Mesa is one of many cities in the United States to participate in The National Citizen Survey. Starting Sept. 25, questionnaires will be sent to a random sample of 3,000 Mesa households, asking for feedback on the quality and usefulness of City services. The results will be included in a final report that City officials will use to assess how its citizens view the services and amenities available in Mesa, as well as guide future strategic planning and budgeting decisions.

“In business, I used survey information to help me set priorities and better serve my customers,” Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said. “Using surveys as a tool to better serve our residents was part of my campaign platform, and I hope we can use the information gained in this survey to make city government both more efficient and effective.”

To get a representative sample of Mesa residents, addresses will be sampled at random from a list provided by the post office. The adult (18 years or older) who most recently had a birthday in each selected household will be asked to complete the survey. This method is a simple way to select an adult from within each household without permitting bias in the results. All results remain anonymous.

“It is important for us to give Mesa residents a chance to voice their opinion on community issues, such as public safety, jobs and education,” Mesa City Manager Chris Brady said. “The information we receive from this survey will allow us to implement strategic budget decisions that reflect the direct input of the community.”

The National Citizen Survey is sponsored by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in cooperation with National Research Center, Inc. The questionnaire and survey procedure were designed based on the experience of hundreds of local governments, ranging in size from small to large. Scientific sampling and weighting of the responses in each city ensure accurate and reliable results. Because each city’s survey is developed using a standard template, and many cities can be surveyed at one time, The National Citizen Survey is a very efficient way to measure citizen opinion and compare performance to other cities.
Now in its eighth year of existence, more than 200 municipalities in 42 states have enrolled for The National Citizen Survey, including Tucson, Safford, Chandler and Sedona in Arizona.