Townwide Community Survey

Fall 2023 Survey

The Town of Scarborough is launching a town-wide community survey to seek feedback from residents. The survey covers questions regarding satisfaction with town services and the direction the community is headed.

Survey results

Statistically Valid Mailed Survey

View the Findings Report for the Town of Scarborough 2023 Community Survey. The Findings Report is 142 pages and was put together by our survey consultant, ETC Institute, to share the results of the statistically valid mailed survey. The data is a reflection of 608 residents who completed the survey. According to ETC Institute, the overall response has a precision of at least +/- 4.0% at the 95% level of confidence.

The report provides the following:

Executive Summary (Purpose, Methodology, Major Findings, Benchmarking Analysis, Priorities)
Overall Results (Charts & Graphs)
Benchmark Analysis (Regionally & Nationally)
Importance-Satisfaction Analysis
Tabular Data
Survey Instrument (Sample survey)

View Findings Report

Survey Results - Mapped by Geographic Area

The maps in the report below show the mean ratings for several satisfaction questions on the survey by Census Block Group. If all areas on a map are the same color, then residents generally feel the same about that issue regardless of the location of their home.

View mapped results

Findings Report Presentation

Survey consultant ETC Institute presented the findings from the statistically valid survey during a Town Council Workshop on January 3, 2024. View the presentation below.

Online Survey - General Public

An online survey was open to all residents who did not receive a mailed survey to provide their input (online survey closed on December 22). This data is not considered statistically valid and is tabulated separate from the mailed survey responses. Because these results are not included in the statistically valid survey, they are presented as raw data only.

View Results

Results Dashboard

View the results of the statistically valid survey represented through an interactive dashboard. Within the dashboard, choose demographic filter(s) to apply to responses (i.e. age, gender, ethnicity) to separate responses. Responses can also be viewed on a map by area of Scarborough. Toggle between the two survey years (2021, 2023) on the bottom right to compare results.

VIEW DASHBOARD

2023 Timeline

July-September: Survey Review in Town Council Communications Committee
Late October: Survey mailed to random sample of households
Late November: Open online survey launches
December: Online survey open for first three weeks of the month (Closes December 22)
Late December: Results compiled and analyzed by survey vendor
Early January: Findings Report presented to Town Council

Actual dates are subject to change

Background

The last survey was conducted in 2021 (see details below). Before the 2021 survey, it had been eleven years since a similar type of community survey had been administered. The Town now seeks to more regularly survey the community every couple of years or so as a way to benchmark levels of satisfaction over time. The data also helps inform elected and appointed leaders of the objective sentiments of the community. It has been a critical tool for guiding Town Council goals and prioritizing community investments.

Process

The survey is administered through a third-party vendor, ETC Institute, to ensure validity and to maintain anonymity. Their goal is to obtain a minimum of 600 completed surveys in order to be considered statistically valid. After being compiled and analyzed, survey results will be presented to the Town Council and a comprehensive report will be made available on the Town’s website. The Town of Scarborough expects to receive final results of the survey by the end of the year in order to help inform council goals for 2024. Additionally, the survey company will prepare digital maps displaying the results of specific questions on the survey by geography to show how well the Town is delivering services to various parts of the town. (Addresses of survey respondents are geocoded to the block latitude and longitude coordinates to ensure the exact location of a respondent’s household remains anonymous). See the 2021 maps below.

Online Survey

While the survey will be mailed to a random sample of households in order to be statistically valid, the Town of Scarborough wants to hear from any resident who would like to offer feedback. Once the target for completed mailed surveys has been met, an online version of the survey will be made available to anyone who has not received the mailed version. This is to avoid duplicates and retain accuracy.

For any questions regarding the survey, please contact Liam Gallagher, Assistant Town Manager, at (207) 730-4026.

Stay Connected

Survey results help inform us of what residents are interested in and priority issues for our Town. Subscribe to our Town E-Newsletter, a twice monthly email, to stay informed on updates from departments, committees, Town Council, and more.

Past Community Surveys

2021

2021

Scarborough conducted a community survey for residents in Fall 2021. Responses have been formatted into a full findings report, slideshow presentation with key highlights, and visually represented through GIS mapping.

Findings Report

View the Findings Report for the Town of Scarborough 2021 Community Survey. The Findings Report is 138 pages and was put together by our survey consultant, ETC Institute, to share the results of the statistically valid mailed survey. The data is a reflection of 862 residents who completed the survey. According to ETC Institute, the overall response has a precision of at least +/- 3.2% at the 95% level of confidence.

The report provides the following:

Executive Summary (Purpose, Methodology, Major Findings, Benchmarking Analysis, Priorities)
Overall Results (Charts & Graphs)
Benchmark Analysis (Regionally & Nationally)
Importance-Satisfaction Analysis
Tabular Data
Survey Instrument (Sample survey)

Mapping Results

ETC Institute prepared maps showing the results of specific questions on the survey by geography. Addresses of survey respondents were geocoded to the block latitude and longitude coordinates to ensure the exact location of a respondent’s household is not revealed. This representation of data is able to visually show how well the Town is delivering services to various parts of the Town.

View GIS Map data

View the interactive dashboard below for detailed viewing options of the data.

Town Council Survey Workshop & Presentation of Findings Report

View the January 5 presentation given by survey consultant ETC Institute. (Slides Only)

Online-Only Survey Results

Not Statistically Valid

In order to provide all residents access to share their feedback in the community survey, the Town opened up an online-only survey for anyone who did not receive the mailed survey. The data from the digital survey is not statistically valid, as there is no guarantee of residing in Scarborough, number of times the survey was completed, adhering to a representation across age groups and other demographics, etc.

The general public survey received 251 responses. The demographics skew older than the statistically valid survey. View the demographic comparisons of the mailed vs. online responses.

Scarborough Community Survey – General Public Results

Project Timeline

July 2021:Town Council Communications Committee meets with three survey consultants. ETC Institute is selected.

August 2021: Survey design work with ETC begins. It was completed in October.

November 2021: Survey distribution begins. 4,200 households are selected for a random sample and require a minimum return of 600 surveys in order to be statistically valid. Active survey outreach begins on Election Day, November 11 with town councilors distributing paper versions at the polls to encourage town-wide participation.

December 2021: With the minimum requirement of 600 surveys surpassed for the statistically valid survey, an online version (identical to the mailed) is made live and available to all other residents (who did not receive a mailed copy) to share their feedback. It is open for an approximately 2.5 week period, from December 1-19, and promoted via the Town E-Newsletter website, Scarborough Leader, and social media.

January 5, 2022: ETC Institute developed a Findings Report with the statistically valid data and presented it to the Town Council in a workshop. Watch the Presentation

Tabular data from the online version will be provided in mid-January and made available here.

Survey Design

The final survey was 7 pages long and was estimated to take about 20 minutes to complete. Participants were asked to give an Importance/Satisfaction rating on a variety of topics, including the public library, schools, growth, traffic and transportation, environmental topics as well as our parks and beaches and many more (ie. How satisfied are you with XYZ? How important is it to you among other priorities?). All surveys are confidential and no part of the results show identifying information. Understanding your satisfaction with Town services, departments, and issues is critical to helping us better serve you and will inform us of areas for improvement. We value your opinion and greatly appreciate your willingness to share your feedback for the benefit of our community.

What Happens Next?

The results of the 2021 survey will remain on the website to view at any time. Town Council and departments will use this data as a reference point when developing goals.