For Immediate Release                                 
October 29, 2001

Residents Rate Quality of Life in San José
Better than Last Year  

Over 75% of San José residents rate quality of life “good or excellent”

San José, California – Nearly eight out of ten San José residents rated the quality of life in San José as good or excellent, according to a survey conducted last month by an independent research firm.

This favorable rating of 76% is higher than last year, when 69% rated the quality of life in San José as good or excellent.  Similar improvements were found in a majority of service areas compared to the city’s first community survey conducted last year. 

“These are great results that confirm we are on the right track with San José residents as we work with them to strengthen our neighborhoods, enhance public services, and improve communications with our community,” said San José Mayor Ron Gonzales.  “I am very pleased the survey found steady improvements across the board, and this will help us as we continue to make San José an even better place to live.”

Other key findings of the 2001 City of San José Community Survey include:

·        Once again this year, 92% of residents surveyed feel safe in their community during the day.  72% of respondents feel safe in their neighborhoods after dark, compared with 70% in 2000.

·        77% of residents surveyed are satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of City services, up from 74% last year.

·        For residents who had recent contact with the City of San José, more than three-quarters were satisfied or very satisfied with the courtesy, competence, and timeliness of the services they received.  This is the same result as last year.

·        Nearly seven out of ten respondents rated the overall physical condition of their neighborhood as good or excellent (68% - the same rating as last year).

·        The highest marks for satisfaction went to the public library services (68% compared to 59% last year); police protection (67% compared to 63% in 2000); fire protection (67% compared to 60% last year); and maintenance of public parks (66% compared to 62% the previous year).

Although residents continued to be concerned with the impacts of growth, traffic congestion, and housing costs, the level of concern expressed in these areas is lower than found in last year’s survey.

According to the survey consultants, the results of the San José community survey compare favorably to results in other large cities.  In a number of cases, San José achieved the kind of high positive ratings similar to survey results found in smaller municipalities.

The City of San José began conducting a community survey last year to use as a benchmark for performance measures and to identify areas where the City can improve services for the residents of San José.  Results will be used to evaluate the quality, timeliness and customer satisfaction, and City departments will be held accountable for improving services.

Now that the City has established a two-year benchmark regarding the community’s satisfaction with City services, the survey will be conducted on a biennial schedule to allow sufficient time for the impacts of changes in City service delivery to be reflected in the community’s perception.  The next community survey will be conducted in 2003.

Both the 2000 and 2001 surveys were conducted by the firm of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin and Associates, as part of the city’s “Investing in Results” initiative.  Investing in Results has been implemented in all departments to ensure that City services are aligned with community expectations.  Copies of the complete survey are available by calling (408) 277-4895.

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San Jose City Hall      801 N. First St., San Jose,  CA 95110      tel (408) 277-5131  fax ( 408) 277-3131     www.ci.san-jose.ca.us