KEY FINDINGS
Based on the analysis of the survey data, BW Research is pleased to present the following key findings. Please refer to the body of the report for a more comprehensive analysis of findings, including comparisons among resident sub-groups.
Main Reason for Moving to Carlsbad >>
Housing was the most frequently cited reason for moving to Carlsbad, at 16.2 percent. Responses in this category centered on residents finding a home they liked in Carlsbad as well as the affordability of housing in Carlsbad at the time they purchased. Other reasons cited by at least ten percent of residents included Carlsbad’s proximity to the beach and lagoons (12.3%), proximity to work (12.0%), and the community atmosphere and quietness (10.2%).
Satisfaction with City Services >>
Overwhelmingly, 91.5 percent of residents reported either being “Very” (58.0%) or “Somewhat” satisfied (33.5%) with the job the City of Carlsbad is doing to provide city services.
Quality of Life >>
Overall, two and a half times as many residents felt the quality of life in Carlsbad was getting better or staying the same (69.4%) as compared to getting worse. In particular, 21.5 percent of residents felt the quality of life was “Getting better,” 47.9 percent felt it was “Staying about the same,” and 26.5 percent viewed it as “Getting worse.”
Number One Way to Increase Quality of Life >>
As a follow-up question, the 29.0 percent of residents (290 respondents) who either felt that the quality of life in the City was getting worse or who were dissatisfied with the job the City is doing to provide services were asked to report the number one thing that the City could do to improve the quality of life. Overwhelmingly, the majority (51.7%) of the 290 respondents felt that the quality of life in Carlsbad would be improved if the City stopped building and halted growth.
Sense of Community >>
Overall, 47.9 percent of Carlsbad residents have a “High” sense of community (assessed from a seven question series), 40.0 percent have a “Medium” sense of community, and 12.0 percent of respondents have a “Low” sense of community.
Safety In Carlsbad >>
More than eight out of ten residents felt safe walking alone in their neighborhood either during the day or after dark. Overwhelmingly, 98.3 percent of residents felt safe walking alone in their neighborhood during the day (with 85.9 percent reporting they felt “Very safe”) and 85.5 percent of residents indicating they felt safe walking alone after dark (51.4% “Very safe”).
Confidence in City Government >>
Approximately three out of four residents (78.5%) have confidence in Carlsbad city government to make decisions which positively affect the lives of its community members. Of those, 23.1 percent indicated they were “Very confident” and 55.4 percent were “Somewhat confident.” Eighteen percent indicated that they were unconfident (“Very unconfident”: 5.4%, “Somewhat unconfident”: 12.7%) and 3.4 percent did not know or declined to state.
Satisfaction with Specific City Services >>
Over 90 percent of residents were satisfied with the City’s efforts to:
- Provide library services (96.3% satisfaction);
- Maintain city parks (95.0% satisfaction);
- Provide fire protection and prevention services (94.3% satisfaction);
- Provide water services (92.5% satisfaction);
- Provide law enforcement services (92.3% satisfaction);
- Provide sewer services (91.6% satisfaction);
- Provide emergency medical and paramedic services (91.5% satisfaction); and
- Maintain recreation facilities (91.3% satisfaction).
Across the 16 issues, the average satisfaction score was 84.6 percent. The three items that fell below the average were:
- Manage traffic congestion on city streets (64.2% satisfaction);
- Manage residential growth and development (57.0% satisfaction); and
- Provide affordable housing for working families (53.2% satisfaction).
Rating for Contracted City Services >>
Evaluating the City’s contracted services, residents provided the most positive rating to “Trash collection services” (88.9% “Excellent” or “Good”), followed by “Recycling collection services (80.0% “Excellent” or “Good”), “Street sweeping services” (73.7%), and “Hazardous waste disposal” (70.6%).
Household Use of City Library Facilities >>
Overall, 84.7 percent of households have visited one of the Carlsbad City Library facilities in the past 12 months. In addition, close to the majority (49.6%) visited at least once a month (“Once per week or more”: 17.6%, “Once or twice per month”: 32.9%).
City’s Effectiveness Promoting Health and Wellness >>
When asked to rate the City’s effectiveness in promoting health and wellness through its recreational programs and facilities, 16.8 percent of residents did not state an opinion (most likely because they lacked direct experience). As such, the 16.8 percent of respondents that did not provide an opinion were filtered out of the analysis for this question. Approximately nine out of ten residents (90.3%) who provided an opinion felt the City was effectively promoting health and wellness through recreation. Of those, 34.1 percent felt the City was “Very effective” and 56.2 percent rated the City as “Somewhat effective.”
Satisfaction with City-Resident Communication >>
Eighty-two percent of residents were either “Very” (40.2%) or “Somewhat” satisfied (42.2%) with the City’s efforts to communicate with residents through publications, public notices, its website, and other means.
Rating City’s Job to Provide Information >>
When asked to rate the job the City does providing residents with the information that is important to them, 65.7 percent of residents rated the City favorably (“Excellent”: 24.2%, “Good”: 41.5%). An additional 23.5 percent of residents rated the City as “Fair” and 9.4 percent provided a negative rating (“Poor”: 7.2%, “Very poor”: 2.2%).
The 9.4 percent of residents (94 respondents) that provided a negative rating for the job the City is doing to provide them with important information were next asked how the City could improve their satisfaction. The most popular responses among this group were better overall communication with citizens (20.4%) and more communication through the mail (18.3%).
Information Sources >>
When asked to reveal the information sources they use to find out about City of Carlsbad’ news, information, and programming, 37.6 percent of residents cited the City’s website, 24.8 percent cited the “North County Times,” 17.6 percent indicated the “San Diego Union Tribune,” and 14.6 percent indicated local television news.
Frequency Visiting City’s Website >>
Overall, 67.4 percent of residents have visited the City’s website in the past 12 months and approximately one in five residents (21.3%) have visited the City’s website at least ten times in the past year.
Preventing Pollution of Creeks, Lagoons, and Ocean >>
The majority of residents, 59.7 percent, have seen or heard information in the past year about how residents can prevent the pollution of local creeks, lagoons, and the ocean. The most frequently cited sources of the pollution prevention information were the newspaper (29.3%) and television (27.0%). Nearly one-quarter of residents that had been exposed to information indicated that they properly disposed of hazardous waste (24.6%) and 21.4 percent indicated that they have not done anything to reduce water pollution.
Land Use in the City of Carlsbad >>
The majority of residents (53.7%) rated the job the City of Carlsbad is doing in balancing the various land uses in the City – including residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational – as “Excellent” (15.5%) or “Good” (38.2%). Twenty-three percent rated the City’s job as “Fair” and 20.6 percent gave the City a “Poor” (13.0%) or “Very poor” (7.6%) rating.
Preferences for Land Near Strawberry Fields >>
Residents who indicated familiarity (90.1% of residents) with the area along Cannon Road and the Aqua Hediondo Lagoon, beginning with the strawberry fields just east of the 5 Freeway and extending to Faraday Avenue were told that the area is largely privately owned and used for agricultural purposes but has been designated as a permanent open space area.
Among the four options presented, 82.0 percent of residents who were familiar with the area would support traditional open space, which could include trails, a nature park, viewing areas, and a picnic area, 57.8 percent would support a combination of recreation space, traditional open space, and cultural facilities, 53.3 percent would support recreation space (athletic fields, recreation centers, other active recreation), and 51.0 percent would support cultural and civic facilities in that area (open-air theatre, museum, public gathering space).
After indicating their support for each of the various open space options, residents were next asked to indicate which option would be best for the area (selecting among only those options that they previously supported). Overall, 48.9 percent of residents who indicated support for at least one of the options in the previous question felt that traditional open space would be best for the area (which could include trails, a nature park, viewing areas, and a picnic area), followed by a combination of recreation space, traditional open space, and cultural and civic facilities (32.3%).
Experience Visiting the Carlsbad Village >>
Overall, 96.1 percent of Carlsbad residents have visited Carlsbad’s Downtown Village. The majority of residents regularly visited (55.5%), 24.1 percent sometimes visited (once a month or more), and 16.5 percent seldom visited the Village (16.5%). Among residents who have visited Carlsbad’s Downtown Village, 87.0 rated their experience positively, with 43.4 percent rating it as “Excellent” and 43.6 percent rating it as “Good.”
Preferences for Stores and Businesses in the City >>
When presented with four types of stores and businesses that could be located within Carlsbad, movie theatres (41.8% “More”) and medical and dental offices and outpatient services were the most popular (27.0% “More”).
Over 20 percent of residents would like to see less home furnishing stores and large-scale retail stores in the City and a majority felt there was currently an adequate number of each within the Carlsbad.
The majority of Carlsbad residents regularly visited large-scale retail stores such as Target, Home Deport, or Barnes & Noble (56.5%) as well as medical and dental office and outpatient services (52.7%) outside the City of Carlsbad.
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