City of Bloomington Seeks Resident Opinion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2016

For more information, please contact:
Mary Catherine Carmichael, Communications Director, 812.349.3406, carmichm@bloomington.in.gov

City of Bloomington Seeks Resident Opinion

Bloomington, Ind. - Mayor John Hamilton is asking 3,000 randomly selected Bloomington households to participate in the first ever community-wide, scientific survey for the City of Bloomington. The survey results will help establish a baseline understanding of how residents feel about the quality and value of City services and reveal opinions about current conditions in our community.

The survey focuses on community livability and includes questions about the quality of life in the community, local policies, demographics, rating of local government services and resident use of services.

A random and scientific sample of 3,000 households will receive mailed invitations beginning January 24th to participate in the survey, and their confidential responses will be weighted and analyzed by the National Research Center, Inc. (NRC), the entity contracted to administer the survey. The cost to administer the survey is not to exceed $34,000.

"Conducting a resident survey gets us to a really basic aspect of public service - you don't know if you don't ask. This survey asks the people we serve about what is working, what could be better and where would you like your community to go from here? We will no doubt learn things from our respondents that will inform our work on behalf of Bloomingtonians for some time to come. I hope everyone who receives a survey in the mail will participate," commented Mayor Hamilton.

Residents who are not selected to participate in the random sample will be able to complete an online survey beginning on February 27th. Responses from the non-random sample will be sorted separately from the random sample to ensure unbiased results.

Data from the survey will be shared in a report to the community, on the City's open data portal "B-Clear," and will be used to inform many decisions about the future of Bloomington.

For more information or with questions about the survey, please contact the Office of the Mayor at 812-349-3406.

About National Research Center, Inc. (NRC)

NRC is the leader in the field of public sector research and evaluation, with clients from across the country and around the globe. The firm is comprised of a skilled team of social scientists that supports cities, counties, foundations and nonprofit organizations in using research to help communities thrive. NRC offers a suite of products designed to enhance the public voice and aid local decision-making.

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