The City of Lynchburg's Report card: How Citizens rated Lynchburg in 2004

In July of 2004, residents of Lynchburg completed a survey about Lynchburg. How did the city fare? Have there been improvements? Here is a summary of the report. You decide.

The National
C I T I Z E N S U R V E Y ™
2 0 0 4
Summary Report for
the City of Lynchburg, Virginia
Submitted by:
NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER, INC.
3005 30th Street • Boulder, CO 80301
tel. 303-444-7863 • fax. 303-441-1145
e-mail: ncs@n-r-c.com • www.n-r-c.com August 2004
Summary Report
The National CITIZEN SURVEYTM


LOCAL GOVERNMENT
COMMUNITY LIFE
The National Citizen SurveyTM contained many questions related to the life of
residents in the community. Survey participants were asked to rate their overall
quality of life, as well as other aspects of quality of life in Lynchburg. They also
evaluated characteristics of the community, and gave their perceptions of safety
in the City of Lynchburg. The questionnaire assessed use of the amenities of the
community and involvement by respondents in the civic and economic life of
Lynchburg.

QUALITY OF LIFE
When asked to rate the overall quality of life in Lynchburg, 18% of respondents
thought it was “excellent.” Only 6% rated overall quality of life as “poor.”
Lynchburg as a place to raise children received an average rating of 67 on a 100-
point scale.

RATINGS OF COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS IN LYNCHBURG
The highest rated characteristics of Lynchburg were the overall appearance of
Lynchburg, sense of community, and shopping opportunities. When asked about
potential problems in Lynchburg, the three concerns rated by the highest
proportion of respondents as a “major problem” were drugs, taxes, and run down
buildings, weed lots, or junk vehicles. The rate of population growth in Lynchburg
was viewed as “too fast” by 24% of respondents, while 19% thought it was “too
slow.”

PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY
When evaluating safety in the community, 61% of respondents felt “somewhat” or
“very safe” from violent crimes in Lynchburg. In their neighborhood after dark,
76% of survey participants felt “somewhat” or “very safe.”
As assessed by the survey, 13% of households reported that at least one
member had been the victim of one or more crimes in the past year. Of those
who had been the victim of a crime, 72% had reported it to police.
Summary Report

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
• COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Participation in the civic, social and economic life of Lynchburg during the past
year was assessed on the survey. Among those completing the questionnaire,
82% reported visiting a Lynchburg park in the past year.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Several aspects of the government of the City of Lynchburg were evaluated by
residents completing The National Citizen Survey.TM They were asked how
much trust they placed in their local government, and what they felt about the
services they receive from the City of Lynchburg. Those who had any contact
with a City of Lynchburg employee in the past year gave their impressions of the
most recent encounter.

PUBLIC TRUST
When asked to evaluate whether they felt they received good value for taxes
they pay, residents gave an average rating of 56 on a 100-point scale.

SERVICES PROVIDED BY LYNCHBURG
The overall quality of services provided by the City of Lynchburg was rated as 54
on a 100-point scale.

THE CITY OF LYNCHBURG EMPLOYEES
Impressions of the City of Lynchburg employees were assessed on the
questionnaire. Those who had been in contact with a City of Lynchburg
employee in the past year (70%) rated their overall impression as 66 on a 100-
point scale.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Three additional questions were asked by the City of Lynchburg as listed below.
The results for these questions are also available in the Report of Results.

To what extent do you support or oppose increasing taxes and fees to
maintain current services ces and programs?
Percent of Respondents
strongly support 5%
somewhat support 21%
neither support nor oppose 11%
somewhat oppose 24%
strongly oppose 30%
don’t know 8%
total 100%

Please indicate the degree to which you would support or oppose giving
public funds to non-profit agencies in the City as determined by the City
Council
Percent of Respondents
strongly support 11%
somewhat support 29%
neither support nor oppose 15%
somewhat oppose 18%
strongly oppose 17%
don’t know 10%
Total 100%


ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
How likely or unlikely are you to use the Internet to conduct business
with th the City?
Percent of Respondents
very likely 33%
somewhat likely 26%
neither likely nor unlikely 6%
somewhat unlikely 9%
very unlikely 22%
don’t know 4%
Total 100%


(City Council and local issues)