City hall plaza is bathed in sunlight on Wednesday. A new survey of residents states strong levels of satisfaction with city services, but also denotes a fears about declining quality of life, the effects of the pandemic and economic factors. - NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Survey says… an overwhelming majority of Hatters are satisfied with city hall services and the local quality of life, but that comes with the caveat that Hatters are more likely to argue about it, according to analysis.
A survey conducted last spring of residents by IPSOS research found 90 per cent satisfaction with the city’s services and similar endorsement of life in the city, said Catherine Knaus of the research and polling group.
“The trend (across all cities) is to be more strongly in favour of raising taxes to improve services,” said Knaus.
“In Medicine Hat, it’s more split and (because of that) there’s more of a draw for more residents to think the wrong decision has been made.”
The results come from a study commissioned by the city in the spring where 400 Hatters were randomly selected with some consideration for demographics, then asked a series of questions about the city in general and how they interact with city hall. Results from an online questionnaire open all residents were also collated, but not blended in to main study, which will be conducted again in 2024 for comparative purposes.
“The initial results are very positive,” said interim city manager Glen Feltham while introducing the results on Monday night.
“People appreciate our services – 90 per cent were satisfied or very satisfied with city services.”
As well, about 95 per cent of respondents felt overall quality of life was very good, and 91 per cent would recommend it as a place to live. Four out of five said they receive good value for municipal taxes, and three in four are satisfied with municipal government as a whole.
Mayor Linnsie Clark said the results reveal some areas on which to concentrate – 90 per cent say communication is important, but less than 70 per cent said the uses public input correctly – but also insight into the public’s attitudes.
“I’m not surprised, and it shows that there is some work to do on how we are communicating with residents, which council is already focused on,” she told the News.
“(The other results) are very gratifying – I personally think Medicine Hat has a great quality of life and I’d absolutely recommend that people move here.
“It’s difficult sometimes to when (council members) are approached with complaints or compliments, whether that’s indicative of the larger population.”
Knaus said that on the communications front, she generally advises her clients to make sure there is a feedback process informing residents how their input formed decision making to build a better relationship.
“(Survey results) are generally on par with the norm, while there are issues that residents see as important and things could be done better… They’re overall favourable and should be viewed in a positive light,” said Knaus.
Among the other results, half of respondents stated the quality of life had remained the same in the past three years.
About one in 10 said things had improved, and equally cited the reasons as having more activities in town, economic development, and good amenities and service.
COVID was the top reason among 37 per cent that said quality of life had worsened, followed closely by the cost of living, and well ahead of unemployment, lack of service and crime, that rounded out the top five.
“There’s a perception that things are getting worse, or a worsening quality of life,” she added, noting that considering the pandemic and economic uncertainty, “that’s no surprise.”
While those top two issues are only a small measure under the city’s control, the “top of mind” issue was municipal government services, including services, taxes and other costs.
At 21 per cent, that is about double the average found in other municipalities that IPSOS works with, and is likely owing, said Knaus, to the city’s position as utility provider.
The survey was conducted May 4-22 this year with random and representative samples of 400 residents with demographics considered.
It is considered accurate plus or minus 4.9 per cent 19 times out of 20, and will be repeated every two years to track trends.
[Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to correct a mistake. The original stated that the survey found that one in four residents were satisfied with local government, when the ratio should have been correctly stated as three in four.]
