Survey: Life is good in Laguna Niguel
Laguna Niguel residents are content with where they live, according to survey results.
When asked about overall quality of life, 95% of residents responded that it was excellent or good.
True North Research President Timothy McLarney presented his findings from the Resident Satisfaction Survey to the City Council at Tuesday’s meeting and noted they were some of the best he had ever seen.
The telephone poll lasted about 20 minutes and included 400 registered voters chosen at random.
The survey asked residents what factors influenced their quality of life. The questions were open-ended, not multiple choice, and answers were recorded verbatim and then grouped in categories.
The top category, with 34% of the response, was family values and a small community feel.
McLarney found it fascinating that 21% of those surveyed said city staff, the City Council and leadership attributed to their quality of life.
“The reason that’s so striking to me is one, I’ve never seen it, and two, usually if the item comes up, it’s usually negative or divided,” he said.
He also pointed out that most residents did not know the city was conducting the survey.
When it came to residents wanting change, most were content with the way city issues were being handled. Reduction of traffic congestion received one of the higher percentages with 6.1%.
The relatively equal statistics show that the city is balanced in its efforts, McLarney said.
Laguna Niguel added a new question this year regarding the former county courthouse site. The survey asked what residents would favor as part of its future use, meaning multiple uses could be chosen.
The majority, 84%, favored entertainment, such as music and arts. Second to that was county and government use, and behind that was restaurants.
The least popular option was a residential use.
A question regarding cell phone reception in the city was also added, especially relevant in light of the recent power outage.
The findings revealed there is still room for improvement, McLarney said, with 72% reporting excellent or good reception.
The survey results predict that the city should focus on the following items for 2012: traffic law enforcement, traffic signal coordination, traffic congestion around schools, stormwater education, library services and recreational programs for teens.
Twitter: @joannaclay