Redlands survey results: Praise for cultural offerings, confidence in local government drops

REDLANDS, Calif. — A recent community survey in Redlands reveals residents' top priorities and concerns, with homelessness and public safety emerging as the most pressing issues. 

Why it matters: The survey results are used to inform the city council's priorities and planning for the coming year. The low participation rate, however, could inspire efforts to develop more effective methods for gathering comprehensive community feedback.

Details: The 2024 National Community Survey, conducted by Policy Confluence Inc. (Polco), gathered responses from 717 Redlands residents, representing less than 2% of the city's adult population.

This marks the fourth NCS survey conducted in Redlands. Responses were collected between August 7 and October 2, 2024 using a mail-based approach that sent the survey to 3,500 randomly selected households, resulting in 253 responses. An additional 464 responses were gathered through an open participation survey.

Brandon Barnett, Polco's senior survey associate, presented the findings to the City Council, highlighting both positives and negatives in the eyes of Redlands residents.

The positives: The survey revealed strong satisfaction with several city services. Public library services received the highest praise, with 92% of respondents rating them as excellent or good. Fire services and ambulance or emergency medical services also saw high ratings, both increasing since the 2023 survey.

"About 9 in 10 residents reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods and in the downtown commercial area during the day," Barnett said, noting these scores were on par with national benchmarks.

Redlands' cultural and educational offerings were well-regarded by residents. Community support for the arts even exceeded the national average, with 79% of residents showing approval. Opportunities to attend special events and festivals were rated highly by 78% of respondents.

Residents also gave high marks to the city's walkability and ease of travel by bicycle, with both ratings higher than the national benchmark and improved since 2023.

Areas of concern: The survey uncovered multiple areas of concern. Homelessness emerged as a significant issue, with 41% of residents identifying it as a major problem and 43% seeing it as a moderate problem.

When asked about potentially committing additional resources, nearly three-quarters of respondents identified homelessness as a major priority. Public safety followed closely, with 68% marking it as a major focus.

The survey indicated a decline in residents' confidence in local government. Only about three in ten residents expressed confidence in the government's openness and transparency. The lowest rating was for informing residents about issues facing the community, which has decreased since 2023.

What they’re saying: Mayor Pro Tem Paul Barich expressed concern about the communication issues highlighted in the survey. 

"Obviously, my colleagues and I, we have to improve our communications," Barich said. "I was a little distressed that they were concerned that we're not communicating well with the residents. So we're going to have to really go and improve that."

The low participation rate in the survey itself raised questions about its representativeness. A concerned resident who spoke at the council meeting criticized the survey's low response rate.

"This survey received 717 total responses in a city with over 40,000 adult residents. That's less than a 2% response rate," Bell said. "Low response rates on polls and surveys makes it mere speculation as to what's really going on."

Moving forward: Council members discussed ways to improve future surveys and increase participation. Suggestions included providing phone options for survey completion and creating more open-ended opportunities for resident feedback throughout the year.