2009 Residents' Opinion Survey Result

The results of the 2009 Residents' Opinion Survey (ROS) are in. Old favourites continue to score well and some surprising newcomers to the top ten satisfactory DCC services appeared in the latest ROS, released by CEO Jim Harland today.

The Dunedin City Council asked 4,500 randomly selected residents to have their say about their satisfaction with the DCC's performance, DCC-owned facilities and the city itself. As well as the mail out, the survey was available online for the first time, giving a secondary data set.

The primary data set (from the surveys mailed out) showed overall satisfaction with the performance of the DCC at 41%, with dissatisfaction at 29%. Overall, perceptions of Dunedin are positive, with high levels in the areas of architecture (90%), cultural diversity (74%), and creativity (68%).

The perception of Dunedin as a 'thriving' city has, however, declined significantly compared to the 2006/07 survey. Mr Harland, comments, "In the wider context of New Zealand, and the international financial crisis, this decline is understandable and we are hoping to identify local solutions and strategies to assist businesses."

The reliability of rubbish collection, DCC-owned facilities including the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Botanic Garden, Ot5ago Settlers' Museum and Otago Museum scored highly this year as well as water pressure (81%), and quality (74%), and kerbside recycling (75%), and regulatory, monitoring and environmental services. There was also a good response to the DCC's attempts to provide timely information about its activities.

Areas that residents were dissatisfied with included the suitability of the road network for cyclists, contact with Councillors and Community Board members and processing time for building consents.

Mr Harland says, "The trends we are seeing over the last few years are mostly positive. There are certainly polarised views on whether we are doing a good job or not, while few businesses in the private sector would see a score card like this."

Of the 4,500 surveys sent out, 1,359 were returned, with an additional 239 respondents via the online survey. This year, the DCC also followed up the mail out with 150 "refusal surveys" to assess why some chose not to have their say.

Because the profiles of the mail out and online respondent groups were markedly different, the data has been presented separately to ensure clarity. The research was conducted independently by Research First.

2009 Residents' Opinion Survey Results

Contact details

Contact DCC on 477 4000.

Last reviewed: 07 Jul 2009 3:36pm