In the fall of 2021, the town of Scarborough conducted a community survey to better understand the overall satisfaction of town residents and identify areas of improvement to inform the Town Council’s goals for 2022/2023. The statistically valid survey prepared by ETC Institute was mailed to 4,200 households, selected at random, and was considered statistically valid upon the completion of a minimum return of 600 surveys. In addition to the statistically valid paper survey, an online link was also provided for all residents wishing to participate. (The results of the online survey were made available to the public but were not included in the statically valid data). The results of the statistically valid survey were presented to the council in January of 2022. For more information on the timeline, process, and results, a comprehensive dashboard can be found on the town’s website.
In August of 2023, the Communications and Community Engagement Committee began discussing revisions that could be made to the survey for distribution in the fall of 2023. The primary goal of the committee was to leave much of the survey the same in order to gather year to year data for the purposes of comparison. That said, there were several questions related to Covid responses that we felt were no longer relevant and were removed. Additionally, we decided to remove several questions related to the Community Services Department, given that they were able to conduct their own statistically valid survey in 2022 as part of the Parks and Facilities Master Plan. Removing the aforementioned questions freed up some space on the survey for the committee to add a number of questions related to the library, as well as questions dedicated to the perceived impacts of growth.
The next step for ETC institute is to pilot test the survey, format it for printing and mailing, and build the online survey. This process will take about two weeks. Once it is complete, the survey (paper and online) will be sent to town staff for one final review before they begin printing and mailing the survey. We anticipate that the survey will be about seven pages long and take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Again, this time around, once the statically valid survey has been completed by 600 individuals, an online version will be made available for those who did not complete a paper copy. The survey itself is completely confidential, and at no time is any of the respondents’ personal information, such as name or home address, shared with anyone from the town. Residents can expect to see surveys in their mailbox by the end of October. If you receive a survey it is important that you fill it out and return it promptly.
Understanding your satisfaction with town services, departments, and issues is critical to helping us better serve you and will inform our council goals for 2024. I can confidently speak for the council when I say we value your opinion and greatly appreciate your willingness to share your feedback for the benefit of our community. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at asither@scarboroughmaine.org
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Scarborough town Council.
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