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City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Citizen Survey 2013
4/27/2013
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City of Oshkosh
Citizen Survey 2013
A survey of citizens in Oshkosh was undertaken by the Public Policy Analysis class at
the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh in cooperation with the City of Oshkosh in the Spring of
2013. This report will analyze the results of this survey and provide insight into the perspectives
of the citizens on a variety of issues. The 2013 Oshkosh Citizen Survey included twelve primary
sections and multiple sub-sections, along with a question requesting general demographic data as
well as an opportunity for comments from the respondents. Two hundred and ninety-two (292)
surveys were returned and the resulting data has been entered into a statistical analysis program.
Depending upon the nature of the question, individuals were asked to respond to each question
based on four following possible rating options: 1.) excellent, good, fair and poor 2.) very
important, somewhat important, no opinion, somewhat unimportant, and very unimportant 3.)
strongly agree, somewhat agree, neither agree/disagree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree
and no opinion or 4.) daily, weekly, occasionally, seasonally, and annually or less. The survey
was sent to 1,500 properties chosen randomly from the residential parcels provided from a data
base of utility customers in the City. The 292 responses constitute a 19.5 percent response rate
which is lower than the norm for citizen surveys. The survey response was 17.0 percent return in
2009, 22.5 percent return in 2010, 16.5 percent in 2011 and 17.8 percent in 2012. The
relationship between sample size and precision of the survey instrument at a 95 percent
confidence rate frequently used in surveys is shown below. The 292 responses create a
margin of error of approximately 5.5 percent. A level of 5 percent is considered acceptable for
most survey results. The confidence rate is 94.5 percent.
Sample Size Margin of Error
100 10%
300 5.5%
400 5.0%
800 3.5%
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Frequency of Utilization of City Services - Question 1
Question 1 identifies the frequency of utilization for various city services. The responses
are shown below in percentages of the total.
Frequency of City Services Daily Weekly Occasionally Seasonally Annually
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 3.5 9.9 23.8 29.2 33.7
Lake Shore Golf Course 0 1.5 9.4 6.4 82.7
Pollock Aquatic Center 1.0 2.5 9.9 24.3 62.4
Leach Amphitheatre 0 5.4 29.7 31.2 33.7
Oshkosh Public Museum 0 1.0 27.7 13.4 57.9
Senior Services Center .5 3.0 7.4 1.0 88.1
Public Library Services 1.0 20.3 48.0 5.4 25.3
Police Services 1.5 .5 28.7 4.0 65.4
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 1.5 0 10.9 4.0 84.2
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 1.0 0 6.9 1.5 90.6
Building Permits and Inspections .5 0 9.9 4.5 85.2
Enforcement of Property Maintenance/Nuisance Codes 0 0 7.4 3.5 89.1
City Parking Facilities Building .5 2.5 13.4 10.9 72.8
Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet Services 13.4 11.4 26.7 5.0 43.6
Transit System 4.0 4.5 11.4 4.0 76.3
Recycling Collection Services 9.4 64.9 9.4 3.5 12.9
Refuse Collection Service 6.9 54.5 6.9 5.9 25.8
Leaf and Brush Pick up .5 5.9 16.8 52.5 24.3
The City of Oshkosh is planning a redesign of the visitor experience at the Oshkosh
Public Museum. Questions 10 and 11 in this survey are evaluating reasons why some citizens are
not visiting the Museum, as well as requesting additional input on desired attractions.
The graph below is an overview of the frequency in which Oshkosh citizens visit the
museum. Of the 292 respondents, 51% visit the museum annually and 32% visit occasionally.
Crosstabs were analyzed to further explore possible correlations.
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There is one area of significance identified by the crosstabs. The graph below illustrates
the respondent’s number of children. Of the 94 citizens who visited the museum occasionally,
70% have reported having no children. In addition, of the 150 responses who have visited the
museum annually, 73% of respondents have reported having no children. This demonstrates a
significant number of museum visitors do not have children. However, this may be reflective of
the overall demographic of survey respondents.
1.2
0
20
40
60
Percentage of Museum Visits
Museum Frequency
Percentage
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Weekly Occasionally Seasonally Annually N/A
Number of Children
No Children
1 Child
2 Children
3+Children
No Resonse
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Funding of City Services – Question 2
This section was designed to determine preferences for the manner in which city services
are funded, including raising or lowering taxes through grants and/or fees. The specific question
asked of respondents and the responses are as follows:
Currently, the City of Oshkosh funds services through a combination of property taxes,
state aid, state and federal grants, and fees and charges. Please answer the following
questions by checking the box that best represents your opinions.
The data provided below also contains data from the Oshkosh Citizen Survey tabulated from 2009
thru 2013. All data is displayed as a percentage of all answers for that particular year.
Year of
Survey
Strongly
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neither
Agree or
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
No
Opinion
1) The City could reduce taxes
and maintain current services by
being more efficient.
2009
2010
2011
2012
3y Avg.
2013
48.7
34.3
41.9
48.4
43.3
34.6
31.4
31.4
35.6
31.9
32.5
31.5
10.2
20
8.9
8.3
11.9
13.4
6.8
2.9
5.5
7.1
5.6
10.6
3.0
5.7
5.5
4.3
4.6
3.8
n/a
5.7
2.5
4.9
4.3
6.2
2) The City should focus on
reducing taxes by pursing grants
(many of which require local
funding match).
2009
2010
2011
2012
3y Avg.
2013
27.2
23.8
20.4
31.4
25.7
18.5
44.2
45.1
39.6
40
42
38.7
18.3
18.4
23
22.9
20.7
24.7
8.5
9.0
7.7
0
6.3
6.8
1.8
3.7
3.8
5.7
3.8
1.7
n/a
8.6
5.5
0
4.7
9.6
3) The City should focus on
reducing taxes by increasing
service fees and charges.
2009
2010
2011
2012
3y Avg.
2013
7.4
0
7.2
6.7
5.3
4.8
19.9
14.3
25.5
29.6
22.3
18.2
20.3
40
19.6
20.2
25
18.2
28.6
25.7
19.6
20.2
23.5
23.3
23.8
20
25.1
23.3
23
29.8
n/a
0
3
5.2
2.7
5.8
4) I will support an increase in
taxes if it would maintain or
increase the services I value.
2009
2010
2011
2012
3y Avg.
2013
n/a
22.9
16.7
15.9
18.5
13.4
n/a
25.7
27.8
34.7
29.4
26.0
n/a
14.3
13.2
11.6
13.0
17.8
n/a
20
14.5
12.7
15.7
13.7
n/a
17.1
26.1
25.1
22.8
23.6
n/a
0
1.7
6
2.5
5.5
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When comparing the results for this question over a five year period several tendencies
and observations occur. First, there is a significant and steady decline for the strong support of
the question: I will support an increase in taxes if it would maintain or increase the services I
value.
Second, citizens that were surveyed have consistently disagreed with the idea of raising
taxes or fees. However, citizens who were surveyed according to this data have a stronger
opinion to increase taxes to maintain the services they value, then reducing taxes by increasing
service fees and charges.
During cross tabulation it was very interesting to find out that age, marital status,
location, gender was not a major factor in any of the survey questions for 2013. With the
exception of gender in question 2 which showed a 14% difference and question 4 which showed
a 10% difference in opinion all the previous factors listed above were less than 9.9 percent. It is
interesting to note that individuals one made over $150,000 were more likely to agree with idea
of increasing taxes (percentage wise) if it would maintain or increase the services I value. With
only 2013 data cross tabulated this may or may not be an anomaly.
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Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel in your neighborhood
after dark – Question 3
The online survey (n = 292) shows that 24.3% reported that they are very safe, 46.6%
were safe, 16.1% were neither safe nor unsafe, 8.2% were unsafe, 2.7% were very unsafe, 1.7%
don’t know, and 0.3% chose not to respond. Also, the paper based survey (n =279) showed
closely the same result, in that, 24% reported they were very safe, 46.6% were safe, 16.8% were
neither safe nor unsafe, 7.5% were unsafe, 2.9% were very unsafe, 1.8% don’t know, and 0.4%
chose not to respond to that question. The paper based survey results are further analyzed as
follows with regards to gender, age, location, income levels, education, and race.
As shown on the graph below, with regards to gender, out of the 129 total female
responses reported, 82 said they feel safe, 21 feel unsafe, 23 are neither safe nor unsafe, while 3
reported that they don’t know whether they feel safe or unsafe. Also, out of the total of 144 male
respondents, 110 male respondents answered that they feel safe, 8 answered that they feel unsafe,
24 neither feel safe or unsafe, and 2 don’t know whether they feel safe or unsafe. Thus, out of the
279 respondents, 6 gave no response to the question. Overall, it seems more males than females
feel safe in Oshkosh.
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The table below indicates that out of the 125 respondents who were over 60 years, 88 of
them answered that they feel safe, 14 feel unsafe, 20 neither feel safe nor unsafe, and 3 don’t
know whether they feel safe or not. Also, of those under 60 (n=136), 100 feel safe, 14 feel
unsafe, 21 neither feel safe nor unsafe, while 1 don’t know as to whether they feel safe or unsafe.
Generally, 18 of the respondents with regards to all the ages chose not to respond to this
question.
RESONDENTS ACCORDING TO AGE
Response Choices Over 60 Under 60 No response Total
Very safe 29 35 3 67
Safe 59 65 6 130
Neither Safe/Unsafe 20 21 6 47
Unsafe 11 10 0 21
Very Unsafe 3 4 1 8
Don’t Know 3 1 1 5
No Response 0 0 1 1
Total Response 125 136 18 279
Among the 279 total number of respondents to this survey, only 67.2% of the people
living in the North of the Fox (n=119) area feel very safe, 12.6% feel unsafe, 17.6% feel neither
safe nor unsafe, and 2.5% don’t know. With regards to the people at the south of the Fox/East of
41 (n = 105); 68.6% feel safe,10.5% feel unsafe, 19% feel neither safe nor unsafe, while 2%
don’t know. Lastly, 93% of those living in the south of the Fox/West of 41 (n = 40) feel safe, 3%
feel unsafe, while 5% feel neither safe nor unsafe. Overall, there were 15 people that chose not to
respond to this question. Thus, looking at all the percentages, it seems more living in the south of
the Fox/West of 41 feel safer than those living in the other two locations mentioned.
RESPONDENTS & THEIR LOCATIONS
Response
Choices
North of the
Fox
South of the
Fox/East of
41
South of the
Fox/West
of 41
No
Response
Total
Very Safe 30 26 10 1 67
Safe 50 46 27 7 130
Neither
Safe/Unsafe
21 20 2 4 47
Unsafe 10 9 0 2 21
Very Unsafe 5 2 1 0 8
Don’t Kno 3 2 0 0 5
No Response 0 0 0 1 1
Total 119 105 40 15 279
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RESPONDENTS BY INCOME LEVEL
Response
Choices
Less than
$23,999
$50,000-
$74,999
$100,000-
$149,000
$25,000-
$49,999
$75,000-
$99,999
$150,000
or More
$999 Total
Very Safe 4 16 7 10 18 8 4 67
Safe 17 34 15 35 16 3 10 130
Neither
Safe/Unsafe
6 10 2 15 8 1 5 47
Unsafe 5 7 2 4 2 1 0 21
Very Unsafe 2 1 0 3 2 0 0 8
Don’t Know 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 5
No Response 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Total 37 68 26 68 46 13 21 279
The survey revealed that the respondents that earn $100,000-$149,000 feel much safer
(85%) than the rest of the respondents in the other income brackets. However, due to the
variations in the number of respondents for each of the income level, this answer is subject to
scrutiny. To make a somehow valid conclusion, since the same number of respondents are in the
$$50,000-$74,999 and $25,000-$49,999 (n = 68 in each of these two income levels), it is safe to
say that as the income level increases; the safety level decreases (74% versus 66% safety level).
However, looking at another approach, when all the safety levels for each income level is
compared to the total number of respondents (n = 279), the following percentages were revealed,
8%, 18%, 8%, 16%, 12%, and 4%, respectively. This shows that those in the $500,000-$74,999
income level feel safer than the rest. Thus, due to the variations in the total number of
respondents in each income level, there are so many ways that this can be analyzed; it may be
hard to draw a valid conclusion.
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RESPONDENTS BY EDUCATIONAL LEVEL
0% (n = 1) of those who have less than high school degree feel safe, 70% (n = 69) of
those with bachelor’s degree feel safe, 77% (n = 81) of those with high school/GED degree feel
safe, 80% (n = 49) of those with master’s degree feel safe, 61% (n = 70) of those with associated
degree/Some College feel safe, and there were 9 total responses. With regards to the unsafely
feelings, the following were reported: 0%, 7%, 7%, 10%, and 17%, respectively. The result
shows that those with master’s degree or higher have a higher safety level while those with
associated degree/Some College reported that they do not feel safe. Just like the other analysis,
this result is skewed due to the variations in the number of respondents in each level of
education.
RESPONDENTS BY THEIR RACE
The graph below shows that 71% of the white respondents feel safe (n = 256), 100%
Black African American (n = 1), American Indian/Alaska Native (n = 1), Hispanic/Latin (n = 1),
and those of some other race (n = 2), feel safe. Also, 5% of the Asian respondents (n = 4), and
83% of those with two or more races (n = 6) feel safe. Examining the number of respondents in
each race reveals that this result is not a true representation of all the races with 100% safety
level because the higher percent derived is due to the low number of respondents (i.e. Only 1 or 2
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people from total respondents were from those races). Thus, if more people had participated from
those races, the results may be different.
During the past 12 months, were you or anyone in your household
the victim of a crime? – Question 4
Overall, according to the respondents who were involved in the paper based survey
(n=279), 11.8% said they have been victims of crime and 87.5% said they have not been victims
of crime, with a 0.7% no responses. However, according to the online survey (n = 292), 11.6%
reported they have been victims of crime, 87.7% have not and 0.7% reported no response.
Breaking down the paper based survey into race, gender, and location, the graph below depicts
the number of respondents to this particular question above with regards to variables.
It appears that more whites than other races (12% verses 0%), reported that they have
been victims of crime. However, this result may not be total accurate since 256 white, 1
Black/African American, 1 American Indian/Alaska Native, 4 Asian,1 Hispanic/Latin, 6 two or
more races, 2 some other race, and 8 no response, respondents answered this particular question.
If an appropriate or equitable number for each race had participated in the survey, this result may
have been different.
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The graph below representing gender differences in crimes shows that more males than
females reported that have been victims of crime as 144 males and 129 females reported that
they have been victims of crime.
This table represents the number of respondents who responded to this question relating
to their age levels, and it is evident that more people in the under 60 age level reported that they
have been victims of crime.
Yes No No Response
Over 60 11 113 1
Under 60 21 115 0
No Response 1 16 1
Lastly, according to this graph, 20 people living in the North of Fox, 7 living in the South
of the Fox/East of 41, 4 living in the South of the Fox/West of 41, respondents reported that they
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have been victims of crime, with a total of 2 no response. Thus, more people living the North of
Fox have been victims of crime than those living in the other areas of Oshkosh.
If “Yes”, did you report all of these crimes? – Question 5
Overall, the online survey (n = 292) shows that, 5.5% people reported the crime, 5.5%
didn’t report it, 0.7% don’t know whether they reported it or not, and 88.4% chose the no
response options. The paper based survey result also shows that 5.7% reported the crime, 5.4%
didn’t report it, 0.7% don’t know, and 88.2% chose the no response option. These two results
shows closely the same percentages, however, further breaking down the paper based survey
reveals the following results according to gender, race age and location, in relation to the
previous question above (question 4).
The table below shows that more females than males who were victims of crime, reported
the case (7 males verses 9 females), however, the difference is not that huge.
Yes No Don’t Know No Response Total (N)
Male 7 5 1 131 144
Female 9 9 1 110 129
The race tabulation below shows that more whites that were victims of crime (15 out of
the 31 white victims of crime) than other races reported their case. The same validation issues
apply here due to the high disparity in the frequency (n) of respondents in each race.
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Yes No Don’t Know No Response
White 15 14 2 225
Black/African American 0 0 0 1
American Indian/Alaska Native 0 0 0 1
Asian 0 0 0 4
Hispanic/Latino 0 0 0 1
Two or more Races 1 1 0 4
Some Other Race 0 0 0 2
No Response 0 0 0 8
The graph below shows that more people under age 60 (10 out of the 21 victim of crime
under age 60) reported their incident as compared to the other age levels.
Yes No Don’t Know No Response
Over 60 6 5 0 114
Under 60 10 9 2 115
No Response 0 1 0 17
The table below shows that out of the 20 people living in the North of Fox (as reported in
the previous question above; question 4) who reported that they were victims of crime, only 13
of them actually reported it. The number of no responses is so high that it is reasonable for one to
reason as to why these people choose not to report their crime incident.
Yes No Don’t Know No Response
North of Fox 13 7 0 99
South of the Fox/East of 41 0 5 2 98
South of the Fox/West of 41 2 2 0 36
No Response 1 1 0 13
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City of Oshkosh Importance and Quality of Services –
Question 6 and 7
Importance of Services
The 2013 City of Oshkosh Survey data will help provide the difference since the 2009
citizen survey and offer a deeper insight into the general opinions of its citizens. This could give
the city manager and elected officials a clear picture of what services the general public sees as
important and which services are of little importance to them in the last five years. In order for
services to improve, stay relevant or change altogether, the City of Oshkosh polls its citizens and
from this data helps to determine the City of Oshkosh’s policies and procedures based onlevel of
perceived importance.
Following services were rated very important by over seventy-percent of the respondents:
Snow-Ice Removal (77.4%), Fire Protection (83.2%), Emergency medical Services (79.9%),
Police Protection (79.6%), Refuse Collection Service (74.9%), and Recycling Collection
Services (71.3%). A reason why the Snow-Ice Removal (77.4%) percentage was as high could
be the timing of the survey (March ’13) and the intensity of the snow fall in the winter of ’13,
while were significantly higher than a year before.
Three services that rated as one of the least important to the responders are: Lake Shore Golf
Course (19.8%), Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet Services (6.4%), and Pollock
Aquatic Center (4.0%). The reasoning behind low importance is unknown, but it is important to
note that 60.6% of the respondents have no children. 63.0% are employed full time, and 59.8%
are married. In the survey from 2009 services that were ranked with low importance were
identical to this year’s survey, so it is very important to make sure that if these services are not
seen as a priority to citizens, future allocation of funding for these services should be addressed
accordingly.
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Question 6. Importance of Services – percentages.
Importance of City Services Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Somewhat
Unimportant
Very
Unimportant
No Opinion/
Neutral
Community Services
Support for Neighborhood Revitalization Programs 25.7 37.1 4.5 3.0 29.7
Oshkosh Public Museum 22.3 33.2 8.9 2.0 29.7
Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet Services 18.8 30.7 8.4 6.4 35.6
Public Library Services 54.0 13.9 1.5 .5 30.2
Senior Services Center 33.7 15.8 3.0 2.5 45.1
Transit System 42.1 20.8 4.5 1.0 31.7
Appearance of City‐Owned Buildings 19.8 37.6 7.4 1.5 33.7
Parks
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 29.2 28.7 5.9 2.0 34.2
Lake Shore Golf Course 4.0 15.8 12.9 19.8 47.5
Appearance of City Parks & Greenways 40.1 28.2 1.0 .5 30.2
Pollock Aquatic Center 19.3 28.2 5.9 4.0 42.6
Economic Development
Economic Development Assistance to Businesses 27.7 27.7 3.0 2.0 39.6
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing 34.2 23.8 5.0 .5 36.7
Building Permits and Inspections 15.8 25.7 11.9 1.0 45.6
Enforcement of Property Maintenance/Nuisance
Codes
26.2 27.7 7.9 2.5 35.7
Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Services 18.3 32.2 4.5 1.0 44.1
Refuse and Recycling
Leaf and Brush Pick up 23.8 34.7 5.0 2.0 34.7
Recycling Collection Services 50.5 15.8 1.5 .5 31.7
Refuse Collection Service 49.5 12.9 1.5 .5 35.7
Protective Services
Police Services 62.4 5.9 .5 .5 30.7
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 61.9 5.9 .5 0 31.7
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 63.9 3.5 .5 .5 31.7
Road Maintenance and Construction
City Parking Facilities 18.8 31.7 9.4 .5 31.7
City’s Sidewalk System 36.1 26.7 4.5 1.5 31.2
Removal of Snow and Ice From City Streets 55.9 12.4 1.0 0 30.7
Traffic Signs and Signals 47.5 19.3 1.0 0 32.2
Street Lighting 47.0 21.3 1.0 0 30.7
Street Maintenance and Sweeping 29.2 33.7 5.9 1.5 29.7
Street Repair 56.4 13.9 0 0 29.7
Storm Drainage
Storm Drainage Systems 52.0 16.8 1.5 0 29.7
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Very Important Services shown in percentages (%)
Quality of Services
The survey results this year indicate that for the most part the residents feel the quality is
at least fair or better in most cases. The areas that received a majority of good or better
responses are highlighted in yellow below. Overall the responses indicate that most residents feel
the quality of services is at least average at worst and majority feel the quality is good or better in
many areas as well.
0.64
0.66
0.68
0.7
0.72
0.74
0.76
0.78
0.8
0.82
0.84
0.86
Snow‐Ice
Removal
Fire
Protection
Emergency
& Medical
Services
Police
Protection
Refuse
Collection
Service
Recycling
Collection
Services
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Area of Rating Excellent
Quality
Good
Quality
Fair
Quality
Poor
Quality
Don’t
Know
No
Response
Neighborhood Revitalization 9 62 109 17 86 9
Oshkosh Public Museum 42 123 70 4 44 9
Community Media Services 23 88 84 8 78 11
Public Library 83 136 45 X 19 9
Senior Center 47 99 46 2 91 7
Transit System 35 110 58 10 68 11
Maintenance/Appearance City Buildings 16 125 104 15 25 7
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 28 137 68 7 43 9
Golf Course 17 83 37 2 141 12
Maintenance/Appearance of City Parks and
Greenways
29 159 71 10 14 9
Pollock Aquatic Center 32 119 29 3 98 11
Economic Development Assistance to
Businesses
7 44 66 16 145 14
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing 4 46 83 22 122 15
Building Permits and Inspections 7 64 80 22 106 13
Enforcement of Property
Maintenance/Nuisances Codes
7 50 71 45 103 16
Land Use, Planning and Zoning Services 8 45 78 24 121 16
Leaf and Brush Pick-up 60 146 58 13 7 8
Recycling Collection Services 121 126 32 3 2 8
Refuse Collection Services 120 129 28 5 3 7
Police Services 92 124 31 9 24 12
Emergency Medical and Rescue Services 101 103 25 1 48 14
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 104 113 18 X 43 14
City Parking Facilities 17 110 86 7 61 11
City Sidewalk System 20 142 98 16 5 11
Removal of Snow and Ice From City Streets 38 118 78 48 1 9
Traffic Signs and Signals 49 170 60 3 2 8
Street Lighting 35 166 63 17 4 7
Street Maintenance and Sweeping 33 142 79 25 4 9
Street Repair 15 69 106 85 5 12
Storm Drainage Systems 17 81 100 58 25 11
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The data illustrates this point in that 14% of total responses rated the quality of all
services as excellent, 38% rated them good, 23% rated them fair and 3% rated them poor. There
were 18% of responses who answered didn’t know and 4% had no response at all. There were
two areas: Street Repair and Storm Drainage Systems that received the lowest overall ratings.
This is not a surprise given prior year results and the city is working to improve these areas.
Other areas with totals highlighted in blue above had a large number of “Don’t Know”
responses possibly skewing the results. In the cross calculations that compared Quality to
Frequency, it appears that many of the “Don’t Know respondents selected “Annually” for their
answers for frequency of usage. This impacts the results because “don’t know” responses not
have the same meaning as “annually” in a cross tab comparison. That said there were no real
surprises in the data when comparing frequency of usage to quality of services. The data was
consistent across all areas. Those areas most frequently used had the higher quality ratings.
Outside from the obvious (e.g. Senior Center usage and over 60 age group) the same results were
noted when comparing demographics to quality of services.
It is difficult to compare 2013 results to the results from 2009 because the 2009 survey
only allowed for four response categories (Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor). It is possible to
come to a fair comparison by removing the don’t know and no response results from the 2013
survey and distributing those numbers evenly over the Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor categories.
Surprisingly, the numbers increase from 14 to 20% Excellent, remain the same at 38% for good
rating, increase from 23 to 28% for fair rating and increase slightly to 4% for poor rating.
In the future it may be beneficial to limit response options to excellent, good, fair and
poor as in prior years. No response would be just that and eliminate some of the data
comparison and cross tabulation difficulties.
20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Quality of Services
EXCELLENT
GOOD
FAIR
POOR
DON'T KNOW
NO RESPONSE
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How Citizens of Oshkosh Feel About Their City -
Question #12
Percentage of respondents
Compassing the respondents from 2013 to 2009
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Positive
Negative
No Opinion
0
50
100
150
200
250
Positive
Negative
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Number of respondents 2009
Number of respondents 2013
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City as a place to live
There were 272 valid responses and 7 answers of “no-opinion” to this question, with an
average score of 2.5 percent. Nearly 80 percent of respondents indicated a positive response to
Oshkosh as a place to live. Along gender lines, about 50 percent of females listed Oshkosh as a
positive place to live, whereas men graded Oshkosh positively at a rate of 53 percent. Out of 62
0
50
100
150
200
250
Positive
Negative
0
50
100
150
200
250
2013 Positive
2013 Negative
2009 Positive
2009 negative
23
percent of married people that participated, about 13 percent scored Oshkosh excellent,
42percent marked good and 66percent chose fair
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City as a part of the community
There were 279 valid responses to the sense of community rating with 12 answers of “no
opinion.” 53 percent of respondents feel a “positive” sense of community in Oshkosh. Again,
“positive” refers to a combination of ‘excellent’ and ‘good’ responses. 42.6 percent of
respondents rated Oshkosh as fair or poor while 4.3 percent had no opinion.
When cross-tabulating the data for sense of community and homeowner status it shows that 55
percent of homeowners who responded have a “positive” sense of community, an increase from
the 2009 Oshkosh Survey result of 48 percent.
0
50
100
150
200
250
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Oshkosh as a place to live
0
50
100
150
200
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Feeling a part of the community
24
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City regarding their
Neighborhood as a place to live
There were 279 valid responses to the neighborhood as a place to live question. Residents
feel their neighborhoods in Oshkosh are slightly better than “good” places to live than in 2009
survey. 45.5 percent of respondents felt their neighborhood is a good place to live while 32.6
percent felt that it is an excellent place to live. Only 19.7 percent of respondents had negative
feelings about their neighborhood, as a place to live. This positive response is similar to the
2009 Oshkosh Survey result.
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City as a place to raise children
There were 279 valid responses and 15 answers of “no-opinion” to this question. 72.1
percent of respondents indicated a positive response to Oshkosh as a place to raise children,
which is slightly improvement from the 2009 Survey where 70 percent of respondent indicated
positive response to Oshkosh as a place to raise children. Along gender lines, 73 percent of men
listed Oshkosh as a positive place to raise children, whereas women graded Oshkosh positively
at a rate of 71 percent. 24.4 percent of respondents scored Oshkosh excellent, 47.7 percent
marked “good” and 19.7 percent chose “fair”.
0
50
100
150
200
250
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Your neighborhood as a place to live
25
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City as a place to retire
There were 279 valid responses and 27 answers without an opinion to this question. The
results between positive and negative responses were pretty close, 42.7 percent negative and 47.7
percent positive, with roughly 9.7 percent undecided. The slight difference from the survey
conducted in 2009; where only 40 percent of respondents felt positive for Oshkosh as a place to
retire and 50 percent had negative response. Respondents age 60+ rated Oshkosh more
favorably (64 percent positive) than those under 60 (33 percent positive).
Survey results indicate that people who have lived in Oshkosh for over 20 years rate
Oshkosh a positive place to retire (51.8 percent). Of those results 51 percent are male, and 44.4
percent are female.
0
50
100
150
200
250
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Oshkosh as a place to raise children
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Oshkosh as a place to retire
26
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City
Regarding Community openness and acceptance of diversity
There were 279 valid responses and 25 no-opinion answers to this question. 39.1 percent
of these valid responses grade Oshkosh as positive regarding community openness and
acceptance to diversity. 52 percent of respondents scored a negative answer to this question. In
the 2009 survey 54.1 percent of responses grade Oshkosh as positive regarding community
openness and acceptance to diversity. 39.6 percent of respondents scored a negative answer to
this question, which shows that 15 percent of respondents feel lees satisfied with community
openness and acceptance of diversity than five years ago.
The overwhelming majority of respondents identified their race as “white.” Among those
of other races, three gave answer as “excellent”, one gave an answer of “good,” while three
answered “fair”, and five answered “poor” for community openness and acceptance to diversity.
Due to the limited sample size of those identifying their race as “non-white,” the results likely
cannot be construed as statistically significant.
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City the overall quality of life
There were 279 valid responses and 9 no- opinion answer in grading the overall quality
of life in Oshkosh. The results indicate that 71.6 percent of respondents view quality of life as
positive in Oshkosh. Across the gender lines, as 79.1 percent of males and 69.7 percent females
gave a positive rating. This result stayed the same over the last five years for females and
decreased by 4.2 percent for males.
0
50
100
150
200
250
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Community openness and acceptance of
diversity
27
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City as an environmentally friendly city
There were 279 valid responses and 27 no-opinion answers to this question which makes
almost 10 percent of all responses. Respondents feel positive that Oshkosh is an environmentally
friendly city, at 55.2 percent. The percentage of residents who feel Oshkosh is good place to live
and environmentally friendly is very similar across the gender lines 56.9 for males and 55
percent of females see Oshkosh as an environmentally friendly place to live.
No data from 2009
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City as a place to work
There were 279 valid responses and 15 no-opinion answers to this question. Overall,
45.9 percent of all respondents view Oshkosh as a positive place to work, 34.4 percent scored
Oshkosh negatively, and 9.7 percent indicated no opinion.
0
50
100
150
200
250
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
The overall quality of life in Oshkosh
0
50
100
150
200
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Oshkosh as an environmentally friendly
city
28
When accounting the employment status almost 50 percent of respondents were unemployed,
par-time, students, self-employed (0.02 percent), or retired, the full-time employed ones rated 45
percent as a positive for Oshkosh place to work and 48 percent rated negative. Majority of
responders rated Oshkosh as a place to work 35 .6 percent as a “good” and 34.8 percent as “fair”.
When accounting for education, 46.9 percent of respondents with a Master Degree or
Higher rate Oshkosh as a “good” place to work, while a majority of those with an associate
degree or only a high school diploma rate Oshkosh in the “fair category.”
No data from 2009
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City and
Direction Oshkosh is moving for the future
There were 279 valid responses and 44 no-opinion answers to this question, which makes
the 15.8 percent of all responses. About 35.5 percent of these valid responses express a positive
attitude towards Oshkosh’s plans for the future, which is slightly higher from the to 2009 survey
where 24.3 percent of the responses were positive, however 48.8 percent of respondents view
Oshkosh’s direction for the future negatively.
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Oshkosh as a place to work
29
How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City regards the
Affordability of living in Oshkosh
Of the 279 valid responses, 44.4 percent of respondents rated Oshkosh in the good
category. Most respondents feel that Oshkosh is an affordable place to live. 45.5 percent of
respondents say Oshkosh is not affordable, ranking it “fair” and “poor”.
No data from 2009
Quality of Services Evaluated Based on Frequency of Usage
The data indicates that the level of satisfaction with a service was directly related to the
frequency of usage. The majority of categories received a majority of good quality ratings based
on frequency of usage. The areas of “Building Permits and Inspections” and “Enforcement of
0
50
100
150
200
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
The direction Oshkosh is moving for the
future
125.5
126
126.5
127
127.5
Positive Negative Positive negative
2013 2009
Affordability of living in Oshkosh
30
Property Maintenance/Nuisances Codes” realized the lowest satisfaction based on responses.
Generally, the more frequently a service was used, the higher a quality rating was witnessed.
The results of the 2012 survey reflect quite differently from that of 2012. The poor
quality ratings were worse than that of 2011. Almost all the categories were higher in terms of
the percentage of respondents who perceive the quality to be poor which shows less
improvement from 2011. The results in 2012 are: Street repair (31.90%), Storm Drainage
Systems (20.50%), Response to Citizen Complaints and Request (16.40%), Enforcement and
Property Maintenance (13.50%) and Maintenance and Sweeping (11.60%). In terms of 2012
poor quality ratings after 2011 comparisons, Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing
(11.80%), Economic Development Assistance to Businesses (11.30%), Building Permits and
Inspections (10.90%) and Removal of Snow and Ice from City Streets (10.70%) follow as the
lowest quality. Timing is most certainly a factor in the poor rating for this item, since the survey
was completed during a particularly bad weather time period. Transportation plans for traffic is
the only category rated poor in 2011, which is absent in the 2012 questionnaire.
Twenty four, of the survey categories had a good or excellent rating by more than 50% of
the respondents (similar to 2011 with sixteen over 50%). Nine categories had a poor rating by
10% or more.
31
Analysis of Importance and Quality of Services
High Importance/High Quality
Upon statistical analysis of the importance and quality of services, it was found through the
use of cross tab analysis that some of the services are rated high in importance and high in
quality. The following methodology was used to analyze these results:
The importance of the service was figured by the total number of combined responses of
“very important” and “somewhat important” divided by the total number of respondents
(High Importance)
The cross tabbed high quality of the service was figured by the total number of “excellent
quality” and “good quality” responses divided by the total number of respondents (High
Quality)
The cross tabbed low quality of the service was figured by the total number of “fair
quality” and “low quality” responses divided by the total number of respondents (Low
Quality)
Those services that were rated high in importance and high in quality were: Police, Fire
Protection and Prevention, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Recycling, Refuse, Library
Services and Traffic Signs and Signals. All of these listed services were rated over 80% in
importance and at or over 70% in the quality of the service. Each of these services also had very
low percentages in the areas of “fair” and “poor” quality coming in at or under 15%. It should be
noted that leaf pickup and traffic signs had low quality ratings at 24% and 22% respectively
which was a bit higher than the other areas despite the high importance rating.
Importance vs. Quality of Service
Quality Rating
City Service Importance Rating High Qualit Low Qualit
Police 92% 74% 14%
EMS 92% 70% 9%
Fire 94% 74% 6%
Recycling 94% 85% 12%
Refuse Collection 94% 85% 11%
Library 89% 75% 15%
Traffic Signs & Signals 90% 75% 22%
Leaf Brush Pickup 84% 71% 24%
32
In comparison to previous survey results the high importance and high quality services
are pretty consistent with Police, EMS and Fire services all being rated high in importance and
quality. Other areas that get mentioned periodically are Library services, Refuse Collection and
Leaf Brush Pickup. It is clear from the study that these services are high in importance and
quality but may not have been mentioned in every survey result or the questions had been
worded differently. In addition, recycling and garbage collection has gone to a single stream
collection method recently and this survey may be the beginning of an increase in quality for
these services. Traffic Signs and Signals are high importance and quality and had not been
mentioned previously.
High Importance/Low Quality
Upon statistical analysis of the importance and quality of services, it was found through
the use of cross tab analysis that some of the services are rated high in importance but low in
quality. The same methodology was used to analyze these results as was previously mentioned.
The area of concern are those areas rated over 80% in importance and less than 55% in a
corresponding high quality rating. These areas are Street Repair, Storm Drainage, and Snow/Ice
removal. Each of these areas were rated well above 90% in importance but had less than 55%
for a high quality rating. It was further concerning that Street Repair and Storm Drainage were
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Importance
High Quality
Low Quality
33
30% and 34% respectively. It should be noted that Street Repair and Storm Drainage saw an
increase in quality from 2011 to 2012 and then regressed back down in 2013 (See Below).
However, the storm drainage is still above the 24% rating in 2011. On a positive note in this
graph is the Sidewalks category. The Importance of the service remained the same but the
Quality of the service increased from 53% in 2011 to 55% in 2013.
Year-to-Year Comparison – Street Repair and Storm Drainage
City Service 2011 2012 2013
Street Repair 31% 34% 29%
Storm Drainage 24% 42% 34%
Importance vs. Quality of Service
Quality Rating
City Service Importance Rating High Quality Low Quality
Street Repair 96% 29% 65%
Storm Drainage 93% 34% 54%
Snow and Ice Removal 96% 53% 43%
Sidewalks 88% 55% 39%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Street Repair Storm Drainage
2011
2012
2013
34
Additional Concerns
Through cross tab analysis of the importance of services and quality of services there were some
areas that did not rise to the level of a High Importance/High Quality or High Importance/Low
Quality but the cross tab analysis did reveal some information that may be of concern. The areas
to be discussed are Neighborhood Revitalization, Efforts to Improve Quality Housing, Economic
Development Assistance to Businesses and Lake Shore Golf Course.
Neighborhood Revitalization
The survey shows that 69% of all respondents believe that Neighborhood Revitalization is either
very important or somewhat important. Yet, of those people 43% rate the service as either fair
quality or poor quality and only 24% rate it as Excellent or Good Quality. In addition, 29% of
all respondents say they “Don’t Know” about the quality of service. The combination of
respondents that either rate the quality of service low or do not know the quality of the service is
concerning. The improvement of the service and additional advertising would benefit the
programs currently in use.
Efforts to Improve Quality Housing
It was noted in the survey that 72% of all respondents say that efforts to improve quality housing
is either very important or somewhat important. However, 42% of all respondents report they do
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Street Repair Storm Drainage Snow/Ice Removal Sidewalks
Importance
High Quality
Low Quality
35
not know the quality of the service. This indicates that if efforts are being put into this program,
citizens may not be aware and some citizens may be interested and/or benefit from the efforts to
improve housing. It should also be noted that 36% say the service is Fair or Poor Quality.
Economic Development Assistance to Businesses
It was noted that 67% of all respondents say that Economic Development Assistance to
Businesses is either very important or somewhat important; however, 50% do not know the
quality of this service. There are two notable concerns regarding this percentage. First is
whether any of these citizens own businesses and would benefit from the assistance if they were
aware of it; subsequently improving the overall business market in Oshkosh. The second
concern is the overall sense of pride in the area. Citizens unaware of efforts to improve
businesses or business development will continue to believe nothing is being done to improve the
climate. In addition, 29% stated that the quality of the service was either Fair or Poor quality.
The sense of pride on the part of citizens is important here.
Importance vs. Quality of Service
Quality Rating
City Service
Importance
Rating
High
Quality
Low
Quality
Don’t
Know
Quality
Neighborhood Revitalization 69% 24% 43% 29%
Efforts to Improve Housing 72% 17% 36% 42%
Economic Development Assistance to
Business
67% 17% 28% 50%
36
Lake Shore Golf Course
The Lake Shore Golf is a Municipal Golf Course owned and operated by the City of Oshkosh. It
was noted in the survey that 62% of all respondents said they rate the course as Somewhat
Unimportant, Very Unimportant or they have No Opinion. This was concerning because 80% of
these respondents said they do not know the quality of the course and 48% of all the respondents
said they do not know the quality of the golf course service. This information was cross tabbed
with the Importance of the Service along with the Frequency of Use. The survey showed that
only 33% of respondents that use the course also feel that it is important. Whereas 39% who use
the course feel the course is unimportant. Of further interest to this part of the survey was the
cross tabbed information with the demographics. Of the respondents who feel the golf course is
unimportant, 62% are married, 58% have lived in Oshkosh 20+ years, 65% have no children,
54% are full time employees and 70% have an Associate Degree or Higher. This demographic
would point to people that would typically be interested in the sport of golf. An interesting
follow up study would be whether the residents are golfing elsewhere in the Fox Valley Area as
opposed to a municipally owned course and whether a golf course is a good use of tax payer
money.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Neighborhood
Revitalization
Efforts to Improve
Housing
Economic Development
Assistance to Business
Importance
High Quality
Low Quality
Don't Know Quality
37
City Service
Low Importance or
No Opinion
High
Quality
Low
Quality
Don’t
Know
Quality
Lake Shore Golf Course 62% 34% 13% 48%
Of the 62% who feel the golf course is of “Low Importance” or have “No Opinion”
Associate Degree or Higher 70%
No Children 65%
Married 62%
Lived in Oshkosh 20+ years 58%
Full Time Employees 54%
Analysis of Importance and Frequency of Use of Services
High Importance/Low Importance
Upon statistical analysis of the importance and frequency of use of services, it was found through
the use of cross tab analysis that some of the services that are rated high in importance and high
in use are important services that are used on at least an annual basis. These areas would be
Police, Fire, EMS, Refuse Collection, Recycling, Sidewalks and Parking just to name a few.
However, in this category of Importance/Frequency of Use the most significant data was in the
area of recreation, education and quality of life services offered by the city. The following
methodology was used to analyze these results:
The importance of the service compared to those that actually use the service was figured
by the total number of combined responses of Daily, Weekly, Occasionally, Seasonally
and Annually (purposely excluding “N/A”) divided by the total number of respondents
(High and Low Importance). Total use of service was figured because some of these
areas are considered to be “seasonal” or only in need of being used on a part time basis.
The areas analyzed were: Library, Bike/Pedestrian Trails, Senior Center, Transit,
Museum, Aquatics Center and Golf Course.
The purpose for analyzing these areas is the relationship between the city and the citizens.
Services like Police, Fire and Refuse Collection (among others) would be considered necessary
functions provided by a tax base. These recreation, education and quality of life services offered
by the city are important to look at to determine if they are viewed as important in addition to
whether they are actually used by the citizenry. Excluded from these stats would be the
attractiveness of these services to bring in people from outside the area.
38
The outcome of this analysis is in part consistent with the analysis of Quality/Importance in that
the golf course is rated very low. The Library, Bike/Pedestrian Trails, Senior Center, Transit and
museum were all rated in high importance (above 60%) by the people that use them.
Additionally, very low percentages of people who use the service rated them low in importance.
The Aquatics Center was added to this list because over 50% of people that use the service rated
the service high in importance and 24% rated it low importance. This whole list is contrasted by
the Lake Shore Golf Course which only had 33% of people that use the course rate it as high in
importance. This is coupled with 39% of the people that use the service rating the course as low
in importance.
City Service High Importance Low Importance
Library 82% 5%
Bike/Pedestrian Trails 73% 14%
Senior Center 70% 12%
Transit 66% 15%
Museum 62% 20%
Aquatics Center 53% 24%
Golf Course 33% 39%
As stated in the previous section, the use of tax revenue to fund a service that is low quality, low
importance, or unknown to the citizenry needs further evaluation.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
High Importance
Low Importance
39
Budgeting Priorities – Question Eight and Nine
Section eight and nine, as with last year, asked survey respondents to give dollar amounts
to nine city service areas using first a hypothetical $1 million dollar budget surplus (question 8)
and second assuming a hypothetical $1 million dollar shortfall (question 9). The nine service
areas listed for consideration: Community Services, Economic Development, Refuse and
Recycling, Finance and Administration, Police Protection, Fire, Parks, Storm Water, and Road
Maintenance.
Increase $1 million
These results seem to indicate a perceived improvement in Road Maintenance & Construction
and Storm Drainage. This perception allows for additional money to then be allocated to
Community Services and Parks even though a majority of their quality data is above average
(exception - Golf Course). Since Storm Drainage was not separated out until the 2010 survey,
some respondents may have included it in their allocation to Road Maintenance. This is validated
by a review of the quality data in Question #7 (results follow question 9).
Decrease $1 Million
40
These results seem to indicate a perceived improvement in Economic Development. This
perception allows for less money required to be deducted from Community Services and Parks
even though a majority of their quality data is above average (exception - Golf Course). Since
Storm Drainage was not separated out until the 2010 survey, some respondents may have
included it in their reductions to Road Maintenance. This is not validated by a review of the
quality data, Question #7, with the exception of Building Permits & Inspection.
Cumulative Results for Quality of Services (Question #7) are as follows:
Neighborhoods; Fair & Above 61.3%, Good & Excellent 24.4%,
Museum; Fair & Above 80.6%, Good & Excellent 55.9%,
Community Media; Fair & Above 67%, Good & Excellent 38%,
Library; Fair & Above 90.3%, Good & Excellent 74.6%,
Senior Services; Fair & Above 67%, Good & Excellent 51.3%,
Transit; Fair & Above 69.9%, Good & Excellent 49.8%,
City Buildings; Fair & Above 84.6%, Good & Excellent 48.7%
Economic Development Assistance Business; Fair & Above 39.8%, Good & Excellent 17.6%,
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing; Fair & Above 44.4%, Good & Excellent 17.2%,
Building Permits & Inspection; Fair & Above 51.3%, Good & Excellent 24.4%,
Enforcement of Property Maintenance Codes; Fair & Above 43.4%, Good & Excellent 19.4%,
Land Use; Fair & Above 44.1%, Good & Excellent 17.9%
Bike & Pedestrian Trails; Fair & Above 80.3, Good & Excellent 56.3%,
Golf Course; Fair & Above 47.3%, Good & Excellent 34.4%,
Parks; Fair & Above 88.9%, Good & Excellent 64.5%,
Aquatic Center; Fair & Above 62.4%, Good & Excellent 52%
Street Maintenance; Fair & Above 86.4%, Good & Excellent 60.2%,
Street Repair; Fair & Above 64.5%, Good & Excellent 29.7%
Storm Drainage; Fair & Above 67.4%, Good & Excellent 33.7%
Net Results for 8 and 9.
41
For the sake of consistency in the Net Totals, we added the 2013 Storm Drainage figures in to
the Road Maintenance figures since that is likely where citizens would have included them in
their thinking previously.
With the exception of increased funding and/or lack of cuts to Community Services and
Parks, as evidenced by the descriptions for additional allocations and reductions in allocations, it is
difficult to draw any conclusions from the Net Totals even after considering the quality assessments.
42
Visitation to the Oshkosh Public Museum – Question 10 and 11
Of the 279 Surveys returned, 194 included a response to Question 10 - If you have not
visited the Oshkosh Public Museum in the past year, why? 163 of those responses were in the
multiple-choice sections, while 31 were marked as “Other”. What this first number indicates is that
30.5% of respondents, and by correlation 30.5% of Oshkosh residents, have been to the Oshkosh
Public Museum in the past year. It would be useful to check this figure against attendance figures
kept by the museum.
Another thing these survey results seem to indicate, combining the numbers for Lack of
Interest, Don’t Know Enough About It, and the exhibit suggestions that follow, is that with an
increased and targeted marketing effort the Museum may be able to increase attendance and
involvement by promoting many of its current features.
The rankings for the multiple-choice answers are as follows (out of 279 total surveys):
Lack of Interest – 90 (32.3%)
No Response – 85 (30.5%)
Cost – 36 (12.9%)
Other – 31 (11.1%)
Don’t know enough about it – 16 (5.7%)
Hours – 11 (3.9%)
Not Interactive/Too Passive – 7 (2.5%)
Location – 3 (1.1%)
The 29 surveys to check “Other” and write in a reason can be sorted into five categories.
I’m Too Busy - 14 (5.0%)
Lack of Engaging Exhibits - 5 (1.8%)
Elderly/Health Reasons - 5 (1.8%)
Unrelated Answers - 4 (1.4%)
Parking - 1 (0.3%)
We are about to redesign the museum visitor experience, what are your ideas? What would
be a “cool” experience for you?” –
This open-ended question garnered 94 responses, 16 of which had also written in a comment
under “Other” for the previous question. These comments can be sorted into seven categories, with
some responses covering multiple categories.
Exhibit Suggestions – 40 (14.3%)
Financial Suggestions – 23 (8.2%)
Child Focused - 18 (6.5%)
Events and Outdoor Space – 10 (3.6%)
43
General Positive – 10 (3.6%)
General Negative – 9 (3.2%)
Parking Improvements - 2 (0.7%)
Included in the 40 exhibit suggestions were robots, toys, dinosaurs, space, trains, taxidermy, ecology,
women’s basketball, and the lumber industry. The single most commonly stated exhibit idea was the
history of Oshkosh (and the area) from the 1920’s to today. These included Oshkosh during WWII,
Oshkosh Diversity (Native American and Hmong), Oshkosh waterways, local businesses (grocery
stores, bars) from the 1950’s, and local art.
The theme of Child Focused, Hands-on, Family Events/Exhibits is separated out because it is
the single most noted exhibit idea. This would suggest that the Museum would benefit from
collaborative efforts with other Family Friendly activities nearby (Zoo, Biking Trails, Paine, Boating,
EAA Museum, Menominee Park, Waterpark, Outlet Mall, University, etc.)
Three interesting event and outdoor space ideas are bus (or other transportation method) tours
of historic Oshkosh sites, a café, and reenactments of historic local events. The Museum is seen as a
place to stop and be entertained/educated/cultured as a group. It seems beneficial to accentuate the
social aspect of the museum experience rather than fight it.
While there are comments suggesting that admission be free, it is more commonly suggested
that there be “free days”, ranging from once a year to weekly. Others suggest partnerships with local
businesses to reduce admission costs.
Internet Responses:
The online responses to the Oshkosh Citizen Survey were not tracked so the numbers
were not included in the statistical results above, however, there were many interesting
comments that are summarized below.
There are 14 comments encouraging a focus on Oshkosh History but these comments go
on to suggest specific ideas such as an interactive model of “old Oshkosh”, Oshkosh in the
Future, “Day in the Life” years gone by photos, “Past and Present” style photos, Oshkosh during
the Civil War/Depression/ World Wars, and rehab the fire house to show of vehicles.
21 online responses mention increasing interactive exhibits, similar to the ideas presented
in the mailed responses but with some additional detail. Perhaps not surprisingly, the online
responses suggest better and more frequent use of technology; including social media, a virtual
44
tour of the museum on the website, digital slideshows of current and past exhibits, online
research tools, and audio tours that can be downloaded to tablet computers and MP3 players.
There are a few comments regarding budget and how best to spend tax dollars but, surprisingly,
none of the online responses suggested free admission.
A theme that was noted a few times in the online responses was that of marketing.
Similar to the mailed surveys and responses to Question 10 in both formats, citizens would like
the museum to increase and improve its marketing efforts, relying less on the main sign outside
the museum and more on technology, local partnerships and other media.
45
The City of Oshkosh is interested in any additional comments
or suggestions you may have regarding the city budget
or city government. – Question 13
With this being the fifth anniversary of the Oshkosh Citizen Survey, we are able to look back at
some of the themes that have emerged in previous years. In each of the previous surveys,
additional comments were given, and a synopsis follows.
2009
Dismal roads in the city and poor snow removal
Flooding is a problem and ineffective sewer systems
Roundabout opposition
Poor economic development, a decline to the downtown business district
major concerns
Taxes too high
2010
The condition of road maintenance, whether in reference to appearance,
condition, or snow removal was viewed negatively.
Citizens tended to be particularly concerned with Oshkosh acquiring and
retaining more businesses and revamping the downtown area.
The safety and appearance of neighborhoods was important.
Taxes and quality of services, or lack thereof, was again a major concern
for many, with the general tendency of citizens feeling that taxes should
be lowered.
A handful of comments referred to the good job that the city
administration is doing.
There were many comments in opposition of roundabouts again.
There were a number of comments regarding city/union contracts and
wages being too high.
2011
Need of a business focus and economic development
Streets are in poor condition
City pay structure is high and services are inefficient
City still lacks storm water management
The citizens have asked for more effort to develop bike paths and walks in
the city
Taxes too high
Many comments suggest that services are improving and Oshkosh citizens
are generally satisfied.
2012
Continue development of the River walk
Focus on parks and appearance of city through acquiring and demolishing
“junky” areas
46
Make the city biker friendly and improve walks and parks
Dissatisfaction with the bus system. Empty buses, expensive fuel
Taxes too high
Many comments suggest praise towards city management and the changes
were evident.
2013 - Additional Comments
Included in the 2013 Citizen survey for the City of Oshkosh were one hundred and fifteen
additional comments. Some of these comments were very detailed and others quite generalized. For
the sake of reporting, apparent themes that have emerged are highlighted.
The City of Oshkosh scored good remarks in the continued development of the waterfront as
well as the downtown areas. In general, the economic development undertaken by the city in the past
year has been favorable. The comments go on to suggest that the city should continue in an effort to
make the City of Oshkosh appear as more of a “destination” city. However, attention needs to be
given to Main Street, often times titled “not user friendly”! Other positive comments suggest that the
city manager has done an excellent job of being citizen-focused and is hearing the needs of the
people. Many favorable comments were directed at his accomplishments.
Items that displeased respondents were similar to previous years. They include the poor street
conditions, decline of housing in some areas of the city, poor snow removal services, inefficient
sewer services, and finally a property tax rate that remains too high. Many of the respondents went
on to ask for better parks and recreation services. This would include the addition and revitalization
of the bike and walking paths, and the ability to take pets into the parks, or a creation of a pet park
for the city of Oshkosh.
47
Analysis of Survey Results to Demographics of City – Question 14
Survey Survey Oshkosh
Results % Census %
Gender Male 53 42.1 51.2
Female 73 57.9 48.8
Missing 76 0
Year Born 18 to 60 107 89.9 58.4
Over 60 12 10.1 16.7
Missing 83 24.9
Marital Married 76 59.8 49.9
Status Not Married 49 38.6 33.4
Widowed 2 1.6 6.25
Missing 75 9
Time Lived 5 or less 18 14.3 6.8
In Oshkosh 6 to 20 38 30.2 24
>20 70 55.5 67
Missing 76 2.2
Number of None 77 60.6 71
Children 1 24 18.9 9.7
2 20 15.7 11.5
3 or More 6 4.7 5.7
Missing 75 2.1
Place of North of Fox 57 45.6 42.7
Residence South of Fox/East of 41 42 33.6 37.6
South of Fox/West of 41 26 20.8 14.3
Missing 77 5.4
Income Under 24,999 18 15.8 17.5
25k to 49,999 23 20.2 28.9
50k to 74,999 31 27.2 20.5
75k to 99,999 30 26.3 11.4
Over 100k 12 10.5 5.5
Missing 83 16.2
Employment Employed Full Time 80 63.0 59
Status Employed Part Time 8 6.3 2.5
Self Employed 12 9.4 2.3
Presently Unemployed 10 7.9 3.8
Student 8 6.3 1.1
Retired 9 7.1 37.3
Missing 75
Occupation Homemaker 4 3.9 2.2
Service Occupations 11 10.8 9.7
Sales 10 9.8 4.7
Education 8 7.8 8.2
Professional Management 38 37.3 15.4
48
Farming, Fishing, or
Forestry
0 0 .4
Construction, Maintenance 2 2.0 2.2
Production/Transportation 4 3.9 6.5
Other 25 24.5 10.4
Missing 100
Education Less than HS 1 .8 12.6
HS/GED 25 19.8 36.1
Associates/Some College 42 33.3 6.6
Bachelors 46 36.5 15.3
Masters or higher 12 9.6 7.2
Missing 76 22.3
Race White 115 92.8 90.5
Native Hawaiian 0 0
Hispanic or Latino 0 2.7
Asian 7 5.6 3.2
African-American 0 3.1
American Indian 0 .8
Two or More Races 1 .8 1.7
Other 1 .8 0
Missing 78
Gender – The sample replying to the survey is representative of the population in
Oshkosh.
Year Born – The response rate almost 60 percent of citizens are in a range of 18-60
years of age.
Marital Status – The percentage of married respondents (59%) to the census population
(49.9%) data is higher which may result in different views on child related services,
public safety needs, and more vested interest in the community.
Years Lived in Oshkosh – The percentage of individuals that have lived in Oshkosh for
5 years or less has the lowest percentage of survey responses with the reverse for those
who have lived in Oshkosh over 20 years. Longer term residents may have more vested
interest in the community overall.
Number of Children – number of respondents without children is slightly lower than the
census which may result in underrepresentation of the services such as recreational and
parks.
49
Location in City – in 2009 the percentage of survey respondents on both sides of the
river seem to be equal, but 2013 survey does not represent both sides equally this year.
Household Income Level – In 2009 survey the lowest and highest income brackets are
disproportionately represented. This year’s survey represents that those under $15.000
income were slightly lower than five years ago.
Employment Status – The survey results appears to represent the census data although
slightly higher.
Profession – With a high level of no responses (40 percent), there may have not been
categories representing all survey respondents. There appears to be a higher response
rate from those in the management profession.
Level of Education – The overall education level of respondents is higher than the
census data, only HS/GED category was underrepresented.
50
Appendix A – Internet Survey Results- 2013 – 203 Responses
1. Frequently of utilization of the following City services – percentages.
Frequency of City Services Daily Weekly
Occasiona
lly
Seasonall
y Annually
Or Less
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 3.5 9.9 23.8 29.2 33.7
Lake Shore Golf Course 0 1.5 9.4 6.4 82.7
Pollock Aquatic Center 1.0 2.5 9.9 24.3 62.4
Leach Amphitheatre 0 5.4 29.7 31.2 33.7
Oshkosh Public Museum 0 1.0 27.7 13.4 57.9
Senior Services Center .5 3.0 7.4 1.0 88.1
Public Library Services 1.0 20.3 48.0 5.4 25.3
Police Services 1.5 .5 28.7 4.0 65.4
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 1.5 0 10.9 4.0 84.2
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 1.0 0 6.9 1.5 90.6
Building Permits and Inspections .5 0 9.9 4.5 85.2
Enforcement of Property
Maintenance/Nuisance Codes 0 0 7.4 3.5 89.1
City Parking Facilities Building .5 2.5 13.4 10.9 72.8
Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet
Services 13.4 11.4 26.7 5.0 43.6
Transit System 4.0 4.5 11.4 4.0 76.3
Recycling Collection Services 9.4 64.9 9.4 3.5 12.9
Refuse Collection Service 6.9 54.5 6.9 5.9 25.8
Leaf and Brush Pick up .5 5.9 16.8 52.5 24.3
2. Funding of City services – percentages.
Strongly
Agree
Somewha
t Agree
Neither
Agree/
Disagre
e
Somewh
at
Disagree
Strongl
y
Disagre
e
No
Opinio
n
The City could reduce taxes and
maintain current services by being more
efficient.
30.0
35.5
16.7
8.4
5.9
3.4
The City should focus on reducing taxes
by pursuing grants (many of which
require local funding match)
25.1
33.0
26.6
6.9
3.0
5.4
The City should focus on reducing taxes
by increasing service fees and charges.
4.4
22.2
23.6
24.6
23.2
2.0
I will support an increase in taxes if it
would maintain or increase the services I
value.
19.7
23.6
20.7
19.7
12.8
3.4
3. How safe or unsafe you feel in your neighborhood after dark - percentages.
Very Safe Safe Neither Unsafe Very Unsafe Don’t Know
19.3 45.5 16.8 11.4 .5 6.4
4. Were you or anyone in your household the victim of a crime – percentages.
Yes No
13.9 86.1
51
5. If “Yes”, did you report all of these crimes- percentages.
Yes No Don’t Know
64.3 32.1 3.6
6. Importance of services – percentages.
Importance of City Services Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Somewhat
Unimportant
Very
Unimportant
No Opinion/
Neutral
Community Services
Support for Neighborhood Revitalization
Programs
25.7 37.1 4.5 3.0 29.7
Oshkosh Public Museum 22.3 33.2 8.9 2.0 29.7
Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet
Services
18.8 30.7 8.4 6.4 35.6
Public Library Services 54.0 13.9 1.5 .5 30.2
Senior Services Center 33.7 15.8 3.0 2.5 45.1
Transit System 42.1 20.8 4.5 1.0 31.7
Appearance of City-Owned Buildings 19.8 37.6 7.4 1.5 33.7
Parks
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 29.2 28.7 5.9 2.0 34.2
Lake Shore Golf Course 4.0 15.8 12.9 19.8 47.5
Appearance of City Parks & Greenways 40.1 28.2 1.0 .5 30.2
Pollock Aquatic Center 19.3 28.2 5.9 4.0 42.6
Economic Development
Economic Development Assistance to Businesses 27.7 27.7 3.0 2.0 39.6
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing 34.2 23.8 5.0 .5 36.7
Building Permits and Inspections 15.8 25.7 11.9 1.0 45.6
Enforcement of Property Maintenance/Nuisance
Codes
26.2 27.7 7.9 2.5 35.7
Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Services 18.3 32.2 4.5 1.0 44.1
Refuse and Recycling
Leaf and Brush Pick up 23.8 34.7 5.0 2.0 34.7
Recycling Collection Services 50.5 15.8 1.5 .5 31.7
Refuse Collection Service 49.5 12.9 1.5 .5 35.7
Protective Services
Police Services 62.4 5.9 .5 .5 30.7
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 61.9 5.9 .5 0 31.7
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 63.9 3.5 .5 .5 31.7
Road Maintenance and Construction
City Parking Facilities 18.8 31.7 9.4 .5 31.7
City’s Sidewalk System 36.1 26.7 4.5 1.5 31.2
Removal of Snow and Ice From City Streets 55.9 12.4 1.0 0 30.7
Traffic Signs and Signals 47.5 19.3 1.0 0 32.2
Street Lighting 47.0 21.3 1.0 0 30.7
Street Maintenance and Sweeping 29.2 33.7 5.9 1.5 29.7
Street Repair 56.4 13.9 0 0 29.7
Storm Drainage
Storm Drainage Systems 52.0 16.8 1.5 0 29.7
52
7. Quality of service –percentages.
Importance of City Services Excellent
Quality
Good
Quality
Fair
Quality
Poor
Quality
Don’t
Know
Community Services
Support for Neighborhood Revitalization
Programs
2.0 18.8 28.2 5.0 46.0
Oshkosh Public Museum 15.8 29.2 8.9 .5 45.6
Community Media Cable TV, Radio, Internet
Services
6.4 27.7 16.3 1.5 48.1
Public Library Services 31.2 27.2 6.4 0 35.2
Senior Services Center 13.4 21.3 2.0 .5 62.8
Transit System 9.9 31.7 8.4 4.0 46.1
Appearance of City-Owned Buildings 5.0 31.7 24.3 2.5 36.7
Parks
Bike and Pedestrian Trails 5.0 31.2 13.9 6.9 43.1
Lake Shore Golf Course .5 19.3 9.4 1.0 69.8
Appearance of City Parks & Greenways 12.9 33.7 15.8 2.0 35.7
Pollock Aquatic Center 13.9 28.7 4.5 .5 52.5
Economic Development
Economic Development Assistance to Businesses 2.0 17.8 14.9 4.0 61.3
Efforts to Improve the Quality of Housing 3.0 14.4 21.3 8.4 52.9
Building Permits and Inspections 1.5 14.9 18.8 4.0 60.9
Enforcement of Property Maintenance/Nuisance
Codes
4.0 15.8 18.8 7.9 53.4
Land Use, Planning, and Zoning Services 1.0 19.3 13.4 4.0 62.3
Refuse and Recycling
Leaf and Brush Pick up 9.4 32.7 12.4 3.0 45.5
Recycling Collection Services 33.2 23.8 5.9 .5 36.6
Refuse Collection Service 29.2 22.8 4.0 1.5 42.5
Protective Services
Police Services 22.8 26.7 8.4 3.5 38.6
Emergency Medical Services (ambulance) 20.8 23.3 3.5 0 52.4
Fire Protection and Prevention Services 26.2 21.3 3.0 0 49.4
Road Maintenance and Construction
City Parking Facilities 2.0 23.8 17.8 9.9 46.5
City’s Sidewalk System 5.0 29.2 21.8 6.9 37.1
Removal of Snow and Ice From City Streets 6.4 30.2 20.8 7.4 35.1
Traffic Signs and Signals 15.8 40.1 6.9 .5 36.6
Street Lighting 10.4 31.2 18.3 4.0 36.1
Street Maintenance and Sweeping 7.4 31.7 20.3 4.0 36.7
Street Repair 3.0 13.9 18.8 30.2 34.2
Storm Drainage
Storm Drainage Systems 3.5 21.8 20.8 16.3 37.7
53
10. If you have not visited the Oshkosh Public Museum in the past year, why? # of responses
Hours Location Cost Lack of
Interest
Don’t Know
About It
Not
Interactive
Other
9 4 20 43 30 13 17
Questions 8 and 9 – Budgeting Priorities - Dollars
Extra $1
million
Reduce $1
million
Net
Increase or
(Decrease)
Community Services $111,044 $95,848 +$20,618
Economic Development $134,924 $169,959 -$31,581
Refuse and Recycling $46,584 $96,448 -$55,826
Finance and Administration $50,595 $229,548 -$187,458
Police Protection $96,639 $74,915 +$20,285
Fire Suppression/ Prevention $82,983 $59,715 +$16,813
Parks $122,331 $112,559 +$4,183
Storm Water Maintenance $129,280 $94,181 +$39,590
Road Maintenance $225,620 $66,827 +$173,377
12. How Oshkosh Citizens feel about their City results –percentages:
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
No
Opinion
Oshkosh as a place to live? 13.4 35.1 12.4 2.0 37.1
Feeling a part of the community? 8.4 28.2 20.3 5.4 37.6
Your neighborhood as a place to live? 13.4 30.2 13.4 5.9 37.1
Oshkosh as a place to raise children? 15.3 29.2 10.4 5.4 39.6
Oshkosh as a place to retire? 6.9 17.8 18.3 13.9 43.0
Community openness and acceptance of diversity? 4.0 22.3 22.3 11.9 38.6
The overall quality of life in Oshkosh? 6.4 37.1 17.3 2.0 37.1
Oshkosh as an environmentally friendly city? 3.5 28.2 24.8 3.5 40.1
Oshkosh as a place to work? 5.0 30.2 16.3 9.4 39.1
The direction Oshkosh is moving for the future? 4.0 25.7 20.8 7.9 41.6
Affordability of living in Oshkosh? 6.4 32.7 18.3 5.0 37.6
Question 14 – Analysis of Survey Results to Demographics of City
Survey Survey Oshkosh Without
Results % Census Institution
Gender Male 53 42.1
Female 73 57.9
Missing 76
Year Born 18 to 60 107 89.9
Over 60 12 10.1
Missing 83
Marital Status Married 76 59.8
Not Married 49 38.6
Widowed 2 1.6
Missing 75
54
Time Lived in 5 or less 18 14.3
Oshkosh 6 to 20 38 30.2
>20 70 55.5
Missing 76
Number of None 77 60.6
Children 1 24 18.9
2 20 15.7
3 or More 6 4.7
Missing 75
Place of North of Fox 57 45.6
Residence South of Fox/East of 41 42 33.6
South of Fox/West of 41 26 20.8
Missing 77
Income Under 24,999 18 15.8
25k to 49,999 23 20.2
50k to 74,999 31 27.2
75k to 99,999 30 26.3
Over 100k 12 10.5
Missing 83
Employment Employed Full Time 80 63.0
Status Employed Part Time 8 6.3
Self Employed 12 9.4
Presently Unemployed 10 7.9
Student 8 6.3
Retired 9 7.1
Missing 75
Occupation Homemaker 4 3.9
Service Occupations 11 10.8
Sales 10 9.8
Education 8 7.8
Professional Management 38 37.3
Farming, Fishing, or Forestry 0 0
Construction, Maintenance 2 2.0
Production/Transportation 4 3.9
Other 25 24.5
Missing 100
Education Less than HS 1 .8
HS/GED 25 19.8
Associates/Some College 42 33.3
Bachelors 46 36.5
Masters or higher 12 9.6
Missing 76
Race White 115 92.8
Native Hawaiian 0
Hispanic or Latino 0
Asian 7 5.6
African-American 0
American Indian 0
Two or More Races 1 .8
Other 1 .8
Missing 78
55