COQUITLAM, BC, Feb. 4, 2020 – Citizen satisfaction with Coquitlam’s services is on the rise while transportation, housing and growth continue to be top community issues, according to a new City survey.
Coquitlam residents gave top marks to quality of life, core City services and customer service in the statistically-valid 2019 Citizen Satisfaction Survey conducted by Ipsos (formerly Ipsos Reid) last fall.
The City has collected citizen views each year on municipal services, priority issues and quality of life through Ipsos since 2003, using the insights to make important decisions about planning, budgeting and community priorities.
Coquitlam Continues to Provide Good Value
Quality of life and satisfaction with City services is continuing to improve:
- 96 per cent are satisfied with City services, with a new all-time high of those who are very satisfied (46 per cent, up two per cent from 2018);
- 88 per cent of those who dealt with City staff were satisfied with the overall service received, with the highest marks for courteousness and helpfulness;
- 88 per cent say they receive good value for their property taxes, with a continuing upward trend in the “very good” category (up six percentage points from 2016);
- 98 per cent rated Coquitlam’s overall quality of life as very good or good, reflecting an 18 per cent increase from a decade ago in the “very good” category;
- 33 per cent said quality of life has improved in the past five years – a net momentum score of 15 percentage points – while 48 per cent said it has remained consistent; and
- Satisfaction with individual City services is close to or exceeds 90 per cent, consistent with 2018 other than a five per cent increase for recycling and garbage services.
As another indicator of confidence in the City, 59 per cent said they would prefer higher taxes over service cuts – up 10 per cent from 2018.
Key Issues for Citizens
Transportation, social issues and growth were again the top three community issues in Coquitlam, similar to 2018 and previous years:
- 34 per cent pointed to transportation as a top issue, with public transit (35 per cent) and congestion (29 per cent) topping the list;
- 25 per cent highlighted social issues, particularly housing and the lack of affordable housing, although overall social issues have stabilized; and
- 15 per cent flagged growth and development as an important issue.
Transportation, affordability and parks and recreation were three areas that respondents felt could most impact their quality of life, particularly through improvements to infrastructure/roads, traffic congestion/flow, public transportation, affordable housing, the amount of green space/parks, and recreation facilities and services.
Opportunities to Have Your Say
Nearly 30 per cent of respondents say that they have participated in a municipal consultation over the last two years.
Viewpoint, Coquitlam’s online survey community, is a convenient way to learn about and provide feedback on City issues, plans and services. Participation can be customized to areas of interest, and all answers are confidential. For information, visit www.coquitlam.ca/viewpoint.
About the Citizen Satisfaction Survey
The 2019 Citizen Satisfaction Survey questioned 500 randomly selected Coquitlam residents aged 18 years or older between Nov. 18 and Dec. 2. The data was then weighted to ensure a representative distribution between ages, genders and neighbourhoods that reflects the actual population of the community according to 2016 Census data.
For more information or to read the complete survey results, visit www.coquitlam.ca/citizensurvey.
Media contact:
Graham Stuart
Manager, Corporate Planning
604-927-3918
gstuart@coquitlam.ca