City of Pensacola Resident Satisfaction Survey Results Now Available

Survey Sees 56% Increase in Resident Participation from 2019

The City of Pensacola has received results from the 2020 Resident Satisfaction Survey, highlighting areas of success with city services and the city's image, along with identifying opportunities for improvement. A total of 1,259 residents completed the online survey, which was a 56% increase from the number of survey completions in 2019.

This is the second consecutive year the survey has seen a significant increase in responses, with 2019 survey participation increasing by 55% from 2018.

The survey was conducted by the University of West Florida Haas Center to assess resident satisfaction with a variety of city services and determine residents' top priorities for the City of Pensacola. Data will be used by the city to identify budget priorities and areas for improvement to provide high quality services to residents.

"We are fortunate to have such engaged citizens who are willing to provide their feedback to the City of Pensacola to help us improve and succeed," Mayor Grover Robinson said. "We always strive for the highest quality of life for our residents, and these survey responses will help us continue to enhance city services and build an even better community together. I'd like to thank the UWF Haas Center for their research, along with every resident who took time to provide feedback about what's most important to them."

Highlights from the survey results include:

More than half of respondents (57%) said they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the ease of obtaining information about city services, an increase of 5 percent from 2019.
Despite the economic challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, 44% of respondents were either very satisfied or satisfied with the city's efforts to create a business-friendly environment. Only 21% of respondents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, while 27% were neutral and 7% were unsure.
54% of respondents said they were either very satisfied or satisfied with public access to waterfront.
When rating infrastructure improvements, stormwater infrastructure improved 7% from 2019, with 37% of respondents either strongly agreeing or agreeing that the City of Pensacola has improved stormwater infrastructure in their neighborhood over the past year.
Pensacola International Airport received the highest customer service satisfaction rating of any city department, with 87% of respondents giving the airport's customers service four or five star ratings.
Other departments that received high customer service ratings included Pensacola Fire Department (85% four and five star ratings), 311 (72% four and five star ratings), Sanitation Services (70% four and five star ratings), Parks and Recreation (67% four and five star ratings), Pensacola Police Department (67% four and five star ratings) and Pensacola Energy (64% four and five star ratings).
58% of respondents said they were very satisfied or satisfied with the City of Pensacola's performance in promoting the city's image.

Areas for improvement identified by the survey include:

Two net promoter score questions suggest there is still some work for the city to do in order to move more residents from a “passive” category to “promoters” of the city as a recommended place to live and as a "City of Excellence." However, in year-over-year comparisons, participants in the 2020 survey responded slightly more favorably to the NPS question asking how likely one would be to recommend living in Pensacola.
Customer service and responsiveness ratings with some outward-facing departments
Continued improvements related to neighborhood safety and infrastructure
Housing market affordability

Community safety was identified as the top priority for residents, selected by 35% of respondents.

Although the City of Pensacola has conducted satisfaction surveys through the Haas Center since 2014, the 2019 and 2020 surveys have set new benchmarks for the city, with updated questions that align with the city's strategic plan.

Also new in 2019 and 2020 were two net promoter score questions, which are designed to measure customer experience and loyalty. The questions asked residents whether they would recommend living in the City of Pensacola to family and friends, along with rating the city's progress in becoming a "City of Excellence."

The online survey period began in June 2020 and lasted four weeks.

Click here to view the survey results.

Survey results with improvements to city services

Click the charts to enlarge

Survey results with net promoter score chart

For more information or general questions, email pio@cityofpensacola.com. To stay informed about what's happening with City of Pensacola government, sign up for email or text notifications through Notify Me or follow @CityofPensacola on social media.