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Acton Citizens Survey 2013
Report Prepared by Timothy Brunson, Michaela Hyde, Fatmata
Kanu& Seyed Sohi
With the Introduction to Political Analysis StudentsSupervised by Jenifer Whitten-Woodring, Ph.D.
Department of Political ScienceIn Partnership with The Center for Public Opinion,
University of Massachusetts LowellSupported by a Service-Learning Mini-Grant from an MA
Board of Higher Education Vision Grant
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The Center is a non-partisan, not-for-profit research center at UMass Lowell with the goal of producing and disseminating valuable information of political relevance to people in our surrounding community. We are strongly committed to:
• Student involvement and participation in the research process
• Community outreach • Rigorous standards
About the Center for Public Opinion
http://www.uml.edu/Research/centers/public-opinion/
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A survey to examine the attitudes of Acton residents regarding: • Community Life• Local Government• Participation• Town Services
Surveys as a means of responsiveness and accountability
• "Polling is merely an instrument for gauging public opinion. When a… leader pays attention to poll results, he is, in effect, paying attention to the views of the people. Any other interpretation is nonsense.“ – George Gallup
About the survey
What is this for?
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1200 randomly selected Acton households• Sent pre-notification• Sent surveys in September
Response rate: • 476/1200 = 40%
• Telephone surveys typically are 10-15% RR• MOE of about +/- 5%
Data weighted to census counts on age, households with children and education level (gender of survey respondents matched census counts)
Methodology
By the numbers…
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Quality of Life
By most metrics, a great place to live!
Place to Live 91%
Place to Rise Children 98%
Place to Work 56%
Place to Shop & Dine 34%
Place to Engage in Recreational Activites 70%
Place to Retire 32%
Overall Quality of Life 91%
Quality of Life Rated Excellent/Good
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Quality of Life Feeling Thermometer
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5D
ens
ity
0 20 40 60 80 100
Quality of Life Feeling Thermometer
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Community Characteristics
31%
42%
58%
59%
69%
73%
73%
78%
84%
85%
85%
94%Feeling Safe
Open Space/Conservation Land
Historical Preservations
Openness/Acceptance of Diversity
Recreational Opportunities
Overall Appearance
Small Town Feel
Overall Sense of Community
Cultural Opportunities
Range of Housing Options
Walk-ability
Transportation
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What makes Acton a desirable place to live?
Schools, Services, Property Values, Geography
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Problems in the Town of ActonActon Residents Rate Problems in the Town
Traffic Congestion
Automobile Speeding
Unleashed Dogs
Poor Property Maintenance
Dog Waste
Noise Pollution
Vandalism
Vice Crime
Unsupervised Youth
Litter
Property Crime
Graffiti
Violent Crime5.4%
13.6%
19.6%
20.1%
20.4%
20.7%
21.6%
23.9%
24.7%
25.9%
27.3%
42.5%
63.8%
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Property Use
Opinion of Acton’s current mix of property uses
Not enough Just about right Too much
Single-family houses 7% 79% 13%
Residential Subdivisions 7% 64% 29%
Multi-family housing 10% 49% 41%
Rental housing 15% 47% 38%
Office buildings 20% 70% 10%
Large retail stores 38% 54% 8%
Small shops & businesses 48% 49% 3%
Open space/farmland 36% 63% 2%
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Civic Participation in Acton
High rates of participation Civic/ Community Participation in the Last 12 Months
Voted in an Election Once or Twice 48%
A Number of Times 17%
Many Times 19%
Attended a Town Meeting: Once or Twice 23%
A Number of Times 7%
Many Tines 3%
Attended Town Board Committee Meeting: Once or Twice 14%
A Number of Times 5%
Many Times 3%
Watched Town Board or Committee Meeting on TV: Once or Twice 28%
A Number of Times 7%
Many Times 4%
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Civic Participation in ActonContinued
Civic/ Community Participation in the Last 12 Months
Attended a Town Event: Once or Twice 47%
A Number of Times 19%
Many Times 3%
Attended School/Sporting Event: Once or Twice 13%
A Number of Times 22%
Many Times 24%
Volunteered at Local Non-Profit/Civic Group: Once or Twice 20%
A Number of Times 12%
Many Times 10%
Donated Money to Local Non-Profit/Civic Group: Once or Twice 37%
A Number of Times 25%
Many Times 14%
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Shopping
Shopped in West Acton: Once 24%
Number of Times 33%
Many Times 34%
Shopped on Route 2A: Once 8%
Number of Times 30%
Many Times 60%
Shopped at Kelly's Corner: Once 11%
Number of Times 24%
Many Times 57%
How Often Do You Shop in Acton?
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Rating Town Services and Programs
Public Schools
Ambulance/EMS
Fire Services
Police Services
Recreation Programs/Classes
Transfer Station & Recycling Center
Traffic/Parking Enforcement
Sewer Services/Repairs
Animal Control
Snow Removal
Sidewalk Maintenance
Street Sweeping
Street Maintenance/Repair66%
72%
72%
74%
74%
78%
78%
83%
83%
94%
98%
98%
99%
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Rating Town Services and Programs
Library Services
Handicapped Accessibility to Facilities
Maintenance/Appearance of Parks
Public Health/Nursing Services
Land Conservation/Wetlands Protection
Elder Services
Youth Services
Veterans Services
Building Permits/Enforcement
Land Use/Regulation/Zoning
Economic Development
Public Transportation30%
40%
46%
53%
78%
80%
81%
83%
84%
86%
92%
95%
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How are Town Officials Doing?
Town Employees Rated Good/Excellent
85%
89%
90%
91%Courtesy/Politeness
Overall Experience
Knowledge/Understanding
Responsiveness/Resolution
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Town Board/Committees Rated Good/Excellent
52%
55%
64%
68%
76%
83%
85%
86%Board of Health
Conservation Commision
School Committee
Board of Selectmen
Finance Committee
Board of Assessors
Zoning Board of Appeals
Planning Board
How are Town Officials Doing?
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Where Residents Get News
Beacon (wickedlocal.com/acton)
Boston Globe or Herald
Word of Mouth
E--Mail/Newsletters
Acton Patch
Newspaper Websites
Other Websites/Social Media
Direct Contact
Local Access Television
Town of Acton Website7%
10%
16%
25%
28%
31%
33%
39%
46%
48%
Learning with Purpose
• Acton is a desirable place to live and its citizens enjoy a high quality of life by almost every metric
• The town scores highest in its ratings on safety, open space and historic preservation and lowest for public transportation options and walk-ability
• Citizens move to Acton for its property values and public schools
• Violent crime is not a problem in Acton , but traffic congestion is
• Acton enjoys reasonably high rates of participation
• People are shopping more on Route 2A and Kelly’s Corner than in West Acton
• Most town services are rated quite highly; satisfaction with Acton town government is quite high
Summary of Findings
A Snapshot
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• Final report by year end
• Cross-tabs
• Thank you
• Questions and Comments?
Post-script
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