Several hundred Coquitlam residents may be getting a call — or an invite in the mail — to take part in the city's new community satisfaction survey.
Staff with Ipsos are now polling residents until mid-June about how well the municipality is faring with its civic services and programs.
The results from the statistically valid survey will be used to help city council and staff shape the future, and set priorities for planning in the areas of housing, transportation, recreation and garbage pick-up.
The mail outreach comes as a result of the lack of landlines available in Lower Mainland households, as most people have cell phones.
And, to avoid burnout, Coquitlam residents will only be polled every two years rather than annually, the city said.
The cost for administrating the survey has gone up from $27,000 a year to $40,000 every two years — a savings of $14,000.
In 2021, the spring Ipsos survey drew nearly 500 respondents of which 96 per cent said they were satisfied with the city services and 89 per cent said the municipality offered good value for their tax dollars.
The 2021 findings also showed the COVID-19 pandemic had little effect on the public's sentiment of city hall; however, 59 per cent of respondents said the pandemic affected their mental health.
Meanwhile, for the 2023 survey, city hall is cautioning participants to be wary of potential scammers posing as Ipsos or municipal staff.
"While the surveyors acting on behalf of Coquitlam may request demographic information such as age, employment status, income range or residency in order to ensure responses from a representative sample of Coquitlam residents, the city would never solicit banking or request money transfers as part of a survey process," it noted in a news release.
"In case of any suspicious communication, please contact 604-927-3918 or email [email protected] to verify the authenticity of the request."
The results from the 2023 survey will be released to the public this fall via the City of Coquitlam website.
