Learning with Purpose Acton Citizens Survey 2013 Report Prepared by Timothy Brunson, Michaela Hyde, Fatmata Kanu & Seyed Sohi With the Introduction to.

Learning with PurposeLearning with Purpose

Acton Citizens Survey 2013

Report Prepared by Timothy Brunson, Michaela Hyde, Fatmata

Kanu& Seyed Sohi

With the Introduction to Political Analysis StudentsSupervised by Jenifer Whitten-Woodring, Ph.D.

Department of Political ScienceIn Partnership with The Center for Public Opinion,

University of Massachusetts LowellSupported by a Service-Learning Mini-Grant from an MA

Board of Higher Education Vision Grant

Learning with Purpose

The Center is a non-partisan, not-for-profit research center at UMass Lowell with the goal of producing and disseminating valuable information of political relevance to people in our surrounding community. We are strongly committed to:

• Student involvement and participation in the research process

• Community outreach • Rigorous standards

About the Center for Public Opinion

http://www.uml.edu/Research/centers/public-opinion/


A survey to examine the attitudes of Acton residents regarding: • Community Life• Local Government• Participation• Town Services

Surveys as a means of responsiveness and accountability

• "Polling is merely an instrument for gauging public opinion. When a… leader pays attention to poll results, he is, in effect, paying attention to the views of the people. Any other interpretation is nonsense.“ – George Gallup

About the survey

What is this for?


1200 randomly selected Acton households• Sent pre-notification• Sent surveys in September

Response rate: • 476/1200 = 40%

• Telephone surveys typically are 10-15% RR• MOE of about +/- 5%

Data weighted to census counts on age, households with children and education level (gender of survey respondents matched census counts)

Methodology

By the numbers…


Quality of Life

By most metrics, a great place to live!

Place to Live 91%

Place to Rise Children 98%

Place to Work 56%

Place to Shop & Dine 34%

Place to Engage in Recreational Activites 70%

Place to Retire 32%

Overall Quality of Life 91%

Quality of Life Rated Excellent/Good


Quality of Life Feeling Thermometer

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5D

ens

ity

0 20 40 60 80 100

Quality of Life Feeling Thermometer


Community Characteristics

31%

42%

58%

59%

69%

73%

73%

78%

84%

85%

85%

94%Feeling Safe

Open Space/Conservation Land

Historical Preservations

Openness/Acceptance of Diversity

Recreational Opportunities

Overall Appearance

Small Town Feel

Overall Sense of Community

Cultural Opportunities

Range of Housing Options

Walk-ability

Transportation


What makes Acton a desirable place to live?

Schools, Services, Property Values, Geography


Problems in the Town of ActonActon Residents Rate Problems in the Town

Traffic Congestion

Automobile Speeding

Unleashed Dogs

Poor Property Maintenance

Dog Waste

Noise Pollution

Vandalism

Vice Crime

Unsupervised Youth

Litter

Property Crime

Graffiti

Violent Crime5.4%

13.6%

19.6%

20.1%

20.4%

20.7%

21.6%

23.9%

24.7%

25.9%

27.3%

42.5%

63.8%


Property Use

Opinion of Acton’s current mix of property uses

Not enough Just about right Too much

Single-family houses 7% 79% 13%

Residential Subdivisions 7% 64% 29%

Multi-family housing 10% 49% 41%

Rental housing 15% 47% 38%

Office buildings 20% 70% 10%

Large retail stores 38% 54% 8%

Small shops & businesses 48% 49% 3%

Open space/farmland 36% 63% 2%


Civic Participation in Acton

High rates of participation Civic/ Community Participation in the Last 12 Months

Voted in an Election Once or Twice 48%

A Number of Times 17%

Many Times 19%

Attended a Town Meeting: Once or Twice 23%


Many Tines 3%

Attended Town Board Committee Meeting: Once or Twice 14%


Many Times 3%

Watched Town Board or Committee Meeting on TV: Once or Twice 28%


Many Times 4%


Civic Participation in ActonContinued

Civic/ Community Participation in the Last 12 Months

Attended a Town Event: Once or Twice 47%


Many Times 3%

Attended School/Sporting Event: Once or Twice 13%


Many Times 24%

Volunteered at Local Non-Profit/Civic Group: Once or Twice 20%


Many Times 10%

Donated Money to Local Non-Profit/Civic Group: Once or Twice 37%


Many Times 14%


Shopping

Shopped in West Acton: Once 24%

Number of Times 33%

Many Times 34%

Shopped on Route 2A: Once 8%

Number of Times 30%

Many Times 60%

Shopped at Kelly's Corner: Once 11%

Number of Times 24%

Many Times 57%

How Often Do You Shop in Acton?


Rating Town Services and Programs

Public Schools

Ambulance/EMS

Fire Services

Police Services

Recreation Programs/Classes

Transfer Station & Recycling Center

Traffic/Parking Enforcement

Sewer Services/Repairs

Animal Control

Snow Removal

Sidewalk Maintenance

Street Sweeping

Street Maintenance/Repair66%

72%

72%

74%

74%

78%

78%

83%

83%

94%

98%

98%

99%


Rating Town Services and Programs

Library Services

Handicapped Accessibility to Facilities

Maintenance/Appearance of Parks

Public Health/Nursing Services

Land Conservation/Wetlands Protection

Elder Services

Youth Services

Veterans Services

Building Permits/Enforcement

Land Use/Regulation/Zoning

Economic Development

Public Transportation30%

40%

46%

53%

78%

80%

81%

83%

84%

86%

92%

95%


How are Town Officials Doing?

Town Employees Rated Good/Excellent

85%

89%

90%

91%Courtesy/Politeness

Overall Experience

Knowledge/Understanding

Responsiveness/Resolution


Town Board/Committees Rated Good/Excellent

52%

55%

64%

68%

76%

83%

85%

86%Board of Health

Conservation Commision

School Committee

Board of Selectmen

Finance Committee

Board of Assessors

Zoning Board of Appeals

Planning Board

How are Town Officials Doing?


Where Residents Get News

Beacon (wickedlocal.com/acton)

Boston Globe or Herald

Word of Mouth

E--Mail/Newsletters

Acton Patch

Newspaper Websites

Other Websites/Social Media

Direct Contact

Local Access Television

Town of Acton Website7%

10%

16%

25%

28%

31%

33%

39%

46%

48%


• Acton is a desirable place to live and its citizens enjoy a high quality of life by almost every metric

• The town scores highest in its ratings on safety, open space and historic preservation and lowest for public transportation options and walk-ability

• Citizens move to Acton for its property values and public schools

• Violent crime is not a problem in Acton , but traffic congestion is

• Acton enjoys reasonably high rates of participation

• People are shopping more on Route 2A and Kelly’s Corner than in West Acton

• Most town services are rated quite highly; satisfaction with Acton town government is quite high

Summary of Findings

A Snapshot


• Final report by year end

• Cross-tabs

• Thank you

• Questions and Comments?

Post-script



Learning with Purpose Acton Citizens Survey 2013 Report Prepared by Timothy Brunson, Michaela Hyde, Fatmata Kanu & Seyed Sohi With the Introduction to.

Documents

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purpose12shopping learning

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