HomeMy WebLinkAboutOshkoshCitizenSurveyFinalReport2019
2019
Citizen Survey
Report
Prepared By:
Samantha June Larson, PhD
Lisa Nahmens, MPA
University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
Department of Public Administration
1
Introduction
Since 2009, the City of Oshkosh has partnered with the Department of Public Administration at the University of Wisconsin
– Oshkosh (UWO) to conduct the Oshkosh Citizen Survey. Residents are asked questions pertaining to their overall quality
of life, feelings of safety, and city services. This report offers a detailed analysis of the results of the 2019 survey, which
was conducted between February and May. These results are meant to provide insight into issues that are of importance
to Oshkosh residents. This report is organized into the following sections.
First, the methodology section provides an overview of how the survey data was collected. It describes revisions to data
collection efforts that were made in 2019 to simplify the overall process. It also reviews the statistical validity of the results.
Next, information about participant demographic characteristics is presented, including a breakdown of the proportion of
participants by: sex, age, race, ethnicity, and annual household income.
Finally, responses to questions about the City of Oshkosh are presented. The section begins by presenting results
concerning the quality of life. That is followed by an examination of how safe residents feel in their homes, neighborhoods,
and business/commercial areas during the day and night. City service results are highlighted according to how residents
rank their quality and how important they feel services are to the community overall. Twenty-eight services are grouped
by department and presented under the subheadings of: public safety, public works, community services, economic
development, parks, and transportation. Finally, an analysis of one special topic question on youth mental health is
presented.
Methodology
The City distributed the citizen survey by utilizing the services contracted with Polco, an online polling company designed
to connect local governments with their communities. The UWO research team collaborated with the City to distribute
the survey using the online platform. The City advertised the survey on their website and via social media. The UWO
research team also recruited participants at various locations throughout the City, including: Oshkosh State of the City
2019, Unity in Community Day at the Oshkosh Convention Center, Oshkosh Public Library, Oshkosh YMCA, and the
Downtown Transit Center. Furthermore, a link to the survey was distributed through the UWO Announcements.
A total of 278 residents participated in the online survey. Of those, 183 (66%) were registered voters. The other 95 (34%)
were not registered voters. Based on the total population of Oshkosh, the 278 responses achieved statistical validity based
on a 90% confidence interval1 (with a 5% margin of error2).
1 The confidence level is used to express the degree of certainty that the results of the sample are an accurate reflection of
the total City. It is commonly set at either 90%, 95%, or 99%.
2 The margin of error illustrates how far above or below the result would be if everyone in the City completed the survey. For
example, if 55% of residents said “yes” to a question, a 5% margin of error means that 50-60% of the total population would also
answer “yes” if surveyed.
2
Participant Demographic Overview
Polco is able to provide demographic data related to sex and
age based on its access to voter registration records. The
following two charts are calculated based on those
participants that are registered to vote. Chart 1 includes the
breakdown of respondents by male and female. As
previously noted, 34% of the respondents were not
registered voters, so sex data was not available. There were
105 respondents (38%) identified as female and a slightly
lower number, 78 respondents (28%), that were identified
as male. The remaining 34% were not identified.
Chart 2 includes the proportion of participants by age range
based on voter registration records. Approximately 25%
were age 60 or older. The greatest proportion of survey
respondents (23%) were in the 50-59 age group. The second
highest age group was 40-49 (16%). Finally, approximately
14% were under 40 years of age. Age data was not available
for 22% of participants.
All participants were asked to identify the race that they identify with. As shown in Table 1, 263 (94.6%) of participants
were White/Caucasian, .7% were Black or African American, 0% were American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut, 1.1% were Asian
or Pacific Islander, 1.4% were Two or More Races, and 2.2% identified as Other. Therefore, a total of 5.4% of participants
were persons of color. Furthermore, Table 2 illustrates that 2.9% of participants were of Hispanic Origin.
Table 1. Participants by Race
Race Total Participants %
White/Caucasian 263 94.6%
Black or African American 2 .7%
American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut 0 0%
Asian or Pacific Islander 3 1.1%
Two or More Races 4 1.4%
Other 6 2.2%
TOTAL 278 100%
Table 2. Participants by Hispanic or Latino Origin
Hispanic or Latino Origin Total Participants %
Yes 8 2.9%
No 270 97.1%
TOTAL 278 100%
38%
28%
34%
1. Participants by Sex
Female
Male
Unknown
2%
12%
16%
23%14%
9%
2%
22%
2. Participants by Age
18-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79
80-89
Unknown
3
Participants were also asked to identify their annual household income. Reponses from all 278 participants are included,
and the total number of participants is reported for each income category in Chart 3. Those in households that made
$24,999 or less made up 44 (16%) of the participants, 54 participants (19%) earned $25,000-$49,999, the largest group of
66 participants (24%) made between $50,000-$74,999 annually, 41 (15%) made between $75,000-$99,000, 54 (19%) made
$100,000-$149,999, and the smallest group of 19 participants (7%) made $150,000 or more.
Finally, Chart 4 illustrates the percentage of participants that identify as People of Color, Hispanic or Latino, that are less
than 40 years of age, and those that live in households that earn less than $25,000 annually. Proportions are provided
for the participants from the 2017, 2018, and 2019 surveys.
Notes: The age data is calculated using data from participants who are registered voters (n=183). Of those, 22% of participants are not
accounted for when calculating the “Age less than 40” column.
The blue bars provide the actual percentage of each population in Oshkosh based on the 2010 Census. This shows how
representative the participants have been over time. Efforts have been made to expand diversity of participants with some
success. For instance, from 2017 to 2019, participants increased by:
• 4.6% more that identify as People of Color (To achieve representativeness, 3.5% more participants are needed)
• 2.9% more Hispanic and Latino participants (Representativeness is achieved based on 2010 Census)
• .8% more participants under 40 (Compared to 31.5% of participants in 2018; 24.5% more participants needed to
achieve representativeness)
• 16% more participants in households that make less than $25,000 annually (To achieve representativeness, 12%
more participants are needed)
44%
54%
66%
41%
54%
19%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
Less than $24,999
$25,000-$49,999
$50,000-$74,999
$75,000-$99,000
$100,000-$149,999
$150,000 or more
3. Number of Participants by Annual Household income
8.9%
2.7%
39.3%
28.0%
0.8%0.0%
14.0%
0.0%
5.9%3.6%
31.5%
15.8%
5.4%2.9%
14.8%16.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
People of Color Hispanic or Latino Age less than 40 Annual Income less than $25k
4. Participant Demographic Representativeness Over Time
2010 Census 2017 2018 2019
4
Quality of Life
Overall, residents responded positively to the Overall Quality of Life question as
shown in Chart 5. When asked to rate their overall quality of life, approximately
83% reported a positive quality of life, with 17% answering Excellent and 66%
answering Good. Comparatively, 16% reported their quality of life as fair, and just
1% reported it as poor.
Chart 6 shows responses when participants were asked to rate Oshkosh on 11
different quality of life statements. The chart represents the data grouped into
one of three categories: Positive (if participants responded Excellent or Good),
Negative (if they responded Fair or Poor), and No Opinion. Results shows that
respondents expressed a positive feeling for 7 out of 11 questions, which received
a majority positive response rate (50% or greater). The top three positive
statements related to Oshkosh as an affordable place to live (77%), as a place to
work (70%), and to raise children (62%).
The four remaining categories received a majority of negative responses. Two received the highest No Opinion responses
as well, rating Oshkosh as a place to start a business (38% Negative) and as a place to retire (34% Negative). However, the
two most Negative statements regarded Oshkosh as: a place accepting of diversity (56%) and as a welcoming, inclusive
community (55%). Notably, 48% also responded negatively to Oshkosh as an environmentally-friendly city.
Excellent
17%
Good
66%
Fair
16%
Poor
1%
5. Overall Quality of Life
77%
63%
56%
70%
29%
62%
50%
40%
42%
37%
52%
23%
37%
44%
24%
38%
27%
48%
34%
55%
56%
45%
1%
0%
0%
5%
34%
12%
3%
15%
3%
6%
2%
As an affordable place to live
As a place to recreate and play
As a place with quality entertainment
As a place to work
As a place to start a business
As a place to raise children
As an environmentally-friendly city
As a place to retire
As a welcoming, inclusive community
As a place accepting of diversity
As a place moving in the right direction
6. Quality of Life Statements: Positive, Negative, or No Opinion
Positive Negative No Opinion
5
Feelings of Safety
Next, participants were asked: “Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel” in five categories listed in Chart 7. If they
responded Very Safe or Safe, answers are documented in Chart 7 in blue. Any response other than Very Safe or Safe was
included as a Less than Safe response, represented by orange.
Overall, the majority responded that they felt safe in Oshkosh. Approximately 92% felt safe in their home, 94% felt safe in
their neighborhood during the day, and 91% felt safe in commercial/business areas during the day. On the other hand,
only 56% felt safe walking alone in their neighborhood after dark, and the lowest proportion of 50% felt safe in
commercial/business areas after dark.
To better understand who feels Unsafe or Very Unsafe in Oshkosh after dark, other demographic factors were considered.
Of those that feel less than safe in their neighborhoods after dark, 76.7% identify as female and 23.3% as male. Of those
that unsafe in commercial areas after dark, 65.5% are female and 34.5% are male.
As shown in Chart 8, 31% of 40-49-year-old Oshkosh residents felt the least safe in both their neighborhoods and
commercial areas after dark, the highest of all age groups. The second highest proportion included residents 70-79, with
18.8% feeling unsafe walking in their neighborhood after dark.
92
94
56
91
50
8
6
45
9
50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
In your home
In your neighborhood during the day
Walking alone in your neighborhood after dark
In commercial/business areas during the day
In commercial/busines areas after dark
7. Feeling Safe vs. Less than Safe (%)
Very Safe/Safe Less than Safe
0%
13%
31%
11.6%
16%18.8%
0%
15%
0%
4.3%
31%
13.9%
8%6.3%
0%
25%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+Unknown
7. Less than Safe Feelings after Dark: By Age Group (%)
Neighborhood Commercial Areas
6
Quality of City Services
The next set of survey questions focused resident perceptions of the quality of 28 city services. Questions relating to
quality asks respondents to identify whether the service is Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, or No Opinion. Results are presented
in Table 3. The percentage of participants is provided, and the total number is also presented in parentheses (…).
Table 3. Quality of City Services
Area Service Excellent Good Fair Poor No
Opinion
Public Safety Police 36% (99) 38% (105) 12% (33) 5% (14) 9% (25)
Fire Department 39% (109) 35% (96) 2% (6) 1% (3) 22% (62)
Ambulance 31% (87) 30% (83) 5% (14) 1% (2) 32% (90)
Public Works Leaf and Brush Pick-up 22% (61) 42% (117) 16% (45) 6% (18) 13% (35)
Recycling Services 34% (93) 44% (123) 15% (41) 2% (5) 5% (14)
Trash Collection Services 40% (110) 45% (126) 8% (22) 2% (5) 5% (13)
Sidewalk System 13% (37) 47% (130) 25% (70) 9% (24) 5% (14)
Ice and Snow Removal 13% (35) 39% (108) 29% (80) 16% (45) 3% (7)
Traffic Signs and Signals 21% (57) 55% (151) 19% (53) 4% (11) 1% (4)
Street Lights/Maintenance 16% (45) 55% (152) 17% (46) 10% (27) 2% (6)
Storm Water Management 14% (40) 43% (119) 26% (72) 10% (27) 6% (18)
Community
Services
Neighborhood Revitalization 6% (17) 29% (79) 32% (90) 12% (32) 21% (58)
Oshkosh Public Museum 28% (77) 42% (115) 10% (28) 3% (8) 17% (47)
Oshkosh Media 17% (47) 30% (83) 20% (56) 12% (32) 21% (58)
Oshkosh Public Library 45% (125) 38% (105) 5% (14) 1% (4) 10% (28)
Senior Services 16% (45) 29% (79) 9% (26) 1% (4) 43% (120)
Economic
Development
Assistance to Businesses 7% (20) 14% (40) 16% (43) 7% (20) 55% (152)
Quality of Housing 6% (17) 38% (105) 38% (106) 10% (28) 7% (19)
Permits and Inspections 4% (10) 23% (64) 19% (54) 18% (50) 35% (97)
Property Maintenance 4% (10) 29% (81) 33% (92) 15% (42) 18% (50)
Planning and Zoning 6% (17) 23% (65) 22% (60) 16% (43) 32% (90)
Parks Children’s Amusement Area 13% (36) 29% (81) 23% (65) 10% (28) 24% (66)
Leach Amphitheater 26% (73) 44% (121) 9% (26) 1% (4) 19% (52)
Menominee Park Zoo 21% (59) 50% (139) 14% (40) 5% (13) 9% (25)
Pollock Water Park 22% (62) 32% (89) 8% (22) 4% (11) 33% (92)
Transportation Biking & Pedestrian Trails 17% (31) 44% (80) 21% (39) 9% (16) 9% (16)
City Parking Facilities 10% (18) 37% (68) 35% (63) 9% (16) 9% (17)
Go Transit System 9% (16) 30% (54) 17% (31) 7% (12) 37% (68)
7
Based on the results in Table 3, the top five highest quality rating of Excellent are presented in Chart 8.
Chart 9 presents the comparable services with the lowest quality rating as Poor. However, six services are included here
because Neighborhood Revitalization and Oshkosh Media received the same proportion of participants (12%) that rated
them as Poor.
City officials and administrators can use this information to determine whether and to what extent benefits of the services
are being effectively delivered to the public and decide whether program design changes will improve the quality of
services being provided. The information can also serve as the basis for reprioritization of services and commitment of
public funding to strengthen programming having greater public impacts.
45%
40%
39%
36%
34%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%
Oshkosh Public Library
Trash Collection Services
Fire Department
Police
Recycling Services
8. Top 5 Services with Highest % of Excellent Quality Ratings
18%
16%
16%
15%
12%
12%
0%2%4%6%8%10%12%14%16%18%20%
Permits & Inspections
Planning and Zoning
Snow & Ice Removal
Property Maintenance
Neighborhood Revitalization
Oshkosh Media
9. Top 5 Services with Highest % of Poor Quality Ratings
8
Importance of City Services
Finally, respondents were asked to rank how important city services are to them. The survey question asks respondents
to identify whether the service is Very Important, Somewhat Important, Somewhat Unimportant, Not Important, or No
Opinion. Results are presented in Table 4. The percentage of participants is provided, and the total number is also
presented in parentheses (…).
Table 4. Importance of City Services
Area Service Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Somewhat
Unimportant
Unimportant No
Opinion
Public Safety Police 77% (213) 14% (39) 3% (8) 3% (9) 3% (9)
Fire Department 78% (216) 16% (44) 1% (3) 1% (3) 4% (12)
Ambulance 70% (194) 21% (58) 2% (5) 1% (2) 7% (19)
Public Works Leaf and Brush Pick-up 35% (98) 45% (124) 9% (26) 6% (18) 4% (12)
Recycling Services 61% (170) 29% (82) 5% (15) 3% (9) 1% (2)
Trash Collection Services 64% (178) 31% (86) 2% (6) 2% (5) 1% (3)
Sidewalk System 47% (130) 41% (115) 7% (20) 3% (7) 2% (6)
Ice and Snow Removal 75% (208) 22% (61) 2% (5) 1% (2) 1% (2)
Traffic Signs and Signals 45% (125) 44% (121) 6% (18) 3% (8) 2% (6)
Street Lights/Maintenance 52% (144) 40% (110) 5% (15) 2% (5) 1% (4)
Storm Water Management 58% (160) 35% (97) 5% (14) 1% (2) 2% (5)
Community
Services
Neighborhood Revitalization 44% (123) 34% (95) 10% (29) 4% (11) 7% (20)
Oshkosh Public Museum 25% (70) 38% (107) 21% (58) 8% (21) 8% (22)
Oshkosh Media 24% (68) 35% (98) 18% (50) 8% (23) 14% (39)
Oshkosh Public Library 47% (130) 35% (98) 12% (32) 3% (8) 4% (10)
Senior Services 40% (111) 35% (97) 6% (18) 6% (16) 13% (36)
Economic
Development
Assistance to Businesses 31% (86) 27% (74) 11% (30) 10% (29) 21% (59)
Quality of Housing 56% (155) 29% (82) 7% (20) 2% (5) 6% (16)
Permits and Inspections 30% (84) 37% (103) 13% (37) 6% (17) 13% (37)
Property Maintenance 45% (124) 38% (107) 9% (25) 2% (6) 6% (16)
Planning and Zoning 34% (95) 35% (97) 12% (34) 4% (12) 14% (40)
Parks Children’s Amusement Area 23% (64) 39% (108) 19% (52) 10% (27) 10% (27)
Leach Amphitheater 18% (50) 41% (113) 22% (61) 10% (29) 9% (25)
Menominee Park Zoo 28% (77) 40% (111) 21% (59) 5% (15) 6% (16)
Pollock Water Park 17% (46) 41% (114) 19% (53) 10% (27) 14% (38)
Transportation Biking & Pedestrian Trails 37% (102) 39% (109) 13% (35) 8% (22) 4% (10)
City Parking Facilities 22% (60) 48% (134) 18% (50) 6% (17) 6% (17)
Go Transit System 33% (92) 35% (96) 12% (32) 9% (26) 12% (32)
9
Chart 10 shows how services were ranked by quality and importance. The graph illustrates if services had Positive Quality
(rated Excellent or Good) compared to the percentage rated Very Important. By graphing these ratings, this chart shows
the gap between what Oshkosh residents expects to have (i.e. Importance) versus what they believe exists (i.e. Quality).
10. Importance vs. Quality: All City Services
Based on this analysis, 10 of the city services illustrated lower quality than their importance. Those services are included
in Table 5 in order from the largest gap to the smallest gap.
Table 5. Top Gaps in Importance versus Quality of Services
Service Very Important Positive Quality Difference
Ice and Snow Removal 75% 52% 23%
Quality of Housing 56% 44% 12%
Property Maintenance 45% 33% 12%
Assistance to Businesses 31% 21% 10%
Neighborhood Revitalization 78% 39% 9%
Ambulance 70% 61% 9%
Planning and Zoning 34% 29% 5%
Fire Department 78% 74% 4%
Storm Water Management 58% 54% 4%
Permits and Inspections 30% 27% 3%
77%78%
70%
35%
61%64%
47%
75%
45%
52%
58%
44%
25%24%
47%
40%
31%
56%
30%
45%
34%
23%
18%
28%
17%
37%
22%
33%
84%
74%
61%64%
78%
85%
60%
52%
76%
71%
54%
35%
70%
47%
82%
45%
21%
44%
27%
33%
29%
42%
70%71%
54%
61%
47%
39%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
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Very Important Positive Quality
10
Special Topic Question
Each year, we include one question that focuses on a timely topic. Participants were asked for input on the following: “To
what extent do you believe additional mental health resources for youth (ages 0-18) are needed in Oshkosh?” Results are
pictured in Chart 11. Approximately 58% of all participants responded that additional sources were needed To a Great
Extent, 33% felt they are Somewhat needed, 5% felt they were needed Very Little, and only 3% responded Not at All.
Finally, Chart 12 illustrates the proportion of responses by participant age group. The age groups with the highest
proportion of participants responding To A Great Extent were those ages 18-29 (75%), 40-49 (72%), and 70-79 (69%).
58%
33%
5%
3%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
To a Great Extent
Somewhat
Very Little
Not at All
11. Mental Health Resources for Youth: % Responses
3
13
21 29
12
11
1
1
8
7 11
12
4
2
0
0
1 3 0 1
3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89
12. Mental Health Resources for Youth: Responses By Age Group
To A Great Extent Somewhat Very Little Not at All
11
Notes
The information included in this report was extracted from the Oshkosh Citizen Survey
Results collected by Polco. The coordination of survey data and reporting was led by Dr.
Samantha June Larson, supported by graduate research assistants Lisa Nahmens and
Crystal Soderman. Any additional questions can be directed to Dr. Larson at:
larsonsj@uwosh.edu