2011 Community Survey

Overview

In 2007, 2009 and 2011, the Richmond City Council approved the City enrolling in the National Research Center’s (NRC) National Citizen Survey (NCS) program in order to conduct a scientific resident survey in which questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 3,000 Richmond households. The NCS is a collaborative effort between the NRC (a public research firm focused on public sector information needs) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

Elected officials and city staff will be able to use the survey results as a tool to:

  • Assess the quality of community life and services provided to residents;
  • Track residents’ perceptions of service quality, community amenities, and public safety;
  • Help make informed decisions about how to allocate resources;
  • Assess support for local policies;
  • Gather information on residents’ use of services; and
  • Compare results from 2007 and 2009 to measure changes over time.

The 2011 survey closely resembles the 2007 and 2009 survey in format and content which enabled NRC to compare survey results from previous years.  Similarly to 2007 and 2009, in 2011, NRC mailed out surveys to 3,000 randomly selected and geographically dispersed Richmond households (each household received four separate mailers regarding the survey).  A total of 500 residents completed the survey for a 17% response rate with a +/- 4% margin of error (compared to a 21% response rate in 2007 and a 20% response rate in 2009).


2011 Supplemental Web Survey Results

As part of its participation in The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS), the City of Richmond conducted a mailed survey of 3,000 residents. Surveys were mailed to randomly selected households in March of 2011 and data was collected through early May.

After the official data collection period was over and the data were reported, the City made available the Web-based survey to its residents through a link on the City’s Web site. Visitors to the site were able to complete the survey from May through mid-December of 2011 and 261 surveys were received. The Supplemental Web Survey report contains the results of this administration of the Web-based survey and has not been weighted to current population estimates of the City.


2011 Survey Results

The 2011 survey results are contained in four separate reports:  

  1. Comprehensive report of local results that includes the survey background, methods, and analysis of local responses presented in tables and graphs;
  2. Report analyzing responses based on demographic questions relating to number of years living in Richmond, ethnicity,race and age;
  3. Report analyzing survey responses based on geographic areas; and
  4. Benchmark report comparing Richmond’s results to other jurisdictions with median annual household incomes from  $20,000 to $44,000, as well as to all jurisdictions in the database.