Survey finds majority of Tumwater residents satisfied with city services

A survey conducted by the City of Tumwater found the majority of its residents rated city services and their quality of life positively.  

Conducted with the help of DHM Research, the survey drew 300 participants, which DHM Research Manager Kara Krnacik told the Tumwater City Council was statistically representative of the city’s population. 

Krnacik was at the city council’s meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 19, to discuss the results of the survey, which was held from May 3 to 17. 

She said the purpose of the survey was to assess satisfaction with city services and to better understand what the community wants to prioritize. The survey could also serve as baseline data should the city conduct similar studies in the future. 

Krnacik said 95% of respondents rated their quality of life as “somewhat” or “very” good, which she noted was consistent with surveys of other cities in Washington. 

The positive outlook was shared across all demographic groups who participated in the survey, though it was lowest among residents earning $50,000 or less (86%). 

In terms of type of city services and level of satisfaction, fire and emergency medical services received the highest rating, with 90% of respondents expressing they were either “somewhat” or “very” satisfied. 

Other highly rated services included the availability of high-quality drinking water (84%), parks and recreation facilities (80%) and police services (80%). 

The lowest-rated service was homelessness response, with only 48% of participants being satisfied. 

Other services got the following scores: 

• Stormwater and sewer management  at 76%. 

• Street construction and maintenance at 66%. 

• Economic development at 65%.

• Environmental conservation strategies at 65%.

• Managing growth and development at 63%.

• Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure at 60%. 

Residents were also asked to identify what they think are the most urgent issues the city needed to address. Topping the list were the availability of high-quality drinking water, as well as fire and emergency services, each cited by 78% of respondents as an “urgent” or “high” priority. 

Other issues were given the following priority scores: 

• Responding to homelessness at 63%. 

• Police services at 62%. 

• Street construction and maintenance at 62%. 

• Managing growth and development at 57%. 

• Economic development at 45%. 

• Stormwater and sewer management at 41%. 

• Environmental conservation strategies at 40%. 

• Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure at 35%.

• Parks and recreation infrastructure at 35%. 

An analysis comparing the most urgent issues with satisfaction levels identified three areas of high priority, where satisfaction levels are comparatively lower. The areas are homeless response, street construction and maintenance, and growth and development management. 

Police and fire departments 

The survey also asked how residents felt about their safety.  

The majority of participants responded positively, with 92% saying they felt “somewhat” or “very” safe. 

When asked for the reasons why they felt safe, the top reason was police presence and fast response times, which was cited by one-third of the participants. 

Other top factors included low crime rate (16%), small town feel (11%), not seeing much homelessness (9%), and general feeling of safety (8%). 

Of the 300 participants, 84 said they interacted with the police department in the past year, and 83% of those respondents rated their interactions as “somewhat” or “very” good. 

As for the city’s fire department, 94% of participants said they felt “somewhat” or “very” confident about it. 

A total of 51 of the 300 participants said they interacted with the fire department in the past year, and 97% said their experience with the department was “somewhat” or “very” good. 

Statistically valid 

In selecting the 300 participants, Krnacik said DHM Research set quotas for age, gender, race and ethnicity, education level and income to ensure the sample size was representative of the city’s population. 

In addition to the statistically valid survey, the city conducted a second survey open to all residents. This survey drew 273 participants, which Karnick noted are most likely the group of people the city often hears the most from about issues.

Karnick said the purpose of the second survey was to see whether there were differences in response between the statistically representative sample size and the group of people who take their time to interact with the city. 

Compared to the statistically valid sample size, the second group had more people ages 45 and above, college graduates with a four-year degree and homeowners, as well as fewer people of color and people earning $100,000 or less. Participants of the second survey were, however, given the option not to disclose certain information about themselves.