In a random, statistically valid telephone survey of 400 Sammamish residents, the city received high marks. Jim Hebert, president of Hebert Research, said he had a "wow" reaction when he saw the data gathered by his company. The 2012 results are up substantially from results obtained in 2008, the last time the city did a survey covering a broad spectrum of topics.
The full survey report is attached below, but here are some of the highlights:
Among those who had an opinion, 88.3 percent strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement: "The overall direction of the city is on the right track." (35 our of 402 respondents had "no opinion" and were excluded from the data sets.)
Among those who had an opinion, 85.6 percent strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement: "I'm satisfied with the leadership of the city council and city administration." (53 our of 402 respondents had "no opinion" and were excluded from the data sets.)
Among those who had an opinion, 85.9 percent strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement: "I'm satisfied with the management of the city's finances." (89 our of 402 respondents had no opinion and were excluded from the data sets.)
When asked what city services they were most satisfied with, 24 percent mentioned police, 23.7 percent mentioned parks, 15.5 percent mentioned fire.
When asked what city services are most in need of improvement, 22 percent mentioned roads, 18.5 percent mentioned parks, 15.5 percent mentioned sidewalks.
When asked to name their favorite community event, 34.3 percent mentioned the 4th of July celebration, 32.6 percent mentioned the Farmers Market, 20 percent mentioned the summer concerts in the park.
Residents were asked the following question: "Do you think the traffic enforcement by the police is too low, just about right, or too high?" Among those who had an opinion, 16.5 percent said "too low," 71.6 percent said "just about right," 11.9 percent said "too high." (25 our of 402 respondents had no opinion and were excluded from the data set.)
Residents were asked the following question: "How do you rate the city's efforts to protect the environment?" Among those who had an opinion, 86.4 percent said "excellent" or "good." (130 out of 402 respondents had no opinion or responded with "neutral" and were excluded from the data set.)
Hebert Research states that the survey results have an estimated maximum margin of error of 4.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.