Crime remains the top priority on the minds of Red Deerians, based on the results of the City of Red Deer’s Citizen Satisfaction Survey presented July 26th.
“This annual survey is a strong tool for Council to better understand and respond to the top-of-mind issues and priorities for citizens,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “It is evident that crime and public safety continue to be the number one priority of Red Deerians, so it will, by necessity, need to remain the top priority for our City Council’s agenda to address the concerns of our citizens.”
The Citizen Satisfaction Survey was conducted over the phone by Ipsos between May 29th and June 4th, with a randomly selected sample of 300 Red Deerians ages 18 or older.
Although crime took the top spot as an area of concern, nine out of 10 Red Deerians said their overall quality of life is good or very good, with 62 per cent saying their quality of life has either improved or stayed the same in the past year.
Nine out of 10 Red Deerians say their overall quality of life is good or very good, according to the presented findings from the Survey.
“There has been over the years a really good understanding and appreciation for the quality of life in the community and that 93 per cent exceeds many of the surveys that are done in other cities,” said City Manager Craig Curtis.
Having done the Citizen Satisfaction Survey for over a decade, Curtis added that the information collected helps them to identify trends and issues to help them make operational and budgetary decisions.
When asked about the change in quality of life, 17 per cent of respondents said things have improved, citing economic development and more local business, parks, trails and recreation along with infrastructure for that increase.
For the 45 per cent that said their quality of life has remained the same and the 36 per cent that has worsened, crime, social issues and infrastructure played a role in those decisions.
Policing and financial sustainability were also identified as priority issues that the City should address over the next year.
Roads were identified as the highest priority for residents in terms of infrastructure at 82 per cent, followed by water treatment facilities at 65 per cent, recreation facilities at 54 per cent, the transit system at 43 per cent and wastewater treatment facilities at 40 per cent.
Overall, 86 per cent of residents said they were satisfied with how the City of Red Deer is run.
