Neighborhood Satisfaction Survey Results

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Neighborhood Satisfaction Survey

Executive Summary

Background

During its first 5 years of operation, the PhillyRising Collaborative had developed several strategies to evaluate its impact, including tracking crime and activity data in target areas. While kickoffs and regular community meetings kept Divisional Coordinators informed of major safety and quality of life concerns, no quantitative, neighborhood-level data was available. This surveying project has enabled a large-scale analysis of Philadelphians’ perceptions of safety and quality of life in their neighborhoods and will serve as a baseline for future evaluation of PhillyRising’s impact.

The following report breaks down the survey results so that PhillyRising may gain a more data-grounded understanding of its residents’ needs.

Methodology

The survey used (see Appendix A) contained a total of 45 questions about neighborhood quality of life, public services, perceptions of safety, awareness of PhillyRising, and demographics. PhillyRising partnered with the Mayor’s Internship Program to survey adults over the age of 18 at libraries, recreation centers, and other community hubs in all 6 Philadelphia police divisions every Friday afternoon from June 5 to July 24, 2015. Surveys were also completed at several PhillyRising events, including the Summer Crush cleanup in Kingsessing, the Southwest Service Summit, and the Goodlands of Kensington Festival. Incentives such as candy, water ice, and Philadelphia Souls tickets were offered. Respondents were given the opportunity to choose between paper and electronic versions of the survey, but all opted to take the paper version.

Analysis

Nearly all of the survey questions were multiple choice, with responses rated on a scale of 1 to 4 or formatted as Yes/No questions. Two questions were open-ended. The scaled questions were recoded during analysis for clearer understanding and are presented in verbal or numerical format as appropriate.

Demographics

A total of 275 Philadelphia residents completed the Neighborhood Satisfaction Survey. 14 respondents (5%) did not provide a home address and were not able to be categorized as living in a particular police division or neighborhood. 49 respondents (18%) lived in PhillyRising’s target areas. The vast majority of respondents (37%) were from the East Police Division, with Kensington making up a sizeable portion of that population.

The largest age category among all respondents was 25-34 years old, and about 55% of respondents identified as female. Just over half of respondents identified as African American or Black; nearly a quarter identified as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. Only 2% of respondents identified with more than one race. The largest group of respondents (34%) said that they had lived in their neighborhoods for 0-5 years.

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Key Insights

For many question categories, respondents living in PhillyRising neighborhoods had poorer ratings of safety and services; but among this subset, residents who had awareness of or interactions with PhillyRising had better ratings for these items. PhillyRising neighborhoods face significant challenges, and while continued work is needed, experience with PhillyRising is directly correlated with higher levels of neighborhood satisfaction.

PhillyRising has good but not total brand recognition both within and outside of neighborhoods. Nearly 2/3 of respondents living within PhillyRising neighborhoods have heard of the program and half have attended a PhillyRising event.

Respondents thought PhillyRising was more responsive to community input than City government in general.

Quality of life features were rated poorly overall but fared slightly better in PhillyRising neighborhoods.

Respondents living in PhillyRising neighborhoods were more likely than other respondents to report code violations.

Residents’ top complaints about their neighborhoods were drugs, trash, and violence.

Summary of Recommendations

Future research should investigate who is not involved with PhillyRising and how best to reach these populations.

Focus marketing efforts in the Northwest and Northeast Police Divisions.

Improve quality of life features in all areas of the city through partnerships with CLIP, job providers, and affordable housing organizations.

Continue to host Service Summits and other events that focus on service delivery, and explore marketing strategies that might attract less active residents.

Develop more programming to connect community residents to members of the police force.

Enlist current community activists to train others, inside and outside PhillyRising neighborhoods, to engage with the City. The Citizens Engagement Academy would provide an excellent model for this.

Create high-accountability, potentially career-track volunteer opportunities for out-of-work residents with a strong sense of duty.

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PhillyRising Brand Awareness and Satisfaction

Nearly 2/3 of residents in PhillyRising neighborhoods have heard of PhillyRising, as well as almost half of respondents who do not live in target areas. Awareness of PhillyRising was greatest in the South Police Division and lowest in the Northwest and Northeast. Exactly half of residents within PhillyRising neighborhoods have attended a PhillyRising event, as well as nearly half of outside residents. Far more than half of respondents stated that PhillyRising has made an impact in their communities. 58% of residents within PhillyRising neighborhoods agreed that PhillyRising was responsive to community input, compared to only 42% who said that City government was responsive to citizen issues.

PhillyRising is well-regarded by those most impacted by it, and is more trusted than the City as a whole. In certain instances, relying on PhillyRising’s reputation as a community program may attract more participants than highlighting its governmental connections. Promotional efforts should be concentrated in the Northwest and Northeast Divisions.

Figure 1.1 I know what the PhillyRising Collaborative is.

Figure 1.2 I have attended a program/event organized by PhillyRising.

PhillyRising Neighborhood (n=47)

Not in a PhillyRising Neighborhood (n=222)



Figure 1.3 PhillyRising is responsive to community input.

Figure 1.4 City government is responsive to citizen issues





Figure 1.5 PhillyRising has made a positive impact in my community.

Figure 1.6 I know what the PhillyRising Collaborative is.



Police Division

Agree62%

Disagree38%

Agree48%

Disagree52%

Agree50%

Disagree50%

Agree48%

Disagree52%

Agree58%

Disagree42% Agree

57%

Disagree43%

Agree42%Disagree

58%

Agree45%

Disagree55%

40% 43%47%

51% 52%

64%

Northwest Northeast Southwest East Central South

Agree60%

Disagree40% Agree

56%

Disagree44%

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Quality of Life

Using the numerical scale, residents of PhillyRising neighborhoods had higher average ratings for all quality of life features than respondents outside of PhillyRising neighborhoods. They were significantly more likely to rate employment opportunities and affordable quality housing in their neighborhoods are “Excellent” or “Good” than other respondents. However, these features were not highly-rated overall, with average ratings of “Fair” or “Poor” both inside and outside PhillyRising target areas. The higher rating in PhillyRising neighborhoods may be due to community recognition of the City’s efforts in these areas, actual visible improvements, or respondents’ participation in quality of life initiatives.

Since this category of ratings was lower outside of targeted neighborhoods, PhillyRising may find it helpful to refer to these results when considering areas for expansion. To improve the quality of life features listed below, PhillyRising should continue to support, promote, and partner with CLIP and the Community Partnership Program; grow existing relationships with the Office of Human Resources and other job providers; and seek more opportunities work with affordable housing providers.

Figure 2.1 Please rate each of the following quality of life features:

Figure 2.2 Affordable quality housing in my neighborhood Excellent/Good Fair/Poor

PhillyRising Neighborhoods 42.22% (n=19)

57.78% (n=26)

Not in a PhillyRising Neighborhood 25.11% (n=55)

74.89% (n=164)

Figure 2.3 Employment opportunities in my neighborhood Excellent/Good Fair/Poor


76.09% (n=35)


89.04% (n=195)

2.29 2.171.83

2.181.99 2.04

1.58

2.02

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

Cleanliness Affordable qualityhousing

Employmentopportunities

Overall quality of life

PhillyRising Neighborhoods (avg)

Not in a PhillyRising Neighborhood (avg)

n=45 n=219 n=47 n=230 n=46 n=216 n=45 n=218

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Public Services

PhillyRising neighborhood residents were more likely to strongly agree and less likely to strongly disagree with the statement “City government is responsive to citizen issues” than respondents outside of PhillyRising neighborhoods. They were 10 percentage points less likely to agree to the statement “My neighborhood receives the same level of service as other neighborhoods in Philadelphia”, confirming that PhillyRising neighborhoods are among the most service-challenged in the City. However, when PhillyRising neighborhood residents are divided into categories based on whether or not they have ever attended a PhillyRising event, respondents who have attended a PhillyRising event are 32 percentage points more likely to feel that their neighborhoods receive a fair level of services than respondents who have never attended a PhillyRising event.

This suggests that PhillyRising is effective at delivering services to challenged neighborhoods but that there is still significant need in these areas, especially among residents who are not actively engaged. Events that focus on service delivery, like PhillyRising’s Service Summits, are much-needed, and PhillyRising should make every effort to recruit residents that are not normally involved in community events.

Figure 3.1 City government is responsive to citizen issues

Figure 3.2 My neighborhood receives the same level of service as other neighborhoods in Philadelphia Strongly/Somewhat agree Strongly/Somewhat disagree

PhillyRising Neighborhood 29.17% (n=14)

70.83% (n=34)


60.55% (n=132)

Figure 3.3 My neighborhood receives the same level of service as other neighborhoods in Philadelphia (PhillyRising neighborhoods only) Strongly/Somewhat agree Strongly/Somewhat disagree

Has attended a PhillyRising event 45.45% (n=10)

54.55% (n=12)

Has not attended a PhillyRising event 13.04% (n=3)

86.96% (n=20)

20.83%

37.50%

25.00%

16.67%

23.83%

30.84%33.64%

11.68%

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Somewhat agree Strongly agree

PhillyRising Neighborhood

Not in a PhillyRising Neighborhood

n=10 n=51 n=18 n=66 n=12 n=72 n=8 n=25

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Police Relations

When asked whether police prevent crime in their neighborhoods, respondents who lived in PhillyRising neighborhoods were less likely to agree. However, respondents who somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement “I have attended a program/event organized by PhillyRising” were 6 percentage points more likely to rate police services in their neighborhoods as “Excellent” than respondents who said they had never attended a PhillyRising event, suggesting that PhillyRising events promote trust in the police force. Respondents who said they had never attended a PhillyRising event were more likely to rate police services as “Fair” or “Poor”.

PhillyRising should continue to partner with police and develop more events to promote community collaboration with the Philadelphia Police Department.

Figure 4.1 Police prevent crime in my neighborhood Strongly/Somewhat agree Strongly/Somewhat disagree


54.35% (n=25)


40.83% (n=114)

Figure 4.2 How would you rate police services in your neighborhood?

9%

16%

12%11%

17%15%

14%

5%

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

Poor Fair Good Excellent

Have attended a PhillyRising event

Have not attended a PhillyRising event

n=25 n=45 n=42 n=41 n=32 n=37 n=29 n=14

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Perceptions of Safety

Respondents who live in PhillyRising neighborhoods were 9 percentage points more likely to say they felt unsafe in their neighborhoods during the day. Within PhillyRising neighborhoods, respondents that were familiar with PhillyRising reported feeling safer than those who did not, suggesting either that awareness of PhillyRising makes residents feel safer or that some third variable, such as investment in the community, is correlated with awareness of PhillyRising and feelings of safety.

PhillyRising works in the most crime-ridden areas of the city, and this is reflected in the responses to questions about feelings of neighborhood safety. Additional work is needed to improve actual and perceived safety in these areas, and these results show that PhillyRising is the right candidate to take on this work.

Figure 5.1 How safe do you feel in your neighborhood during the day?

Figure 5.2 How safe do you feel in your neighborhood during the day? (PhillyRising neighborhoods only)

37%

63%

28%

72%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

Very/Somewhatunsafe

Very/Somewhat safe

PhillyRising Neighborhood

Not in a PhillyRisingNeighborhood

10%17%

55%

17%17%

28%

39%

17%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Very unsafe Somewhat Unsafe Somewhat safe Very safe

Knows about PhillyRising

Does not know about PhillyRising

n=18 n=63 n=31 n=161

n=3 n=3 n=5 n=5 n=16 n=7 n=5 n=3

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Community Investment and Engagement

PhillyRising neighborhood residents were 13 percentage points less likely than respondents from other areas to agree that there was a strong sense of community in their neighborhoods; they were also less likely to have talked to or visited with their immediate neighbors in the last 12 months. Despite this apparent anomy, more than half (59%) of PhillyRising neighborhood residents had volunteered in their neighborhoods in the last 12 months, with part-time workers and residents unable to work having the highest rates of volunteerism. Additionally, PhillyRising neighborhood residents were 14 percentage points more likely to have reported a code violation in their neighborhoods than respondents living outside of PhillyRising target areas, even though only 1 percentage point more of them said that they had observed a code violation in the last 12 months.

It is understandable that the types of problems these target areas face would deter interactions with neighbors and prevent residents from feeling a sense of community. While this anomy should fade as safety and quality of life problems decrease, PhillyRising can help residents develop programming to specifically increase social activity and community pride. Other engagement indicators show that programs such as the Citizens Engagement Academy and Neighborhood Liaison Training have been a success in cultivating communities of active, informed residents. PhillyRising should also seek to focus volunteer recruitment efforts on part time workers and create long-term, part-time, high-accountability volunteer opportunities with the potential to turn into part- or full-time jobs.

Figure 6.1 There is a strong sense of community in my neighborhood Strongly/Somewhat agree Strongly/Somewhat disagree


56.25% (n=27)


43.32% (n=94)

Figure 6.2 Talked to or visited with your immediate neighbors Yes No


33.33% (n=16)


18.26% (n=40)

Figure 6.3 Employment: In the last 12 months, have you volunteered in your neighborhood?

Yes 40%

Yes 52%

Yes 60%

Yes 62%

Yes 62%

Yes 62%

Yes 70%

Yes 75%

No 60%

No 48%

No 40%

No 38%

No 38%

No 38%

No 30%

No 25%

Unemployed, not looking for paid work

Working full time

Homemaker

Student

Retired

Unemployed, looking for paid work

Working part time

Unable to work (n=27)

(n=23)

(n=18)

(n=26)

(n=8)

(n=9)

(n=44)

(n=4)

(n=9)

(n=10)

(n=11)

(n=16)

(n=5)

(n=6)

(n=41)

(n=6)

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Figure 6.4 In the last 12 months, have you… Observed a code violation or

other hazard in my neighborhood

Reported a code violation or other hazard in my

neighborhood

Yes No Yes No


55.32% (n=26)

74.47% (n=35)

25.53% (n=12)


56.31% (n=151)

60.63% (n=134)

39.37% (n=99)

In Their Own Words

The two open-ended survey questions asked residents what they most liked and disliked about their neighborhoods. Their responses appear below, summarized as word clouds. Residents liked the people or specific communities to which they belonged and access to public transportation and amenities. The most referenced dislikes were drugs, trash, and violence.

Figure 7.1 What one thing do you like MOST about living in your neighborhood?

Figure 7.2 What one thing do you like LEAST about living in your neighborhood?

PhillyRising Neighborhood Survey

Appendix A

Please have an adult (age 18 or older) from your household complete this survey. Please circle the number or check the box that most closely represents your opinion for each question. Your responses will be reported in group form only.

Please rate each of the following quality of life features: Excellent Good Fair Poor Cleanliness of my neighborhood 1 2 3 4 Affordable quality housing in my neighborhood 1 2 3 4 Employment opportunities in my neighborhood 1 2 3 4 Overall quality of life in my neighborhood 1 2 3 4 Please indicate whether or not you have experienced each of the following in the last 12 months: Household member was a victim of a crime Yes No

Reported a crime to the police Yes No

Observed a code violation or other hazard in my neighborhood (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.)

Yes No

Reported a code violation or other hazard in my neighborhood (weeds, abandoned buildings, etc.)

Yes No

Contacted City officials (in-person, phone, email or web) to express your opinion

Yes No

Contacted Philly311 (in-person, phone, email or web) for help or information

Yes No

Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements: Strongly

agree Somewhat

agree Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

Police are respectful to people in my neighborhood 1 2 3 4 Police prevent crime in my neighborhood 1 2 3 4 City government is responsive to citizen issues 1 2 3 4 My neighborhood receives the same level of service as other neighborhoods in Philadelphia

1 2 3 4

There is a strong sense of community in my neighborhood 1 2 3 4

Please indicate whether or not you have done each of the following in the last 12 months. Talked to or visited with your immediate neighbors Yes No

Used Philadelphia recreation centers or their services Yes No

Visited a neighborhood park or City park Yes No

Participated in community event or activity Yes No

Volunteered in your neighborhood Yes No

How would you rate the following public services in your neighborhood? Excellent Good Fair Poor Police 1 2 3 4 Fire 1 2 3 4 Street repair/maintenance 1 2 3 4 Trash collection/recycling 1 2 3 4 Park management 1 2 3 4 Public Transit 1 2 3 4 Recreation centers 1 2 3 4

PhillyRising Neighborhood Survey

Appendix A

Please rate how safe or unsafe you feel:

Very safe Somewhat

safe Somewhat

unsafe Very

unsafe In your neighborhood during the day 1 2 3 4 In your neighborhood after dark 1 2 3 4 In your home during the day 1 2 3 4 In your home after dark 1 2 3 4 In City parks during the day 1 2 3 4 In City parks after dark 1 2 3 4

Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements: Strongly

agree Somewhat

agree Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

I know what the PhillyRising Collaborative is 1 2 3 4 I have attended a program/event organized by PhillyRising 1 2 3 4 PhillyRising is responsive to community input 1 2 3 4 PhillyRising has made a positive impact in my neighborhood 1 2 3 4 What one thing do you like MOST about living in your neighborhood?

What one thing do you like LEAST about living in your neighborhood?

Our final questions are about you and your household. Your responses are anonymous and will be reported in group form only.

What is your employment status? Which of the following do you use regularly? Check all that apply ○ Working full time ○ Retired

○ Working part time ○ Homemaker ○ Bus ○ Bike

○ Unemployed, looking for paid work

○ Student ○ Subway ○ Own car

○ Military ○ Trolley ○ Other car

○ Unemployed, not looking for paid work

○ Unable to work

What is your race or ethnicity? Do you own or rent your home? ○ African American or Black

○ Own ○ Rent ○ American Indian or Alaskan Native

○ Asian, Asian Indian, or Pacific Islander

How long have you lived in your neighborhood? ○ Caucasian or White

__________________ ○ Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino ○ Other: What is your gender?

○ Male ○ Female What is your age? ____________

Please provide your street address below. We will only use this information to see which PhillyRising neighborhood, if any, you live in. This will also prevent you from receiving this survey again in the mail. We will not use it for any other purpose. Thank you for your support. Street Address: Zip code:

Documents

Neighborhood Satisfaction Survey Results