in "protecting the environment"
while this year the question was to rate their satisfaction with Santa Monica in
"helping the community be more environmentally responsible."
As Table 28 shows, more than six out of 10 respondents gave the city top marks for
its efforts in this regard- 63 % said they were satisfied, and nine percent dissatisfied.
Twenty-two percent gave it a rating of " 3" and five percent said they didri t know.
The average rating was a fairly high 3.85.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings - Page 50
Table 28: Satisfaction with Helping the Community Be.Environmentally Responsible
5 - "Ve satisfied" 32
4 31
Total satisfied 63
3 22
2 5
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 4
Total dissatisfied 9
Doxit know/NA 5
Mean 3.85
• Residents who said they feel they have input into community affairs were
more positive about the city's environmental efforts (65%) than residents
who do not (47%).
• Although 61% of residents living in the downtown area of Santa Monica
gave the city a positive rating, dissatisfaction with the city's
environmental efforts is almost twice as large (19%) there as anywhere
else in the city.
• Those with college degrees were more likely than those without such
degrees to rate the city highly - 73% of those with graduate degrees and
66% of those with bachelor's degrees said they were satisfied, compared to
55% of those who did not graduate from college.
• Satisfaction with the city on the environment decreased with age -from
69% of those under age 35, to 62% of residents between the ages of 35 and
64, to 57% of those 65 and older.
Zoning Enforcement
As may be seen in Table 29 below, the city's efforts aimed at "enforcing the city's
building and zoning laws" were not ratable for 24% of residents, rated positively by
37%, and negatively by 15%. About a quarter (26%) gave the city a rating of " 3."
Homeowners tend to be more aware of zoning enforcement efforts by the city than
other residents. Those living downtown, and in the north of Montana and Pico areas
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 51
of the city are more aware than residents in other areas as well. However, even
among those who are more aware, satisfaction ratings differ only insignificantly.
Table 29: Satisfaction with Zoning Enforcement
5 - "Very satisfied" 16
4 21
Total satisfied 37
3 26
2 7
1 - "Ver dissatisfied" 8
Total dissatisfied 15
Dori tknow/NA 24
Mean 3:39
We will now look at how residents ranked services in terms of funding priorities in
light of current budget constraints.
FUNDING PRIORITIES
A new question was added to measure funding priorities among residents this year.
After registering their satisfaction level with city services, respondents were read the
following: "Like all cities in California, Santa Monica is facing budget challenges caused by
the recession. To understand the community's priorities, the city is asking people to rate
different services the city now provides." They then were asked to prioritize a series of
city services by assigning values ranging from a low funding priority level of "1" to
a high funding priority level of "5."
Table 30 shows the funding priority rankings for each of the services: The table is
sorted by the mean ranking assigned to each service. Note that not all of the services
tested for satisfaction were also included in the priority rankings.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 52
Table 30: Funding Priority Rankings For Selected City Services
Percentage rating each service: Top
"5° High
"4" & "5„ Low
°1" & „2„
„3„
Mean
Emergency preparedness 49 72 6 18 4.19
Youth services 41 67 8 23 4.01
Senior services 38 6T 6 22 4.01
Traffic reduction 46 65 14 19 3.92
Public libraries 40 62 13 24 3.87
Homeless services 39 62 13 21 3.84
Environmental programs 32 54 15 29 3.68
Street and sidewalk maintenance 23 50 18 32 3.50
Recreation and sports 25 45 22 31 3.41
Funding for SM non-profit orgs 18 35 25 33 3.21
Tree trimming 16 31 35 34 2.98
Hi Funding Priorities -Emergency Preparedness and Traffic Reduction
Emergency Preparedness
At the top of Table 30, we see emergency preparedness was considered a high priority
by 72% of residents and a very high priority by nearly half (49%). All subgroups
assigned tMs a high priority and there was no significant variation among them on
this issue.
Traffic Reduction
Traffic reduction is another area which residents would like to see the city concentrate
its funding.. Sixty-five percent said it was a high priority including 46% who
thought it should be a very high priority.
• Traffic reduction was seen as a high priority by more than seven out of 10
among several demographic groups: Downtown residents (73%),
residents of 20 years or more (73%), those who think the traffic problem is
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 53
worse these days (73%), Latinos (72%), non-whites (72%), and residents
between the ages of 50 and 64 (73%).
The likelihood of assigning a high priority to traffic increased with length
of residency - it was a high priority for 56% of residents of less than five
years, 63% of those residing 5 to 19 years, and 73% of longer-term
residents.
Other High Funding Priorities
A look at Table 30 on page 53 shows that other services with high priority rankings
in the 60 percent range were services for youth and seniors, the library, and services
for the homeless.
Services for youth such as child care for pre-school kids and assistance for at-risk teens was
considered a high priority by 67% and very high by 41 %.
Services to seniors such as cultural programs and referrals to medical services was also
assigned a high priority by 67% and the highest priority by 38%.
Public libraries and Homeless Services were considered to be a high funding priority by
62% each, and each received similar proportions of very high ratings - 40% and 39%
respectively.
• Residents under the age of 35 were statistically equally likely to assign a
high priority to senior (70%) and youth (68%) services, but those who are
65 or older were much more likely to consider senior services a high
priority (69%) than youth services (56%).
• Parents (74%) were more likely to prioritize youth programs highly, as
were men under the age of 50 (73%) and non-white men (82%).
• Senior services were a high priority for long-term residents (72%), those
who said they feel able to voice their concerns and have input on
neighborhood issues (71 %), and by residents in the downtown zip code of
90401 (80%).
• Homeless services were seen as a high priority by 72% of those who gave
money to a panhandler last year, compared to 55°!° of those who did not,
and by residents of downtown (78%).
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey ~ Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 54
Others services to which at least half of residents assigned a high funding priority
were environmental programs and the maintenance of city streets and sidewalks.
Environmental programs was assigned a high priority by 54%, including 32% who
said it was very high.
• More downtown residents (64%) gave a high priority to environmental
programs-than residents of other areas (53%).
• Only 40% of residents with no college consider the environment a high
priority compared to roughly 56% of those who have at completed at least
some college courses and 60% of residents with graduate degrees.
• Only 41% of residents who are 65 or older gave a high priority rating to
environmental programs, compared to 63% of those between the ages of
35 and 49 and 53% of other age groups.
Street and sidewalk maintenance was rated a high priority among 50% with only 23%
saying it is a very high priority.
• Latinos (78%) and non-whites (59%) were more likely to give a high
priority to street maintenance than non-Latinos (46%) and whites (48%). In
fact, more Latinos gave this issue a high priority ranking than any other
service. Latinos were more than two and a half times as likely to assign it
a very high priority (50%) than were non-Latinos (19%).
° Nearly six out of 10 downtown residents (59%) ranked street and sidewalk
maintenance as a high funding priority, compared to 42% of Sunset and
Ocean Park residents and 52% in other areas.
Services Ranked As A High Priority By Fewer Than Half Of Residents
Finally, we can see in Table 30 on page 53 that recreation and sports programs were
given a high priority rating by only 45% and very high by 25%. This service was
considered a low priority by 22% and 32% rated it as a neutral " 3."
Just over a third (35%) assigned a high priority to funding to support non-profit
organizafions in Santa Monica. One out of four said it is a low priority and another
third gave it a " 3."
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 55
Tree trimming was considered a high priority by fewest residents - assigned a high
priority rating by only 31%, while 35% said it is a low priority and 34% gave it a
neutral rating of " 3."
• Recreation and sports programs were ranked as a high priority by
significant proportions of parents (53%), Latinos (61%), and non-whites
(59% rising to 63% of non-white men). Half of residents with less than
college degrees ranked recreation and sports programs high compared to
41 % of college grads. Proportions were also higher among residents in the
area north of Montana (52%).
• A rating of "high priority" for funding for non-profits reached 50% only
among residents of the downtown area.
• Tree trimming did not register as a high priority among 50% or more of
any city groups.
A COMPARISON OF SATISFACTION AND FUNDING PRIORITIES
For those services that were given both a satisfaction rating and a funding priority
by residents in this survey, we present a convenient way to compare them. Below in
Figure 5 is a "quadrant plot" that may help us easily distinguish which services have
a high funding priority among residents and also a low satisfaction rating -
indicating areas that may need to be focused on first for improvement.
"High Satisfaction' and "High Priority" are defined as services in which 50% or
more residents citywide assigned them one of the top two ratings of "4" or "5."
Begmning in the upper left quadrant of Figure 5 and moving clockwise, the
quadrants of the grid are:
I High Satisfaction /Low Priority
II High Satisfaction /High Priority
III Low Satisfaction /High Priority
IV Low Satisfaction /Low Priority
Again, note that some services included in the satisfaction battery are not included
in the priority battery -and also that some items tested for priority status were not
included in the satisfaction ratings. Only those services or program areas that
appeared in both batteries were presented in the following matrix.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research.
Detailed Findings Page 56
Figure 5: Satisfaction and Funding Priority -Quadrant Plot
100%
I
II
0 • Library
m ~ • Tree Trimming j
_ .N
S reefs, sidewalks
• I
Sports & Rec • Environment
50%
• Youth Services I
i
i
~ • Traffic
3 „ Homelessness
0
J N
`
N
~
I
II
N III
I
0%
0% 50% 100%
Low Priority High Priority
Quadrant I: High Satisfaction, Low Priority
In the upper left quadrant are high satisfaction services that fewer than 50% of
residents have said should be a top funding priority for the city. They are:
• Recreation and sports programs (59% satisfaction, 45% priority)
• Tree trimming (74% satisfaction, 31% funding)
• Maintenance of streets and sidewalks. (63% satisfaction, 50% funding).
Quadrant II: Low Satisfaction, High Priority
The lower right quadrant is the area that holds the services with lower resident
satisfaction ratings and which more than 50% of residents said should be made a
high priority for funding. This group of services includes both traffic and
homelessness.
City °f Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 57
• The homeless situation (31% satisfaction, 62% priority)
• Traffic congestion (33% satisfaction, 65% priority)
• Youth services (47% satisfaction, 67% priority).
Quadrant III: High Satisfaction, High Priority
Finally, in the upper right quadrant are the services and programs which have been
assigned a high priority by more than half of respondents, and which have also been
given a high satisfaction rating by more than half. These programs are:
• Senior services (51% satisfaction, 67% priority)
• Environmental programs (63% satisfaction, 54% priority)
• The public library (82% satisfaction, 62% priority)
Quadrant IV: Low Priority, Low Satisfaction
There are no services which fall into this lower left quadrant.
LAND USE AND CIRCULATION ELEMENT (LUCE)
After assigning. priorities to a series of services, residents were told that "The city has
been working on an new plan to deal with growth and traffic, which is called the Land Use
and Circulation Element of the City's General Plan." They were asked to assign a
priority from low to high on a five-point scale on several community issues.
As may be seen in Table 31, below, all of the elements were assigned a high funding
priority by at least half of residents. The most popular item - given a high priority
rating by eight out of 10 residents -was "protecting neighborhoods." Next was
"reducing traffic congestion" at 72%.
The next three items "Encouraging more alternatives to driving such as bike paths,
neighborhood shuttle buses, wider sidewalks for pedestrians, or the Expo light rail line,"
"Having ongoing public involvement in planning for the future of Santa Monica," and
"Having more affordable housing in Santa Monica' were assigned a high priority rating
by just over two out of three in each case.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 58
"Encouraging more local services within walking distance of neighborhoods such as dry
cleaners or small food stores' had the lowest proportion of high priority ratings at 56%,
and nearly one out of five (19%) assigned it a low priority of "1" or " 2."
We will examine each one of these issues in more detail below.
Table 31: LUCE
Percentage rating each item: Top
„
„ High
..
..
u
.. Low
~~
..
..
,~
..
6
Mean
5 4
&
5 1
2
& 3
Protecting neighborhoods 59 80 5 13 4:34
Reducing traffic congestion 54 72 10 16 4.14
Alternatives to driving, such as bike 50 69 10 18 4:06
paths; buses, walkwa s, li ht rail.
Public involvement in future city. 43 67 9 21 4.00
plannhig
More affordable housing in Santa 48 67 14 17 3:94
Monica.
Encourage walking distance services 37 56 19 24 3:68
such as cleaners and food stores
LUCE Element: Protecting Neighborhoods
The highest LUCE priority for residents, protecting neighborhoods, was a high priority
("4" or "5" rating) for 80% of Santa Monica residents citywide, with 59% saying it
was a top ("5") priority. Only five percent said this was a low priority and 13%
ranked it a middle " 3: ' Overall this element received a mean rating of 4.34.
• Protecting neighborhoods was a particularly high priority for Latinos
(93%) and non-whites (88%).
• More than rune out of 10 (91 %) downtown 90401 zip code residents
assigned a high priority to this LUCE element, compared to 81 % of those
in the Pico 90404 and Sunset/Ocean Park 90405 zip codes. The proportion
who assigned a high priority to protecting neighborhoods drops to about
three out of four in other areas of the city.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 59
° Eighty-three percent of residents living in single family homes gave it a
high priority, compared to 79% of those in apartments and 71% in condos
and townhouses.
• Higher proportions. of top priority ratings of "5" were given by: Latinos
(81%), non-whites (70%) those with some college (67%). Slightly higher
were residents in downtown 90401 (65%) and Sunset/Ocean park 90405
(63%) as well as those in single family homes (62%), and parents (62%).
LUCE Element: Reducing Traffic Congestion
As we have seen in earlier sections (see discussions beginning on pages 18, 37, and
53,) Santa Monica residents assigned high levels of seriousness (71 %) and priority
(65%) to the issue of easing traffic congestion.
When asked again about traffic in this context, 72% said it was a high priority
including 54% who gave it the highest rating. Only one out of 10 called it a low
priority and 16% ranked it at " 3" for an average rating of 4.14.
The highest rankings for traffic as a priority were similar to those found in previous
analyses including: 20 year or more residents (79%), those who believe traffic has
gotten worse (80%), and residents of the downtown 90401 zip code (81 %).
LUCE Element: EncouraQin¢ Alternatives to Drivin¢
This element was also enthusiastically received, earning an average rating of 4.06.
More than two out of three (69%) assigned it a high priority and half said it was a top
priority. Only one out of 10 said it was a low priority and 18% assigned it a middle
„3„
Enthusiasm for promoting driving alternatives is inversely proportional to the
related demographics of age and length of residency. More than half of younger
people and shorter term residents assigned it the very highest priority compared to
less than half of older and longer-term residents.
Seventy-six percent of residents under age 35 assigned it a high priority
compared to 59% of seniors.
Seventy-five percent of residents of less than 5 years gave it a high
priority, compared to 64% of 20+ year residents.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 60
High priority ratings for this element were also found among:
• Nearly three-fourths (74%) of residents in the Pico area of zip code 90404 ,
along with 69% of downtown (90401), Wilshire (90403), and the Sunset
and Ocean Park areas of 90405. Only 64% of those living north of
Montana agreed.
• Three out of four parents, compared to 66% of those who do not have
children.
• Seventy-eight percent of Latinos compared to 68% of non-Latinos.
• Roughly three-quarters of residents who have at most a high school
diploma (75%) and those with graduate degrees (74%), although possibly
for different reasons. Sixty-four percent of those with some college and
68% who have a bachelors' degree agreed.
In addition, more than half of the following groups gave this element the highest
rating of "5":
• Men (51%), park visitors (52%), and cultural event attendees (53%).
• Those who are satisfied with the city in general (53%) and residents who
have met their neighborhood resource officer (55%).
• Downtown 90401 (55%), Wilshire 90403 (54%) and Sunset/Ocean Park
90405 (56%) zip code areas.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 61
LUCE Element: More Affordable Housini;
hi a previous section, (see page 23), we found that over two-thirds of residents
considered lack of affordable housing a serious problem. In this context, virtually
the same proportion (67%) assigned it a high LUCE priority rating although less
than half (48 %) gave it the highest priority rating. Overall, it received an average
rating as a LUCE funding priority of 3.94. High priorities were assigned among:
• Apartment dwellers (76%) and the related category of renters (76%) more
so than homeowners (54%).
• Latinos (75%) and non-whites (76%) more than non-Latinos (66%) and
whites (65%).
• Younger residents are most concerned about affordable housing - 76% of
those under age 35 rated it as a high priority compared to 63% of residents
35 and older.
• .The Pico zip code 90404 (74%), downtown 90401 (71%), and the Sunset
and Ocean Park 90405 areas (67%) more so than those in Wilshire 90403
(61%) and north of Montana 90402 (62%) zip codes.
More than half of the following groups gave affordable housing a top rating of "5":
• Apartment dwellers (56%) and renters (56%).
• Latinos (53%) and non-whites (52%).
• Ages 18 to 34 (55%) and those resident between 5 and 19 years (52%).
• Infrequent park visitors (60%) and those who attend cultural events (54%).
° Downtown 90401 (54%); Pico 90404 (53%) and Sunset/Ocean park 90405
(51 %).
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 62
LUCE Element: Public Involvement in Plannine
Public involvement in city planning was also rated a high priority by two out of
three, the same level of priority given to affordable housing, but just over two out of
five residents (43%) assigned this issue the highest priority rating. Only nine
percent said it is a low priority, but more than one in five (21%) gave it a neutral
rating of " 3; ' for an average rating of 4.0.
• More longer-term residents (72%) rated this element. highly than did those
who have been in Santa Monica between 5 and 19 years (60%). Sixty-eight
percent of residents of less than 5 years agreed.
• Those who use the city's resources such as park visitors (69%) and those
who attended an art or cultural event in the city (73%) last year are
significantly more likely to rank public involvement in planning as a high
priority than those who did not go to a park (49%) or attend an event
(59%).
• Seventy percent of residents who feel that they are easily able to voice
their concerns to the city of Santa Monica about issues thaf concern them
ranked this element highly compared to 60% of others.
• Seventy-rune percent of residents of the Sunset Park area of 90405
prioritized this element highly along with 75 % of residents of the north of
Montana area of zip code 90404, compared to 65% of residents in other
areas.
• Latinos (72%) ranked public involvement in planning issues highly, even
more than other residents (66%).
• Other groups who rated involvement as a high priority were 50 to 64 year
olds (72%) and residents who have four-year college degrees (72%).
The only groups in which more than half gave this issue the highest ranking of °5"
were:
• Latinos (63%).
• Residents who have met their neighborhood resource officer (59%).
• Residents of the Sunset Park area of 90405 zip code (59%).
• Those who attended an art or cultural event (53 %).
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 63
LUCE Element: Services Within Walking Distance
Just over half (56%) said that encouraging the development of services such as dry
cleaners and food stores within walking distance of neighborhoods should be given
a high priority, including fewer than two in five (37%) who said it should be a tap
priority. This issue was given more low priority assignments (19%) than any other,
and 24% assigned it " 3." Overall, the average rating was 3.68.
Most likely to assign a high priority to this issue were:
• Residents of the 90402 zip code north of Montana (61%) and the Ocean
and Sunset Park areas of 90405 (57%).
• Latinos (62%) more than non-Latinos (55%).
• Residents who do not have college degrees (62%).
There were no subgroups in which half or more gave this item a top rating of "5."
We now will take a look at the experiences of those who interacted with Santa
Monica city departments and personnel.
INTERACTIONS WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS AND STAFF
We begin by finding out how many residents know they have a Santa Monica
neighborhood resource police officer assigned to their area, and how many have
contacted that officer. We then report their impression of the interaction. We will
then look at the experiences of those who made 911 calls to the police or paramedics,
and present responses from those who had non-emergency contact with the city as
well.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Surrey Goodwin Simori Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 64
CONTACT WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCE OFFICER
It seems that more could be done to publicize the existence and purpose of Santa
Monica s neighborhood resource officer program. When residents were asked if
they were "aware that there is a Santa Monica Police Department neighborhood resource
officer assigned to your neighborhood" most (71 %) said they were not.
• Residents of the Sunset and Ocean Park areas of zip code 90405 were least
likely to have heard of the neighborhood officer at 21%, while those in Pico
(90404) and downtown 90401 areas were most likely at 36% each.
• Residents living in single family homes (39%) were more likely than those
living in multi-family dwellings (20%), and homeowners (35%) were more
likely than renters (24%) to be aware of the program.
• Those under age 35 were least likely (20%) and those ages 65 and older were
most likely (36%) to have heard of the program, along with roughly three in 10
of residents of other age groups.
• In a finding that correlates with the previous two, there is a direct relationship
between length of residency and awareness of this program. Eighteen percent
of those who were residents in Santa Monica for less than five years were
aware of these officers, compared to 29% of 5 to 19 year residents and 35% of
longer term residents.
• Women (32%) were slightly more likely than men (25%) to have heard of the
program, and white women (35%) more likely than non-white women (26%).
Among those who were aware of the existence of a neighborhood officer, 38% had
met or had contact with that officer, and 62% had not.
To put this finding into another perspective, let's look at what proportion of Santa
Monica residents each of these numbers represent, citywide.
As noted above, 29% were aware that there is a Santa Monica Police Department
neighborhood resource officer assigned to their neighborhood, and 71% were not.
Among the 29% who were aware, 38% had met or contacted the officer,
which means that in tota111 % of all city residents had met or contacted
the officer:
Among the 29% who had heard of the program, the 62% who had NOT
met or been in contact with an assigned neighborhood resource officer
represents 18% of all city residents.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings - Page 65
The result of this calculation is illustrated in Figure 6 below.
Figure 6: Frequency of Contact With Neighborhood Resource Officer Among All City Residents
Met
HavenY
met
Officer
18%
Respondents who were aware of the existence of their neighborhood officer are a
fairly small group but there are a few subgroups in which significant differences
appeared. Due to their small size we will characterize the findings, rather than
giving hard percentages.
• Residents who had contacted the city with anon-emergency issue were
more likely to have heard of the neighborhood officer than those who had
not. The same is true for contacting the officer -just over half of that group
met or made contact with the officer as well.
• Residents of the Pico 90404 and Sunset and Ocean Park 90405 zip codes
were more likely to have met their officer than were residents of
downtown 90401, who were very unlikely to have met an officer at all.
• Non-whites are more likely to have met the resource officer than whites,
and non-white men were most likely of all.
• Residents with graduate degrees were more likely than other residents to
have met their neighborhood officer.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Pnge 66
Satisfaction With Neiehborhood Resource Officer
Those residents who had met or been in contact with an officer were then asked to
rate their satisfaction with the job the officer is doing in each of three areas. As seen
in Figure 7 below, the officers were generally given very positive reviews.
More than eight out of 10 said that they were saflsfied with the officer's
responsiveness to "local neighborhood issues or concerns' and they gave the same high
rating to the officer for "being accessible to you by phone or email." Three out of four
gave high marks for "working with local residents to help prevent crime."
Figure 7: Satisfaction Ratings Among Residents Who Met With Neighborhood Officer (N=4~
Accessible by
Phone or Email
Responsive to
Concerns
Crime Prevention
With Locals
0%
®Satisfied
6- ^Dissatisfied
Neither
~:.
100%
There are too few respondents in this group to look at the responses of individual
subgroups.
We will now take a look at how residents rate their interactions with emergency and
non-emergency calls to the city.
CONTACTING EMERGENCY 911
Seventeen percent of Santa Monica residents said they made at least one emergency
call to 911 in 2008. Ten percent made a call requesting police help and 11
requested paramedics. Four percent made at least one call of each type.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Surcey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 67
Overall Satisfaction with Emergency Services
Sixty-two percent of Santa Monica residents gave the city a satisfactory rating for
"providing emergency 911 services' and only three percent gave a rating of
"unsatisfactory." However, a high proportion of residents (24%) were unable to
provide a rating, and 11 % gave it a middle rating of " 3: '
Looked at among residents who made a 911 call to police or paramedics last year,
virtually no one rated the city's emergency services as unsatisfactory, as maybe seen
in Table 32 below which shows the satisfaction ratings among all respondents, as
well as among those who called for a police or medical emergency.
Seventy-nine percent of residents who made an emergency call to the police gave
the service a satisfactory rating, including 51% who gave it the highest rating of "5."
The city's emergency services were even more highly rated among those who had
made a call to paramedics - 84% were satisfied including 52% who were very
satisfied.
Table 32: Satisfaction with Emergency 911 Services Among All Residents, and 911 Callers
Percentages among:
Residlents Called
911 Police
N'_ 44 , Called 911 :
Paramedics '
N=49
5 - "Ve satisfied" 39 51 52
4 23 28 32
Total satisfied 62 79 84
3 11 8 7
2 2 - -
1 - "Ver dissatisfied" 1 - -
Total dissatisfied 3 - -
Dori tknow/NA 24 13 9
Mean . 4.29 4.49 4.94
In the sections that follow -Emergency Calls to The Police and Emergency Calls to
Paramedics, we will take a look at the residents who contacted 911 with a medical or
police emergency, and their experiences during and after those calls.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Researcfi
Detailed Findings _ Page 68
Emergency Calls to The Police
One out of 10 adults made a 911 call requesting emergency assistance from the Santa
Monica Police Department in 2008. This proportion is down sharply from the nearly
two in 10 found in previous surveys.
As Table 33 shows, more than seven out of 10 of those who called 911 for emergency
help said they were satisfied with the "response time to their emergency calls to the
Santa Monica Police in 2008" including 58 % who said they were very satisfied.
Thirteen percent said they were dissatisfied.
Table 33: Satisfaction With Police Response Time Among Emergency Callers (N = 44)
5 - "Ve satisfied" 58
4 13
Total satisfied 71
3 12
2 4
1 - "Ver dissatisfied" 9
Total dissatisfied 13
Dori t know/NA 5 ii
Mean '< 4.13
Emergency Calls to Paramedics
Eleven percent of adult residents made a 911 call for paramedics or for emergency
medical assistance in Santa Monica in 2008. This is virtually identical to the level of
medical emergency calls found izl previous surveys. As can be seen in Table 34, 85
of those who contacted 911 for a medical emergency were satisfied with the
paramedics response time to their call, including 75% who were very satisfied. Only
five percent of iiiat group were dissatisfied, and another five percent gave the city a
rating of " 3."
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 69
Table 34: Satisfaction With Paramedic Response Time Among Emergency Callers (N = 49)
5 - "Ve satisfied" 75
4 10
Total satisfied 85
3 5
2 1
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 4
Total dissatisfied 5
Doritknow/NA 5
Mean 4.56-
Issues With Emergency 911 Calls
New to the survey this year is a section on whether residents who made a call to 911
for either a medical or police emergency had any problems with communications or
delays. Residents who had contacted 911 were asked four yes/no questions and as
maybe seen in Figure 8, most had no problem in any of the categories.
Seventy-nine percent said they had no "difficulty in getting the responder to understand
the problem' they were calling about; 74% had no "delay due to being transferred
between different responder agencies" and 73% of did not experience a "delay on getting
through or being put on hold when using a landline." While almost two in three (64%)
were not delayed "in getting through or being put on hold when using a cell phone;' more
than one in four (26%) were.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Surrey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 70
Figure 8: Possible Problems With 911 Calls, Among Respondents Who Called (N =72)
No
Yes
D/K
• Among those who called 911. for a police emergency (N=44) 32% reported
experiencing a delay on a cell phone, 26% on a landline, and 27% were
delayed due to being transferred. Seventeen percent said they experienced
difficulties with communications or being understood.
• Among those who called 911 for a medical emergency (N=49)16% said
they were delayed on a landline, 25% on a cell phone,ll% and due to
being transferred. Fourteen percent had. trouble making themselves
understood.
CONTACTING THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
We asked all respondents whether they had been in touch with the city of Santa
Monica in 2008 for any non-emergency reason. Thirty-two. percent said they had
been. Table 35 below shows the proportion of the population who made such calls
over the years preceding the 2005, 2007 and 2009 surveys. The proportion who
contacted the city in 2008 decreased 17 points from 49% reported for 2006.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings _ Page 71
Table 35: Non Emergency Contact with The City of Santa Monica, 2004-2008
Percentages in: 2004. 2006 2008
Yes 45 49 32
No 52 49 68
Dori t know 2 2 -
Those most likely to have such contact with the city in 2008 include:
• White residents (34%) and non-Latinos (34%) more than Latinos (14%) and
non-whites (24%).
• Only 11 % of those with high school diplomas or less contacted the city,
compared to 28% of those with some college, 33% of college grads, and
53% of those with graduate degrees.
• Forty-two percent of residents age 50 to 65, compared to 18% of those
older, and 35% of younger residents.
• Forty percent of long term residents (20+ years) compared to 27% of
shorter term residents.
• Fifty-three percent of those who met a neighborhood resource officer,
compared to 28% of all others.
• Forty-seven percent of those who called 911 for a police emergency also
had non-emergency contact with the city, along with 43% of residents who
called 911 for paramedics. The rate of contact for those who did not call
emergency in either case was 30%.
• Residents who visited a park in 2008 contacted the city more often (33%)
than those who did not (20%), and frequent park visitors (25 times or
more) were even more likely (41 %) to have made such contact:
• Residents who use rely on city resources such as the city's website and the
Seascape newsletter (40%) were more likely to make contact than other
residents.
Cifiy of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings - Page 72
Satisfaction With City Staff Contact
We asked the nearly one third of residents who had contacted a Santa Monica city
department for any reason other than an emergency to rate their satisfaction with
the Santa Monica city staff they dealt with in the areas of courtesy, responsiveness,
and knowledge. They again used afive-point scale with "1" being very dissatisfied
and "5" being very satisfied.
As may be seen in Table 36 below, satisfaction ratings were very high on all counts.
Eighty percent of residents who had contacted the city gave city staff a high
satisfaction rating for courtesy, including 58% who said they were very satisfied.
Three out of four said they were satisfied with the staffs' level of knowledge and
71 % said they were satisfied with how responsive city staff had been to their needs.
Table 36: CityBtaff Interaction Ratings For Courtesy, Responsiveness and Knowledge (N =136)
Percentage rating for: .Courtesy Responsiveness Knowledge
5 = "Very Satisfied" 58 49 52
4 22 22 23
Total Satisfied SO 71 75
3 S 12 11
2 5 7 6
1 = "Very Dissatisfied" 5 9 5
Total Dissatisfied 10 16 11
Don't know 3 3 3
Mean 4.28 3;98 4.16
Since a different scale was used in previous years, results from the past cannot be
directly compared, but the satisfied/dissatisfied ratings are similar to those found in
2007.
Given the small size of the group there were no meaningful differences among
subgroups.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings ~ Page 73
PARK AND RECREATION SERVICES
Santa Monica residents were then asked about the city's parks -how often they visit
a park, how satisfied they were with the parks, and their impressions of park
cleanliness, safety, maintenance, and accessibility.
NUMBER OF PARK VISITS
Residents were asked how often they had visited a park in Santa Monica in 2008. As
shown in Table 37, the vast majority - 87% - of residents visited a park at least once,
which is the same proportion found ih 200Ts survey for park visits in 2006. Also
shown are park visits in 2004, as found by the survey in 2005.
About a third (32%) went to a park 25 times or more last year - an average of twice a
month. The average number of visits in 2008 overall was 40, and the median
number of visits was 10, slightly less than once a month. This is down slightly from
2006 when the average was 49 and the median 12.
Table 37: Number of Park Visits Per Year, 2004-2008
Peicentagesn: 2004 2006 2008
Didri t visit 16 12 12
1 to 2 10 13 12
3 to 5 12 11 17
6 to 12 14 17 18
13 to 24 8 9 8
25 to 100 19 26 22
100+ 17 11 10
Total Visited 80 87 87
.Don't know/NA 4 2 2
Mean 40 visits
er ear 49 visits
er ear 41 visits
, er ear
Median 12 aisits
per year 12 visits
per year 10 visits
per year
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 74
° As was the case in previous years, residents in the Sunset and Ocean Park
zip. code 90405 visited parks most often. In 2008, their average number of
visits was 56; a slight drop from 64 visits per year in 2006. Residents of
the Wilshire 90403 area visited parks an average of 53 times last year,
similar to the number of visits in 2006 found in the last survey. Fewer
visits, on average, were made by residents of downtown 90401 (21 visits
per year) and Pico 90404 (28 visits per year).
• Women visited a park on average 46 times a year, compared to 35 visits by
men.
• On average renters go more often (49 per year) than homeowners (30
times).
• On average, Latinos go less often (26 per year) than non-Latinos (43 per
year) and whites (44) go more often than non-whites (29).
• White women go most often of all, averaging 50 visits per year, and non-
white men least often, averaging 18 visits.
EVALUATION OF PARKS
The 86% of residents who visited a park last year were asked to evaluate their
experiences, first by giving an overall satisfaction rating on the familiar five-point
scale, and then to rate the parks on the criteria of safety, cleanliness, maintenance,
and convenience. '
As can be seen in Table 38, 85% of those who visited a park were very satisfied (54%)
or nearly so (41 %). Only four percent said they were dissatisfied, and nine percent
gave parks a rating of " 3." The overall rating among park-goers was 4.36.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Saroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 75
Table 38: Satisfaction with Santa Monica Parks, Among those who visited (N=380)
~%
5 - "Vex satisfied" 54
4 31
Total satisfied 85
3 9
2 2
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 2
Total dissatisfied 4
Doritknow/NA 2
Mean '' 4:36-
There was little variation by subgroup in response to this question.
All residents were then asked to rate whether a series of statements about Santa
Monica s parks were accurate or inaccurate.
As may be seen in Table 39, large majorities of residents deemed each of the
.statements as accurate, and most called them "very accurate:" "Safe for families and
children"(58% very accurate), "Clean" (60%), "Well-maintained" (64%), and
"Convenient to your home" (68%).
Table 39: Accurate or Inaccurate Description of Santa Monica Parks
Percentage rating each description: Vexy
Accurate.' Somewhat
Accurate Inaccurate +Not Sure
Safe for Families 58 28 10 5
Clean 60 28 10 3
Well-maintained 64 25 8 4
Convenient 68 20 9 3
There was little variation among subgroups on this, with exceptions below.
• Residents in the Sunset and Ocean Park areas of zip code 90405 were most
enthusiastic, giving ratings of 91 % or higher for accuracy on each of the
statements. Ninety-three percent of Wilshire residents in the 90403 zip
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Siman Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 76
code said that it was accurate to say that parks are convenient to their
home.
Seven out of 10 residents who never visited a park last year rated each of
the statements as accurate, even though larger proportions of between
19% and 26% were unable to answer each of the questions. Roughly nine
out of 10 park-goers said each of the statements was accurate. Positive
responses increased in proportion to the number of times residents visited
a park.
We now will take a look at Santa Monica residents' satisfaction with the city's
beaches.
EVALUATYON OF BEACHES
All residents were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with Santa Monica's
beaches. Only 11% said they hadri t visited a beach in Santa Monica last year.
Sixty-one percent were satisfied with the beaches including 41% who were very
satisfied as maybe seen in Table 40. below. Only seven percent said they were
dissatisfied and 17% rated the beaches a " 3." Overall, beaches received an average
rating of 4.36.
Table 40: Satisfaction with Santa Monica s Beaches
%
5 - "Very satisfied" 41
4 20
Total satisfied 61
3 17
2 4
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 3
Total dissatisfied 7
Dori t know/NA 5
Didri t o to a beach 11
Mean '- 4.07
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin. Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings PaSe 77
As already noted, only 11 % of all residents did not visit the beach last year, but some
subgroups notably stayed away in higher proportions:
• About a third (32%) of residents 65 or older didn't visit the beach last year.
° Long time residents were also more likely to say they didn't go to the
beach (17%).
• Those who didn't visit a park in 2008 were twice as likely not to have
visited the beach (21%) as park-goers (9%).
• Women went less often (14%) than men (7%).
• Twenty-one percent of those who haven t attended college didn't go.
• Not visiting a beach was most common among downtown residents of
90401 zip code (19%) and lowest among Sunsetand Ocean Park 90405 zip
code residents (4%). Residents living north of Montana in 90402 and in the
Wilshire area 90403 were in the middle at 13%. Eight percent of those
living in Pico 90404 didn't go.
Satisfaction ratings for the beaches, very high overall, were higher among some
groups than others:
• Satisfaction was highest among those who were most likely to go to the
beach- 74% of Ocean Park area residents were satisfied, including 50%
very satisfied. Downtown residents, least likely to go to the beach, had a
satisfaction rating of 54%.
• Sixty-three percent of residents younger than 65 were satisfied with the
beaches, especially 35-49 year olds -nearly half said they were very
satisfied (47%).
• Residents with four-year degrees were more likely to be satisfied (68%,
with 48% very satisfied) along with 64% of those with graduate degrees
and 58% of those who attended some college. Fewer beach-goers and less
satisfied residents were more likely to be found among those who did not
attend college - 21% didri t go to the beach, and 45% were satisfied.
° There was no statistical difference in satisfaction between men and
women overall, but women under age 50 (66%) were very slightly more
satisfied than men of that age (61 %). Those over age 50 stayed away
more often -15 % of men and 21 % of women in that age group didn't go to
the beach.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 7S
• Non-white women were more likely to go to the beach than white women
(9%non-attendance compared to 16%), but less likely than that group to
be satisfied (56% compared to 62%).
We now turn to residents' experiences at art and cultural events in Santa Monica.
ATTENDANCE AT ART AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Residents were asked if they attended "any arts or cultural activities specifically in
Santa Monica° in 2008 and 52% said that they had.
This is barely changed from the 49% who reported attending an event the previous
year in 200Ts survey, as may be seen in Figure 9, below.
Figure 9: Attendance at Arts or Cultural Events in Santa Monica, 2006-2008
2008
2006
I52
8
®Yes
^ No/DK
49
51
10 20 30 40 50 60
Resident with college degrees were more likely than those without to have
attended an event last year. Thirty-six percent of residents who did not go
beyond high school attended an event, rising to 50% among those with
some college, and to 60% of residents with a 4 year degree and 55% of
those with graduate degrees.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suruey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 79
Possibly due to the conflation of parks and cultural events, residents who
went to a park last year were much more likely to have attended an arts or
cultural event as well. Nearly six out of 10 (57%) of those who went to a
park at least once also attended a cultural event. That rose to 66% of
frequent park goers (25 times or more last year), compared to only 16% of
those who did not go to a park last year who attended an art or cultural
event.
Downtown residents in the 90401 zip code (57%) and residents in Sunset
and Ocean Park areas of 90405 (58%) were most likely to have attended an
arts or cultural event. More than half (54%) of Pico 90404 zip code
residents did as well, along with fewer than half (46%) of the rest of the
city.
We will now take a look at how residents rate communications with the city of Santa
Monica.
CITY COMMUNICATIONS WITH RESIDENTS
Residents were first asked whether they feel they have the opportunity to have input
on major community decisions that affect their lives. They were then asked to rate
their satisfaction with how the city communicates with residents, and where they
most often get city news and information.
These questions were followed by a new question added this year to investigate
how best to reach residents incase of an emergency.
We begin by looking at whether residents feel they have the opportunity to give
their input on community matters.
OPPORTUNITY TO AFFECT COMMUNITY DECISIONS
We asked residents again this year "Do you feel that you have the opportunity to voice
your concerns to the city of Santa Monica on major community decisions that affect your
life?„
More than seven out of 10 (71%) said that they did, 26% said they did not; and three
percent wereri t sure. As shown in Figure 10, this is very similar to the findings
from previous years, although it is down slightly from the 76% who responded
positively in 2007.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Siman Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page SO
Figure 10: Opportunity to Communicate About Community Decisions, 2002-2009
2009
2007
2005
2002
Most likely to say they don't feel they have any input into community
decisions are residents who did not visit a park (47%) or attend a cultural
event (37%) and those whose main source of information is the Los
Angeles Times (32%). Similarly 37% of the least educated residents felt
they had no input.
Fully 85% of those living in the Pico 90404 zip code. district said they feel
they do have input, along with 78% of the downtown 90401 zip code and
64% of the rest of the city. The proportion who said they dori t have input
rises to a third among residents living north of Montana in 90402 (33%),
and to 43% among residents in the Sunset Park area in eastern 90405.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Saraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings I'a$e 81
SATISFACTION WITH CITY'S EFFORTS TO COMMUNICATE
Next, residents were asked to rate their "satisfaction with the City's efforts to
communicate with Santa Monica residents through newsletters, the Internet, and other
means."
As may be seen in Table 41, 57% said they were satisfied and only 13% dissatisfied.
Thirty-one percent were very satisfied. Just over one in four (27%) gave a rating of
" 3." Overall, the city received an 3.71 average rating for communication.
Table 41: Satisfaction with the City's Communicaflon Efforts
5 - "Vei satisfied" 31
4 26
Total satisfied 57
3 27
2 7
1 - "Ve dissatisfied" 6
Total dissatisfied 13
Doritknow/NA 3
Mean 3.71
There were very few differences, by subgroup on this question with a few
exceptions, listed below.
• Those who said they feel able to voice theif concerns to the city were more
than twice as likely to be satisfied than those who feel that they have no
input into community decisions (67% compared to 32%).
• Residents younger than 50 (59%) were slightly more satisfied than older
residents (55%) and nearly two-thirds (65%) of women over the age of 50
were satisfied, compared to only 41 % of men of that age.
• Only 45% of residents who reported relying on the Los Angeles Times for
Santa Monica news and information said they were satisfied with the
city's communication efforts.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 82
MAIN SOURCE OF CITY NEWS AND INFORMATION
A question asking residents for up to three source or sources "you use the most to find
out about City news, information, and programs" has been included on surveys in Santa
Monica dating back to 2000; as is seen in Figure 11.
11: Sources of City Information, 2000-2009 (up to three replies)
City's Website
Seascape
Newsletter
Mirror
Daily Press
City TV
LA Times
®2009
^ 2007
82005
^ 2002
^ 2001
O 2000
As has been the case in past surveys, the city's website was cited as one of the most
often used resources. Roughly one out of four residents (27%) cited it as a source of
information this year, along with the Seascape newsletter which continued to be
mentioned at about the level (27%) it held for the past several years. Reliance on the
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 83
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Mirror was similar to 200Ts level at 17%, and the 14% who mentioned the Daily
Press was similar to 200Ts findings as well.
Continuing a relative decline was the proportion mentioning City TV -13% this
year, down from 17% in 2007 and from its high of 29% in 2000. The proportion
relying on the Los Angeles Times also declined, dropping 11 points from 20% in
2007 to nine percent this year.
Eight percent mentioned the city's postcards as a source of information, similar to
the 10% found in the last few surveys.
• The. Seascape newsletter was mentioned most often by those with graduate
degrees (35%), residents between the ages of 50 and 64 (36%), and women
over the age of 50 (36%). Frequent park-goers (25 times a year or more)
were most likely to cite the newsletter at 41%. Only 18% of residents who
never went to a park last year mentioned it; compared to 29% of park
goers overall. More than a third (34%) of those who contacted the city for
a non-emergency issue last year cited the newsletter, compared to 24% of
those who did not. Almost a third of residents who said they feel they
have input into community affairs read the newsletter, compared to 19%
of those who do not. Among white women, 32% say they read Seascape
compared to 23% of white men. Apartment and single-family home
dwellers are about equally likely to read it. Those who read Seascape were
much more aware of programs to help the homeless (at 32%) compared to
non-readers (at 22%).
• Residents who relied most on the city website were those with advanced
degrees (36%),18-34 year olds (38%), and the age-related category of
residents who have lived in the city less than five years (39%). Website
use was lower among older residents - 26% of 50-64 year olds; and 5% of
65 and older. Overall, just over a third of those under age 50 accessed the
site, compared to 17% of older residents. Cell phone users were more
likely than land line users to look at the web site (41% to 24%). Women
were more likely than men (39% to 25%) to use the website. For some
reason, condo dwellers were more likely than others to use the website (at
42%). Latinos were less likely to use the website at 16%, compared to 29%
for non-Latinos.
• The Mirror. was cited most often by residents in the city of 5 to 19 years
(22%), those in single family homes (21%), Latinos (23%), non-whites
(22%), and residents older than 64 (23%). It is a particular favorite of men
over age 50 (29%) and residents living north of Montana (27%).
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Surrey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page S4
• City TV was a more common source of information for parents (17%),
residents over age 65 (17%), and men under the age of 50 (15%). Those
with less education relied on City TV more than those with more
education: 18% of no college and 14% of some college residents did so,
compared to 10% of those with college degrees. Among land line
respondents, l4% watch City TV compared to just 5% of wireless
respondents. Among newcomers (under 5 years in Santa Monica), 16%
say they watch City TV, compared to about 10% of others.
° The Los Angeles Times was mentioned by 16% of those over age 65 and
only 2% of those under age 35, along with 10% of those of other ages.
Fifteen percent of women over age 50 mentioned it compared to 7% of
everyone else.
BEST WAY TO DISSEMINATE EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Anew question this year queried residents on the best means of reaching them in an
emergency. Residents were told "The city may create a system to communicate
information to residents of Santa Monica in the event of an emergency" and asked which
communication method would be the best way for the city to reach them in the
event of an emergency.
As Table 42 shows, the majority of residents citywide said that the best way to reach
them is with a telephone call. Seventeen percent each said that text messages or
email was the best way, two percent mentioned something else, and three percent
said not to contact them at all.
Table 42: Best Method of Emergency Communication with Santa Monica Residents
Tele hone 60
Text Messa e 17
Email 17
Other 2
None 3
Doritknow/NA 1
Not surprisingly, age and education level are the main defining factors in the choice
of communication method; most likely due to a correlation with greater access to the
Internet as well as use of cell phones capable of receiving email and texts.
Cifiy of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Surrey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page S5
As seen in Table 43 which breaks this question out by age group, nearly eight out of
10 residents over the age of 65 chose the telephone as the best method of reaching
them, and only a small handful in that age group chose other methods.
Text messages were chosen by 16% of 45 to 49 year-olds and by a third of those
under age 35.
Email was the choice of between 17% and 21% of those under age 65. Only 44% of
the youngest group chose a telephone call as the best method.
Table 43: Best Method of Emergency Communication, by Age Group
::Percentages among:, Ages
18-34
N=116 Ages
45 49
N=132 Ages...
50 64'
N=94 Ages
65+
N=73
Tele hone 44 59 66 78
Text Messa e 33 16 9 7
Email 17 21 19 5
Other 1 1 2 5
None 5 3 3 4
Don't know/NA 2 1 - -
Other demographic differences are noted below.
• Residents with less education were more likely to choose the telephone -
67% of those with no degree compared to 56% of residents with
undergraduate degrees and 50% of those with graduate degrees. Those
with four-year degrees chose email (24%) over text messages (19%) while
residents with graduate degrees chose them about equally (19% and 20%).
• While similar proportions of men (59%) and women (61 %) said the
telephone is the best method, men who didri t choose the telephone
preferred email (19%) to a text message (13%) while women preferred
texting (21%) to email (14%). Email was preferred by 24% of men under
the age of 50, compared to roughly 14% of everyone else.
• Residents in single family dwellings preferred being contacted by
telephone (65%) more than those in apartments (59%) or condos and town
homes (51 %) Apartment dwellers who didri t choose the telephone
preferred text messages (23%) over. email (14%) while the opposite was
true for others.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 86
HOMELESS ISSUES AND PROGRAMS
New to the survey this year are questions regarding homeless initiatives undertaken
by the City of Santa Monica over the last two years.
AWARENESS OF HOMELESS PROGRAMS
All residents were asked if they were "aware of any local programs to address the
problem of homelessness in Santa Monica. Just over half (51 %) had heard of them, 47%
had not, and 2% wereri t sure.
There were few significant variations across subgroups:
• Awareness was highest among longer-term residents (61 % aware),
frequent park visitors (61 %), residents who gave money to panhandlers
(59%), and residents of downtown (59%). Also more aware were residents
in single family homes (58%), white women (57%), those with graduate
degrees (64%), residents between the ages of 50 and 64 (62%), and in
particular, women over age 50 (64%).
• Residents who reported that they consult sources such as the city website
and Seascape newsletter for their information were more aware (54%) as
were those who relied on local media (62%).
• Least aware of such programs were 18-34 year olds (63% unaware), people
who never attended college (60%), Latinos (60%), and short-term residents
(58%).
GIVING MONEY TO PANHANDLERS-
Residents were then asked if they gave "any money directly to a homeless person or
panhandler in Santa Modica" last year. Those who did so were asked how many times
they did so.
More than half (56%) of residents said they did not give any money to panhandlers,
while 44% said they had done so. Awareness of the cit~s homeless programs had
little impact on such giving - 51 % of those who were aware of the cites homeless
programs gave money to a panhandler last year and 49% did not.
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Saraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page S7
• Men (49%) were more likely than women (39%) to have given money.
• More than eight out of ten of those who dori t visit parks said they did not
give money last year, compared to nearly half (48%) of park-goers who
did give money to a homeless person.
• Residents of the Sunset Park area of 90405 were more likely to give (65%)
than their zip code neighbors in Ocean Park (50%). Fewer than half (48%)
of residents living in 90402 north of Montana gave. Those living in the
Wilshire area were least likely to have given money at 35%.
• Half of residents between the ages of 35 and 64 gave money compared to
40% of younger residents and 33% of older residents. Men under 50 were
the most likely to give (51%) and women over 50 the least likely (38%).
As shown in Table 44, just over four in 10 (43%) of those who gave money to
panhandlers last year did so five times or fewer. A similar proportion (44%) gave
money between 6 and 25 times last year, and 12% gave 26 times or more.
The mean number of handouts among those. who gave was 14, or just over once a
month, and the median was every other month.
Table 44: Frequency of Giving to Panhandlers, Among Those Who Gave in 2008 (N=189)
0 2
1 4
2 to 5 39
6 to 10 21
11 to 25 23
26 to 50 9
51 or more 3
Mean 14
Median 6 "
There were no significant differences across subgroups on this measure.
Irt the final section, we look at the frequency of ridership of the Big Blue Bus and
then examine the sample demographics.
City °f Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings - Page SS
BIG BLUE BUS USE
Half of Santa Monica residents rode the Big Blue Bus last year. This level is virtually
unchanged from previous findmgs in studies conducted in 2001, 2002, 2005, and
2007. h1 each case, the survey asked about ridership the previous year, as shown in
Figure 12.
Figure 12: Big Blue Bus Ridership 2000-2008
60
50
40
30
20
10
2000 2001 2004 2006 2008
® Yes
^ No
• Ridership was highest in the Ocean park area of the 90405 zip code (63%),
and in the Pico 90404 area code (59%) than elsewhere in the city. It was
lowest among residents north of Montana (37%) and in the Wilshire area
of 90403 (46%).
• Residents who went to parks in 2008 (52%) were more likely to ride the
bus than those who didn't (33%); and the same was true of those who
attended arts or cultural events (57% vs. 42%).
• Age was slightly correlated with bus ridership - from a high of 56%
among adults under 35, to 46% of those over age 65. Men under the age of
50 were most likely at 56%. Half of residents between the ages of 35 and 64
reported riding the bus.
• Renters were more likely to ride (58%) than homeowners (38%); and those
living in apartments (58%) more than those in single family homes (40%)
or condos (49%).
• Latinos had a much higher ridership (70%) than non-Latinos (47%); and
non-whites (61%) were more likely to ride than whites (48%).
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Saruey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 89
SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS
Irl addition to the substantive service questions and policy issues it addresses, the
survey includes a detailed series of demographic questions. The following section
presents the results for these demographic questions in graphical form, with
comments about the findings and subgroup differences where they are of interest.
LENGTH OF RESIDENCE
Just under one in four Santa Monica residents have lived in the city for less than five
years, one in five between five and nine years, and 55 % for more than 10 years. The
average length of residency is 16 years, with a median of 11. The mean is similar to
the 18 year mean found in 2007.
13: Length of Residence
14+yeus
45
O to4ye azs
24%
5 to9yeazs
20%
11%
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suraey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 90
ZIP CODE DISTRIBUTION.
14: Areas by Ziu Code
soaos -
(Sunset/
Ocean P
25%
auvuv-taco
& Mid Cfty)
25%
TYPE OF RESIDENCE
90402 (N. of
Montana)
Montana)
24°~
Nearly four out of 10 in Santa Monica live in single family homes, 45% live in an
apartment, l4% live in a condo or townhouse.
15: Twe of Residence
ToWnltouse nrhar/T)k
Tingle
:amity
39Yo
Aparaneiu
45Y
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings I'aSe 91
saaot
OtherMot sure (Downtown)
3°k g°~
OWN OR RENT
Nearly six out of 10 (58%) in the city of Santa Monica rent and 42% own their homes.
• .Those who have lived in the city less than five years are least likely to own
- 75% are renters, compared to 45% of those in the city between 5 and 19
years, and 51 % of longer term residents. Still, nearly half of those living in
the city for more than 20 years are renting.
• Ownership is highest in the 90402 zip north of Montana at 60%, and
lowest in the Pico area at 33%.
38% of Latinos own homes, and 42% of non-Latinos. Forty-three percent
of whites are homeowners, along with 39% of non-whites.
CHILDREN IN HOUSEHOLD
Nearly. seven in 10 (69 %) of Santa Monica residents do not have children age 17 or
younger in their households and 30% do. More than half of residents between the
ages of 35 and 49 have a minor child at home, compared to 37% of younger residents
and 17% of those older than 50.
Of those who have children, half have one child, 35% have two, and 16% have three
or more.
16: Minor Children in Household
17u~ee or
Zoo more.
11% 5`~°
One
15%
69%
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings - I'a8e 92
RACE /ETHNICITY
Overa11,14% of residents are Hispanic or Latino. Whites make up 77% of the city's
population, 4% black or African-American, 4% Asian, and 14% "other" or mixed
race.
Figure 17: Race and Ethnicity
White 77
Black 4
Asian 4
Native American 1
Something else 8
Mixed Race 5
DK/Ref 2
Latino 14
Non-Latino 86
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Survey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 93
EDUCATION
Eighteen percent of Santa Monica residents in this survey had a high school
education or less, 26% attended some college or trade school, 36% had earned an
undergraduate degree and 20% had a graduate degree.
1S: Educational Attainment
Graduate High School
Degree or less
20% 18Yo
City of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Saroei,/ Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 94
-- Y6%
36%
AGE
Only 6% of respondents were under the age of 24. Twenty-one percent were
between 25 and 34, and another 21 °f° between 35 and 44. 45 to 54 year olds made up
18% of the respondents, l4% were 55 to fi4 and 17% were 65 or older including 10%
who were 75 or older.
19:
65 to 74 75+
na, 30%
55 t
1S
Refused 18 to 24
3 % 6% 25 to 34
Cihj of Santa Monica 2009 Resident Suroey Goodwin Simon Victoria Research
Detailed Findings Page 95
18Y 21%
N = 430 GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH WEIGHTED RESULTS
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2008 Resident Study January, 2009
RespondentlD#
Date
Time Started
Time. Ended
GENDER
Interview Length
MALE ............. 49%
FEMALE ........51
Hello, I'm from G-S-V Research, a national public opinion research firm. We've been asked
by the city of Santa Monica to conduct a survey of local residents about their satisfaction with city services and
programs, and your telephone number was selected at random. We are not trying to sell you anything. All of
your responses will be kept strictly confidential
LAND LINES ONLY READ
According to the research procedure, may I speak to the person in the house who is 18 or older who had the
most recent birthday? [IF RESPONDENT SAYS NO OR NOT NOW, ASK TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR.
LATER].
[REPEAT INTRODUCTION IF RESPONDENT IS NOT PERSON WHO FIRST ANSWERED PHONE]
LAND LINE VOTERS SKIP TO Q.1
IF CELL PHONE SAMPLE ONLY ASK Q.A:
A. This sounds like a cell phone. Are you in a place where you can safely talk on your cell phone?
Yes safe place (SKIP TO 01) --------------100%
No not safe-------------------------TERMINATE
No not cell phone (ASK O.B) ------------------0
(DON'T READ) DK/NA----------TERMINATE
IF RESPONDENT SAYS NOT IN SAFE PLACE, TELL THEM YOU WILL CALL BACK AND TRY TO REACH
THEM WHEN THEY CAN TALK SAFELY. THEN THANK AND HANG UP
ASK O.B ONLY IF NOT CELL PHONE (PUNCH 2) ON Q.A
B. You said this was not a cell phone I reached you on. Did you forward your cell phone number to this
phone, or was this not. a cell phone number that 1 called you on?
Forvvarded (ASKO.1)---------------------------1
Not cell phone --------------------TERMINATE
(DON'T READ) Other -----------TERMINATE
(DON'T READ) DK/NA ---------TERMINATE
First, do you currently live in the city of Santa. Monica, or do you live in Los Angeles or some other city?
In Santa Monica-----------------------------------1
Other City ---------------------------TERMINATE
(DON'T READ) DK/NA---------TERMINATE
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 2
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
2. How long have you lived in Santa Monica? .(RECORD EXACT NUMBER OF YEARS, AND CODE IN
RANGES: FOR EXAMPLE RECORD 2 YEARS AS 002 -CODE REFUSED AS 999) (RECORD AS 1
YEAR IF RESPONSE IS LESS THAN 1 YEAR)
0-4 YEARS----------------------------------------------------------- 24%
5-9 YEARS----------------------------------------------------------- 20
10-13 YEARS ------------------------------------------------------- 11
14+ YEARS ---------------------------------------------------------- 44
(DON'T READ) DK/NA---------------------------------------------1
Mean ----------------------------------------------------------16 years
Mediam----------------------------------°-----°------°-----11 years
Now, I'd like you to rate your satisfaction with the job the City of Santa Monica is doing to provide city
services. Use a 1 if you are very DlSsatisfied with the job the City of Santa Monica is doing to provide city
services, or use a 5 if you are very satisfied. Or you can use any number in between.
VERY VERY DK/
DIS SAT NA MEAN
1 2 3 4 5 9
To provide city services-----------------------------------9%--- 3%----20%----35%--------32% -- -- 1% 3.79
4. Now, what would you say are the one or two most important issues facing the City of Santa Monica today?
(RECORD UP TO TWO RESPONSES -RECORD VERBATIM RESPONSES BELOW, THEN
SUPERVISORS CODE)
(DON'T READ)
Crime ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 %;
Gangs --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
Taxes too high ----------------------------------------------------------------------1
Education ----------------------------------------------------------------------------4
Lack of parking --------------------------------------------------------------------9
Environmental concerns ---------------------------------------------------------5
Too much growth/development ----------------------------------------------13
Too many homeless/homeless causing problems----------------------- 31
Not enough services for the homeless ---------------------------------------1
Lack of affordable housing ------------------------------------------------------3
Creating more jobs/improving the business climate/economy ------- 11
Not enough parks/problems with parks --------------------------------------0
Traffic/congestion/can't get in or out of city at rush hours ------------- 32
Roads being torn up---------------------------------------------------------------3
Rent control -------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Not enough police --------------------------------------------°-------------------0
Overcrowding/population --------------------------------------------------------4
Budget crisis -not enough funding for city services----------------------4
Airport noise-------------------------------------------------------------------------1
Other --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $
None ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
Not Sure/Refused------------------------------------------------------------------5
+Total exceeds 100% as 2 responses were accepted
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 3
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
5. Now, please rate each of the following possible problems in Santa Monica on a scale of 1 to 5. Use a 1
if you feel the problem in NOT serious at all, and a 5 if you feel it is a VERY serious problem in Santa
Monica. Use any number from 1 to 5. (ROTATE)
NOT VERY DK
SER SER NA MEAN
1 2 3 4 5 9
[l a. Traffic congestion-------------------------------------------3%---7%----18%----26%--------45%-- -----1% 4.04
b.
[ ] The affordabilit of housin ----6 ----- 5-------18-------23-----------45-----
Y 9 -------------------------- -----3 3.98
[ 1 c. Gangs -------------------------------------------------------19 ----23-------25-------14-----------13----- -----6 2.77
[ ] d: The number of homeless people in the city----------5 ----10-------21-------20-----------43----- -----2 3.87
e.
I ] Lack of arkin -------------6 ----13-------22-------21 -----------37-----
P 9 --------------------------------- -----1 3.70
[ l f. -------- 12 ----25 -------31-------18-----------11----- -----3
Crime ------------------------------------------------ 2.90
6. Next, would you say that each of the following has gotten better or worse in Santa Monica over the l ast
few years; or stayed about the same? (IF BETTER/WORSE ASK): "Is that MUCH (better/worse) or just a
little?" (ROTATE)
MUCH S.W. STAYED S.W. MUCH DK/
BETTER BETTER SAME WORSE WORSE NA
[ 1 a. Crime -------------------------------------3%--------- 11%--------54%--------14%---------6%-------- 12%
[ ] b. The number of homeless people --2 ----------- 11 ----------37-----------20---------- 25 ------------5
[ [ c. Traffic congestion----------------------1 -------------3 ----------27-----------28---------- 39 ------------3
7. And now, please rate your satisfaction with the job the city of Santa Monica is doing in each of the
following areas. Use a 1 if you are very DlSsatisfied with the job the city is doing in that area,, or use a 5 if
you are very SATISFIED. Or you can use any number in between: (ROTATE)
VERY VERY DK
DIS SAT NA MEAD
1 2 3 4 5 9
[ ] a. In collecting trash and recycling from your home --3%--- 4%----14%----29%--------49%-- -----1%4.17
[ ] b. In enforcing the city's noise laws -----------------------5 ----- 8-------21-------35-----------20----- ---12 3.66
[ ] c. In keeping traffic on city streets flowing
smoothly ---------------------------------------------------- 17 ----17-------33-------21 -----------12 ----- -----1 2.96
[ ] d. In providing public library services ---------------------1 ----- 2-------11-------20-----------62----- -----5 4.47
[ ] e. With street and sidewalk maintenance----------------5 ----- 8-------24-------37-----------26----- -----1 3.72
[ ] f. In putting out and preventing fires----------------------2 ----- 3-------10-------22-----------49----- --- 14 4.32
[ ] g. In enforcing laws against aggressive begging
or panhandling -------------------------------------------- 12 ----17-------29-------19-----------13----- --- 10 3.04
[ ] h. In providing emergency 9 1 1 services----------------1 ----- 2-------11-------23-----------39----- --- 24 4.29
[ ] i. In removing graffiti -----------------------------------------4 ----- 8-------22-------31-----------27----- -----7 3.75
[ ] j In keeping city streets and alleys clean---------------5 ----10-------27-------29-----------28----- -----1 3.65
.
[ ] k. In providing cultural and arts opportunities ----------3 ----- 6-------20-------29-----------34----- -----8 3.94
[ ] I. In keeping street trees trimmed-------------------------3 ----- 6-------15-------34-----------40----- -----2 4.04
[ ] m. In enforcing laws against overnight camping
in parks and doorways ----------------------------------10 ----10-------28-------20-----------15----- ---17 3.25
[ ] n. In helping the community be more environmentally
responsible---------------------------------------------------4 ----- 5-------22-------31-----------32----- -----5 . 3.85
[ ] o. In providing services for youth --------------------------2 ----- 5-------23-------24-----------23----- --- 24 3.79
[] p.
[ ] q. In providing services for seniors------------------------1 -----4-------16-------23-----------28-----
In providing recreation and sports programs--------2 ----- 4-------22-------27-----------32----- ---29
~--- 14 4.03
3.97
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 4
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
VERY VERY DK
DIS SAT NA MEAN
[ ] r. In enforcing the city's building and zoning
laws ------------------------------------------------------------8 ----- 7=------26-------21-----------16----- --- 24 3.39
[ ] s. In enforcing laws that keep public spaces
clean and safe for everyone -----------------------------4 ----- 5-------27-------35-----------27----- -----2 3.78
[ ] t. In dealing with homeless people in Santa Monica 18 ----17-------27-------17-----------14----- -----6 2.92
[ ] u. In reducing crime and protecting public safety------2 ----- 4-------32-------36-----------22----- -----3 3.75
8. Like all cities in California, Santa Monica'is facing budget challenges caused by the recession. To
understand the community's priorities, the city is asking people to rate different services the city now
provides. Please rate each of the following services on a scale of 1 to 5. Use a 1 if you think that service
should be a low priority for funding, and a 5 if you think it should be a tom priority for city funding. Or you
can use any number in between. (ROTATE)
DK
LOW TOP NA MEAN
] a.
] b.
] c.
1 2 3 4 5
Public libraries-----------------------------------------------5%--- 8%----24%----22%-------40%
Recreation and sports -------------------------------------7 ----15-------31-------20-----------25--
Services for seniors, such as cultural programs
and referrals to medical services-----------------------2 ----- 4-------22 -------29-----------38--
Tree trimming ---------------------------------------------13 ----22-------34-------15-----------16--
Homeless services-----------------------------------------7 ----- 6-------21 -------23-----------39--
Services for youth, such as child care for pre-school
kids and assistance for at-risk teens ------------------2 ----- 6-------23-------26-----------41 --
Emergency preparedness--------------------------------2 ---=- 4-------18-------23-----------49--
Traffic reduction --------------------------------------------6 ----- 8-------19-------19-----------46--
Environmental programs----------------------------------6 ----- 9-------29-------22-----------32--
Street and. sidewalk maintenance ---------------------- 7 ----11-------32-------27-----------23 --
Funding to support nonprofit organizations in
Santa Monica------------------------------------------------9 ----16-------33-------17-----------18--
9
2%3.87
2 3.41
] d.
] e,
] f.
[] 9~
[ ] h.
[] i~
[ ] 1~
[}k.
9.
4 4.01
1 2.98
3 3.84
3 4.01
4 4.19
1 3.92
3 3.68
1 3.50
7 3.21
Over the last several years, the city has been working on a new plan to deal with growth and traffic. This
plan is called the LUCE [loose], the Land Use and Circulation Element of the city's General Plan.
Following are some possible priorities for the LUCE plan. Please rate each one on a scale of 1 of 5. Use
a 1 if you think that item should be a very LOW priority. Use a 5 if you think it should be a top priority. Or
you can use any number in between. (ROTATE)
1 2 3 4 5
[] a. Reducing traffic congestion------------------------------4%---8%----16%----18%--------54%
[1 b: .Protecting neighborhoods--------------------------------2-----3-------13-------21-----------59--
[ ] c. Encouraging more local services within walking
distance of neighborhoods, such as dry cleaners
or small food stores ---------------------------------------- 8 ----11------- 24 -------19-----------37 --
[ ] d. Encouraging more alternatives to driving, such
as bike paths, neighborhood shuttle buses,
wider sidewalks for pedestrians, or the Expo
light rail line ------------------------------------------------- 4 ----- 6-------18-------19-----------50--
[ ] e. Having more affordable housing in Santa Monica.-8 ----- 6-------17-------19-----------48--
[ ] f. Having ongoing public involvement in planning for
the future of Santa Monica-------------------------------4 ----- 5-------21-------24-----------43--
DK
9
2%4.14
2 4.34
3.68
2 4.06
2 3.94
3 4.00
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 5
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
10. Next, were you aware that there is a Santa Monica Police Department neighborhood resource officer
assigned to your neighborhood?
Yes (ASK 0.11)---------------------------------29%
No (SKIP TO 0.13) ---------------------------- 71
(DON'T READ) DK/NA (SKIP TO 0.13)---0
ASK 0.11 IF YES ON 0.10 (N = 123)
11. Have you met or had contact with this officer?
Yes (ASK 0.12)--------------------------------- 38%
No (SKIP TO 0.13) ---------------------------- 62
(DON'T READ) DK/NA (SKIP TO 0.13)----0
TOTAL: 11% MET OR HAD CONTACT WITH NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCE OFFICERS
IF YES ON 0.11 ASK: (N = 47)
12. On a scale of 1 to 5, please rate your satisfaction with the job this officer is doing in each of the following
areas. Use a 1 if you are very DlSsatisfied with the job the officer is doing, use a 5 if you are very satisfied,
or you can use any number in between.
VERY
VERY I DK
[ ] a. In working with local residents to help prevent
crime -----------------------------------------------------------3%--- 0% ----11 % ----14% --------62% -- ---10%4.46
[ ] b. In being responsive to your local neighborhood
issues or concerns -----------------------------------------3 ----- 1---------6-------29-----------52 ----- --- 10 4.42
[ ] c. In being accessible to you by phone or e-mail------3 ----- 1---------7-------22-----------59----- -----8 4.47
ASK EVERYONE
13. In 2008, did you or did anyone in your household make a 9-1-1 call requesting emergency assistance from
the Santa Monica Police Department?
Yes (ASK 0.14)---------------------------------------------------- 10%
No (SKIP TO 0.15) ------------------------------------------------ 90
(DON'T READ) DK/NA (SKIP TO 0.15)----------------------0
IF YES ON 0.13, ASK 0.14 (N = 44)
14. Please rate your overall satisfaction with the response time to your emergency calls to the Santa Monica
police in 2008. Use a 1 if you were very DlSsatisfied with the response time, or use a 5 if you were very
satisfied-with it. Or you can use any number in between. (ROTATE)
VERY VERY DK
DIS SAT NA MEAN
1 2 3 4 5 9
Police emergency response time-----------------------------9%--- 4% ----12% ----13% --------58% -- ----- 5%4.13
ASK EVERYONE
15. In 2008, did you or did anyone in your household call 9-1-1 for paramedics or for emergency medical
assistance in Santa Monica?
Yes (ASK 0.16)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11
No (SKIP TO 0.17 IF YES ON 0.13, OTHERWISE SKIP TO 0.18) ----------------------------- 89
(DON'T READ) DK/NA (SKIP TO 0.17 IF YES ON 0.13, OTHERWISE SKIP TO 0.18) ----0
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 6
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
IF YES ON 0.15 ASK 0.16 (N = 49)
16. Please rate your satisfaction with the response time to your emergency calls to the paramedics in Santa
Monica in 2008. Use a 1 if you were very DlSsatisfied with the response time, or use a 5 if you were very
satisfied with it. Or you can use any number in between. (ROTATE)
VERY VERY DK
DIS SAT. NA MEAN
1 2 3 4 5 9
Paramedics emergency response time---------------------4%--- 1%------5%----10%--------75%-- -----5%4.56
ASK IF 017 IF YES ON 0.13 OR 0.15 ONLY, OTHERWISE SKIP TO 0.18 (N = 72)
17. Now, please tell me if you had any of the following problems with any of your 9-1-1 emergency calls in
2008, either to the Santa Monica Police Department, the Santa Monica Fire Department, or the
paramedics ih Santa Monica. You can answer yes or no to each one. (ROTATE)
YES NO DK/NA
[ ] a. A delay getting through or being put on hold when using a cell
phone ------------------------------------------------------------------------------26%-------------64% ------------ 10%
[ ] b. A delay on getting through or being put on hold when using
a land line-------------------------------------------------------------------------20----------------78-----------------7
[ ] c. A delay due to being transferred between different responder
agencies---------------------------------------------------------------------------18----------------74 -----------------8
[ ] d. Difficulty in getting the responder to understand the problem you
were calling. about --------------------------------------------------------------18----------------79 -----------------5
ASK EVERYONE
18. In 2008 did you contact a Santa Monica city department for any reason other than an emergency?
Yes (ASK 0.19)--------------------------------- 32%
No (SKIP TO 0.210)--------------------------- 68
(DON'T READ) DK/NA (SKIP TO 0.20)---0
IF YES ON 0.18 ASK 0.19, OTHERWISE SKIP TO 0.20 (N = 136)
19. Please rate your satisfaction with the Santa Monica city staff you dealt with in 2008 in each of the following
areas. Again, use a 1 if you were very DlSsatisfied, use a 5 if you were very satisfied, or use any number
in between. (ROTATE)
VERY VERY DK
DIS SAT NA MEAN
1 2 3 4 5 9
[ ] a. with how courteous they were---------------------------5%--- 5%------8%----22%--------58% -- -----3%4.28
[ ] b. with how responsive they were to your needs ------9 ----- 7-------12-------22-----------49----- -----3 3.96
[ ] c. with how knowledgeable they were--------------------5 ----- 8-------11-------23-----------52----- -----3 4.16
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 7
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
20. Now let me ask you about local parks. First, how many times would you say that you visited a park here in
Santa Monica in 2008? (RECORD EXACT AMOUNT AND CODE RANGE BELOW -USE-000 FOR
NEVER, AND 999 FOR DK/NA)
Never (0)------------------------------------------ 12%
1-2 --------------------------------------------------12
3-5 --------------------------------------------------17
6-12 ------------------------------------------------18
13-24 ------------------------------------------------- 8
25-100 --------------------------------------------- 22
100+------------------------------------------------ 10
Not Sure--------------------------------------------- 2
Mean-----------------------°---------------------- 41
Median --------------------°----------------------10
IF RESPONSE TO 0.20 > 0 ASK 0.21, OTHERWISE SKIP TO 0.22 (N = 380)
21. Please rate your satisfaction with your overall experience in 2008 with Santa Monica's parks. Again, use a
1 if you were very DlSsatisfied, use a 5 if you were very satisfied, or use any number in between.
(ROTATE).
VERY VERY DK
DIS SAT NA MEAN
1 2 3 4 5 9
2%--- 2% ------9% ---- 31 % --------54% -- -----2%4.36
ASK EVERYONE
22. Please tell me if each of the following words or phrases is a very accurate, somewhat accurate, somewhat
inaccurate, or very inaccurate description of Santa Monica's parks. (ROTATE)
VERY S.W. S.W. VERY DK
ACC ACC INACC INACC NA
a. Safe for families and children -------------------58%-------- 28%--------- 5%---------5%---------- 5%
b. Clean -------------------------------------------------- 60 ---------- 28------------ 6 ------------ 4 ------------ 3
c. Well-maintained-------------------------------------64---------- 25------------4------------4------------ 4
d. Convenient to your home------------------------- 68 ---------- 20------------ 4------------ 5 ------------ 3
23. Please rate your satisfaction with your overall experience in 2008 with Santa Monica's beach. Again, use
a 1 if you were very DlSsatisfied, use a 5 if you were very satisfied, or use any number in between. If you
did not visit the beach in 2008, just say so. (ROTATE) (DO NOT ACCEPT RATING IF DID NOT VISIT
BEACH IN 2008).
VERY
DID
VERY NOT DK/
1 2 3 4 5 $ 9
Beach-------------------------------------3%---------'t%----------17%---20%------41%-----11%---5% 4.07
24. In 2008, did you attend any arts or cultural activities specifically in Santa Monica?
YES NO DK/NA
Activities in Santa Monica -------------------------------------------52% ------------- 47%---------------------1
25. Do you feel that you have the opportunity to voice your concerns to the city of Santa Monica on major
community decisions that affect your life?
Yes ------------------------------------------------- 71
No----°--------------------------------------------- 26
(DON'T READ) DK/NA-------------------------3
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 8
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
NEXT, I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CITY'S COMMUNICATION WITH
RESIDENTS.
26. Now, please rate your satisfaction with the the City's efforts to communicate with Santa Monica residents
through newsletters, the Internet, and other means. Use a 1 if you are very DlSsatisfied, a 5 if you are
very satisfied, or you can use any number in between.
Communications
VERY VERY DK
DIS SAT NA MEAN
1 2 3 4 5 9
6%--- 7% ---- 27% ---- 26% --------31 % -- ----- 3%3.71
27. What information source or sources do you use the most to find out about City news, information, and
programs? (DON'T READ LIST, RECORD FIRST THREE RESPONSES)'
(DON'T READ)
Seascape newsletter----------------------------------------------27%~
Special postcard mailings----------------------=-------------------8
Street banners --------------------------------------------------------5
The City's web site------------------------------------------------- 27
City Council Meetings (in person)--------------------------------3
City TV (cable channel 16)---------------------------------------13
Los Angeles Times newspaper-----------------------------------9
Argonaut ---------------------------------------------------------------- 3
Santa Monica Mirror----------------------------------------------- 17
Lookout or Surf Santa Monica (online newspaper)----------3
City Hall on Call (24 hour telephone.system) -----------------1
Friends/family/neighbors -----------------------------------------10
Santa Monica Daily Press----------------------------------------14
Radio (KCRW) --------------------------------------------------------5
Observer---------------------------------•------------------------------ 7
Santa Monica Arts Palette -----------------------------------------1
None --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
Other: ---2
DON'T READ) DK/NA ---------------------------------------------2
Total exceeds 100% as 3 responses were accepted
28. The city may create a system to communicate information to residents of Santa Monica in the event of an
emergency. If the city were able to do this, which of the following would be the best way for the city to get
information to you in the event of an emergency? (READ ALL BEFORE RECORDING)
By calling your telephone --------------------------------- 60%
By sending you a text message on your telephone 17
By sending you an email---------------------------------- 17
(DON'T READ) Other---------------------------------------2
(DON'T READ) None -not interested-------------------3
(DON'T READ) DK/NA -------------------------------------1
29. In 2008, did you ride the Big Blue Bus, the bus line here in Santa Monica?
Yes ------------------------------------------------- 50%
No--------------------------------------------------- 50
(DON'T READ) DK/NA-------------------------0
30. In 2008, did you give any money directly to a homeless person or a panhandler in Santa Monica?
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 9
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
Yes (ASK Q.31)---------------------------------44%
No (SKIP TO Q.32) ---------------------------- 56
(DON'T READ) DK/NA (SKIP TO Q.32)---0
IF YES ON Q.30 ASK: (N = 189)
31. About how many times do you think you gave money to a homeless person or a panhandler in Santa
Monica in 2008? (FILL IN EXACT NUMBER THEN CODE): ____
0 ------------------------------------------------------- 2
1-------------------------------------------------------4
2-5 -------------------------------------------------- 39
6-10 ------------------------------------------------ 21
11-25----------------------------------------------- 23
51 + --------------------------------------------------- 3
Not sure ---------------------------------------------0
Mean ------°----------------------------°---------14
Median ---°-------------------°--°°--------------6
ASK EVERYONE
32. Are you aware of any local programs to address the problem of homelessness in Santa Monica?
Yes ------------------------------------------------- 51
No--------------------------------------------------- 47
(DON'T READ) DK/NA
NOW FOR A FEW BACKGROUND QUESTIONS.
33. What is your zip code?
90401 (SKIP TO Q.37)--------------------------8
90402 (SKIP TO Q.37)------------------------ 15
90403 (ASK Q.34)------------------------------ 25
90404 (SKIP TO Q.35)------------------------24
90405 (SKIP TO Q.36) ------------------------ 25
Other (SKIP TO Q.37)---------------------------1
Not Sure (SKIP TO Q.37) ----------------------2
ASK Q.34 IF ZIP 90403 (N = 107)
34. Do you live east or west of 21st Street?
East (Northeast)--------------------------------- 24%
West (Wilshire/Montana)---------------------- 68
(DON'T READ) DK/NA -----------------------8
ASK Q.35 IF ZIP 90404 (N = 102)
35. Do you live north or south of Colorado Avenue? North of Colorado would be towards Wilshire Boulevard,
and South of Colorado would be towards the 10 freeway and the Airport.
North (Mid-City) --------------------------------- 50%
South (Pico)--------------------------------------47
(DON'T READ) DK/NA-----------------------3
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 10
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
ASK Q.36 IF ZIP 90405 (N = 107)
36. Do you live east or west of Lincoln Boulevard?
East (Sunset Park) -------
West (Ocean Park)-------
(DON'T READ) DK/NA
46%
48
ASK EVERYONE
37. Do you live in a single family home, an apartment, a condominium, or a townhouse?
38. Do you own or rent your residence?
Single family ------------------------------------- 39%
Apartment ---------------------------------------- 44
Condo ---------------------------------------------10
Townhouse ---------------------------------------4
OTHER --------------------------------------------2
(DON'T READ) DK/NA ----------------------0
Own ------------------------------------------------ 42%
Rent ------------------------------------------------ 58
(DON'T READ) DK/NA ----------------------0
39. How many individuals age 17 or younger live in your household?
None ----------------------------------------------68%
One-------------------------------------------------15
Two------------------------------------------------- 11
Three ------------------------------------------------- 5
Four -------------------------------------------------- 0
Five ormore----------------------------------------0
(DON'T READ) DK/NA ------------------------0
40. Do you consider yourself to be Hispanic or Latino or are you of Hispanic or Latino descent?
Yes -----------------------------------------------------------14%
No ------------------------------------------------------------ 86.
(DON'T READ) DK/NA------------------------------------0
41. Is your race White, Black or African-American, Asian, Native American, or something else?
42. What was the last level of
school you completed?
(IF COLLEGE GRAD, CLARIFY IF
2 YEAR ASSOCIATE OR 4 YEAR
BACHELOR DEGREE)
White--------------------------------------------------------- 77%
Black -----------------------------------------------------------4
Asian ----------------------------------------------------------- 4
Native American --------------------------------------------1
Something else----------------------------------------------8
(DON'T READ) Mixed/combined-----------------------5
(DON'T READ) REFUSED/DK--------------------------2
LESS THAN GRADE 12 -------------------------------4%
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE ----------------------- 14
SOME COLLEGE, NO DEGREE ------------------16
ASSOCIATE DEGREE --------------------------------9
BACHELOR'S DEGREE/COLLEGE GRAD-----36
POST GRADUATE DEGREE/
PROFESSIONAL DEGREE-------------------------20
REFUSED -------------------------------------------------0
GOODWIN SIMON VICTORIA RESEARCH Page 11
Project 2901 Santa Monica 2009 Resident Study January, 2009
43. What is your age, please? (RECORD IT EXACTLY AND CIRCLE APPROPRIATE CATEGORY BELOW.)
AGE:
(IF RESPONDENT DECLINES TO STATE AGE, WRITE "999" IN BLANKS ABOVE AND THEN ASK:)
Which of the following categories includes your age?
(READ LIST.)
18-24 ------------------------------------------------- 6
25-34 ----------------------------------------------- 21
35-44-------------------------------------°-------- 22
45-54-----------------------------------------------18
55-64-----------------------------------------------14
65-74 ------------------------------------------------- 7
75 or older---------------------------------------- 10
(DON'T READ) REFUSED--------------------3
That's all the questions I have. Thank you very much for participating in the survey.
My supervisor may be calling you to confirm that this interview took place. May I have your first name and
telephone number so she can call and ask for you?
Name
Telephone #
CALCULATE AND RECORD INTERVIEW LENGTH.. RECORD GENDER ON THE FIRST PAGE.
I AFFIRM THAT THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS ACCURATELY RECORDED FROM THE RESPONDENT'S
STATEMENTS.
Interviewer's Signature
English Language ------------------------------------------ 98%
Spanish Language-------------------------------------------2
Land line------------------------------------=----------------- 85%
Cell------------------------------------------------------------- 15
Date
Interviewer
Verified by
Sample zip code: _ _ _ _
Rep.#
Page #
Main sample-----------------------------------------------------93%
90404 oversample ---------------------------------------------7