Objectives

1. Introduce Virginia Beach’s plan to construct an 18,000 seat multi-purpose center.
2. Determine the desirability of the project based upon the Citizen Satisfaction Survey data.
3. Present consolidated survey results for all to see.

Introduction

The plan to build an 18,000 entertainment and sports venue is not in the best interest of residents. This multi-million dollar project fails to address what residents are most dissatisfied about. It does not address what residents actually want or need.

This, of course, is an opinion.

What influenced my point of view? Contrary to what I see on the local news channels, I’m sure there are others who question the value of this project. Unfortunately, they are not making the news. But they are out there. It just may take a little digging to find them.

I am enjoying practicing exploratory data analysis (EDA) on different datasets. I’ve been looking for more datasets to refine my skills. After completing the Police Incidents dataset, I stumbled upon the Citizen Satisfaction Survey data.

Since 2007, the city of Virginia Beach has conducted a biennial survey. Distributed to about 500 residents, it asks questions on many topics. Questions from city services to neighborhood schools from cultural events to city beaches.

For 10 years, participants rated their satisfaction on about 68 questions. Responses range from Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied. Or may range from Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree depending upon the question. ⊕The survey uses a four category Likert scale. The even number of responses only allow participants to be 1) satisfied or dissatisfied or to 2) agree or disagree.

Now that we know a little about this survey, let’s learn a little about the arena project.

In February 2014, United States Management (USM) proposed an 18,000 seat multi-purpose arena to Virginia Beach City Council. Residents attended public hearings and local interest simmered.

USM experienced setback in the fall of 2016. They were unable to secure financing to begin construction. Undeterred USM requested a 60-day loan extension. A 10-1 city council vote in December lead to the approval for the request of the loan extension. In January 2017, city council granted the 60-day loan extension to a confident USM.

USM’s parent company, ESG, features this project beautifully on their web site. The benefits are numerous from new jobs to increases in property values. Very enticing, isn’t it? But is this what Virginia Beach residents want? Will construction of this arena address residents’ concerns? Or are city officials marching to a different beat?

Analysis

As a Virginia Beach resident for almost two decades, this is the first time I was aware of this survey. I haven’t even seen the results of past surveys.11 A web search located the survey results on the Virginia Beach web site. Feel free to check out the final reports distributed by the city.

The city provides a basic dashboard to explore this data. Unfortunately, it does not provide the answers to my questions.

Presenting the results from this survey in a simple yet meaningful way is a challenge. The simple approach is to analyze each question in order. This makes identifying a particular question easy for the user. Another method would be to group questions by category.22 Grouping questions into categories may provide insight into what is important to residents. Should the city direct funds towards education, reconstruction, transportation, or economic growth? These and other questions are better addressed if we categorize questions. For now, I’ll leave this as a future task. Some questions relate to city services, neighborhoods, or tourism. By grouping questions, patterns may be easier to identify. But what if the groupings are wrong?

The beauty of this analysis is that it is reproducible and easy to change and create. When new survey results are available,33 The next survey should take place sometime in 2017. I’ll re-run the report with the latest data. For the initial analysis I will report the results from each individual question. Refer to the Appendix for the survey results.

Let’s load the survey data44 I’m required to display the following disclaimer for using this dataset. Disclaimer: The data made available here has been modified for use from its original source, which is the City of Virginia Beach. Neither the City of Virginia Beach nor the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) makes any claims as to the completeness, timeliness, accuracy or content of any data contained in this application; makes any representation of any kind, including, but not limited to, warranty of the accuracy or fitness for a particular use; nor are any such warranties to be implied or inferred with respect to the information or data furnished herein. The data is subject to change as modifications and updates are complete. It is understood that the information contained in the web feed is being used at one’s own risk.” As found in the “Terms of Use” on the “About this Site” page. for review.

# load data
survey.raw <- list.load("https://data.vbgov.com/api/views/8utb-pcec/rows.json?accessType=DOWNLOAD")
#survey.raw <- list.load("./data/vb_survey.json")

Some of the attributes of this file are:

• Name: Citizen Satisfaction Survey
• Description: Multi-Year Citizen Satisfaction Survey results
• Category: Finance / Government
• Date of file: 2016-10-19 15:52:49

survey.data <- as.data.frame(survey.raw[['data']])
# remove first 8 columns
survey.data <- survey.data[,c(9:length(names(survey.data)))]
# rename columns
names(survey.data)[1:2] <- c("id", "year")
# rename question columns
names(survey.data)[3:length(names(survey.data))] <- sprintf("Q%d", 1:(length(names(survey.data))-2))

#Number of Survey Responses By Year
table(survey.data$year)

2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 
 500  500  500  504  520 

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Observations

• (+) Since 2007, Virginia Beach residents ranked fire department services first in their overall satisfaction rating. (Q3)
• (+) Residents are satisfied with convenient access to city services. (Q47)
• (+) Neighborhoods and the city of Virginia Beach in general are considered safe. (Q49, Q51)
• Some of the agree/disagree related questions (Q50, Q53-Q57) are incomplete. These may have been one time survey questions.55 Q50, Q53-57 do not have responses for all survey years.
• Question 52 appears on both the “agree” and “disagree” lists. Most likely because it is one of the few of these types of questions that has responses for each survey year. ⊕The construction of a new multi-purpose arena does nothing to address road infrastructure.
• (-) Since 2007, residents ranked traffic flow first on their dissatisfaction rating list. (Q29)
• (-) The new arena will reside in the 23451 zip code. Residents in this zip code voiced a 55% dissatisfaction rating with traffic flow.66 23451 percentages calculated based upon all the survey results for the given question.
• (-) In addition to traffic flow, road infrastructure is a major concern for residents.77 Question 37 asks, “What is the ONE most important thing the City should to do make Virginia Beach a better place to live?” Since 2009, “Reduce the traffic flow problems in the City” consistently received double digit responses. (Q28, Q30)
• (-) Again 23451 residents voiced high dissatisfaction ratings for Q28 and Q30. To the tune of 38% and 41% , respectively.
• (-) Residents do not know how to voice their opinions on important issues. (Q48)
• (-) The opportunity for citizens to share their ideas or opinions before the City makes important decisions is a recurring concern for residents. (Q27)

Final Thoughts

The City of Virginia Beach is not the only city deciding whether to build a large multi-purpose arena. Officials in Silver Spring, MD are also weighing the pros and cons of a multi-purpose arena.

For beach residents, the arena project would do little to improve traffic flow or improve road infrastructure.88 Throughout the US, road infrastructure is in disrepair. I suspect the opposite would occur. Greater traffic congestion accompanied by greater wear and tear on roadways.

City council needs to reconsider the impact of this project. They should review the results from their biennial surveys.99 Q37 asks, “What is the ONE most important thing the City should to do make Virginia Beach a better place to live?” One of the possible responses was “Get the new arena built so we can benefit from the proceeds.” In 2015, it received two responses. Compare this to 52 responses for “I think everything is fine.” From it they would learn this project does nothing to address the primary concerns of residents:

1. traffic flow in the city
2. the planning and construction of new roads
3. the maintenance of existing roadways and bridges

Road construction and road infrastructure are an ongoing concern for beach residents. As a growing and diverse community, we will have issues that affect us. And we would like to be able to make our voice heard. But how?1010 Q27 asks, “Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the opportunity citizens have to share their ideas or opinions before the City makes important decisions?” Responses were not favorable and it ranked in the top 5 in dissatisfaction for each year of the survey. This is another major concern for beach residents. Over 28% of the respondents don’t know how to voice their opinions on important issues.1111 See Q48.

Give residents an effective way to share their viewpoints. Consider their comments before making important decisions such as the multi-purpose arena project. Based upon the survey results, the construction of this arena is not even on the radar for residents. There are more important projects that can better serve Virginia Beach residents.

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⊕The Virginia Beach web site provides summaries and PowerPoints for each survey year. Unfortunately, there is no way to compare a question’s responses from year to year. Here, I display each question and the results for each year of the survey. A graphic helps users better visualize the results over the years. Finally, the table provides all the raw numbers behind those PowerPoint slides.

Appendix: Survey Results

Q1 - Zip Code of Residence

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
23451	64	67	67	63	67
23452	70	70	70	66	70
23453	38	38	38	37	38
23454	70	71	71	69	72
23455	57	57	57	57	60
23456	49	46	46	54	56
23457	5	4	4	7	4
23462	71	71	71	73	74
23464	76	76	76	78	79

Q2 - Think for a moment about living in the City of Virginia Beach. Overall, are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the overall appearance of the City?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	3	3	4	4	8
Dissatisfied	19	27	26	35	35
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	342	330	339	338	357
Very Satisfied	136	140	131	127	120

Q3 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s Fire Department services?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	1	2	1	0	1
Dissatisfied	2	3	5	3	5
Had no opinion	1	2	0	0	0
Satisfied	246	243	242	247	252
Very Satisfied	250	250	252	254	262

Q4 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s Paramedic & Rescue Squad services?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	4	1	0	0	1
Dissatisfied	8	10	8	5	8
Had no opinion	2	3	1	0	0
Satisfied	221	221	219	232	234
Very Satisfied	265	265	272	267	277

Q5 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s Police Department services?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	3	5	6	8	5
Dissatisfied	27	34	33	35	38
Had no opinion	3	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	270	265	255	256	267
Very Satisfied	197	196	206	205	210

Q6 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s Horticultural and Agricultural services, including the City-operated Farmers Market on Dam Neck Road?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	2	2	1	4	4
Dissatisfied	41	44	30	34	28
Had no opinion	19	11	4	4	4
Satisfied	313	332	310	321	321
Very Satisfied	125	111	155	141	163

Q7 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s public libraries?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	2	0	2	0	6
Dissatisfied	8	10	3	10	8
Had no opinion	0	0	55	0	0
Satisfied	220	230	213	278	241
Very Satisfied	270	260	226	216	265

Q8 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s recreation centers?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	2	2	4	1	1
Dissatisfied	14	22	28	18	13
Had no opinion	7	0	5	2	1
Satisfied	239	249	261	264	260
Very Satisfied	238	227	202	219	245

Q9 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s parks?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	1	3	3	1	0
Dissatisfied	23	31	29	25	34
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	279	262	286	288	282
Very Satisfied	197	204	182	190	204

Q10 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s 911 Emergency Telephone Center?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	1	0	0	1	4
Dissatisfied	12	7	15	11	17
Had no opinion	12	8	4	6	6
Satisfied	297	295	283	300	294
Very Satisfied	178	190	198	186	199

Q11 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s museums, the aquarium, and cultural arts activities?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	1	3	4	3	3
Dissatisfied	29	32	24	19	15
Had no opinion	4	3	1	0	0
Satisfied	245	234	232	250	269
Very Satisfied	221	228	239	232	233

Q12 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the public beaches in the City?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	12	13	8	7	10
Dissatisfied	59	44	51	48	51
Had no opinion	3	0	1	0	0
Satisfied	266	276	266	283	283
Very Satisfied	160	167	174	166	176

Q13 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the job opportunities in Virginia Beach?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	9	24	19	12	17
Dissatisfied	86	125	110	96	103
Had no opinion	21	6	10	7	0
Satisfied	306	280	306	321	301
Very Satisfied	78	65	55	68	99

Q14 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s drinking water and wastewater collection services?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	10	9	9	14	31
Dissatisfied	60	48	54	77	79
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	300	288	308	302	300
Very Satisfied	130	155	129	111	110

Q15 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s services for needy or homeless families?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	15	13	20	19	22
Dissatisfied	111	111	118	107	118
Had no opinion	26	18	9	9	10
Satisfied	300	322	315	320	314
Very Satisfied	48	36	38	49	56

Q16 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s mental health and intellectual disability services?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	10	6	12	19	22
Dissatisfied	68	78	70	82	73
Had no opinion	35	28	24	21	21
Satisfied	332	337	341	335	333
Very Satisfied	55	51	53	47	71

Q17 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the public school system in Virginia Beach?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	9	7	13	7	20
Dissatisfied	60	53	58	53	53
Had no opinion	0	2	5	5	5
Satisfied	263	262	265	280	276
Very Satisfied	168	176	159	159	166

Q18 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the overall appearance of your neighborhood?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	6	1	8	12	9
Dissatisfied	47	32	52	32	41
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	240	273	270	251	277
Very Satisfied	207	194	170	209	193

Q19 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the condition of the streets in your neighborhood?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	0	12	17	18	17
Dissatisfied	0	82	92	76	83
Had no opinion	0	2	1	0	0
Satisfied	0	270	278	287	301
Very Satisfied	0	134	112	123	119

Q20 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the level of communication the City has with its residents?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	0	0	22	14	26
Dissatisfied	0	0	111	111	106
Had no opinion	0	0	2	0	0
Satisfied	0	0	304	316	314
Very Satisfied	0	0	61	63	74

Q21 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s 3-1-1 system where you can call with a question, a concern, or to get in touch with the City department who can assist you?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	0	0	0	9	9
Dissatisfied	0	0	0	50	43
Had no opinion	0	0	0	13	10
Satisfied	0	0	0	360	361
Very Satisfied	0	0	0	72	97

Q22 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s work with other area communities to address issues impacting our region?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	11	15	13	12	15
Dissatisfied	110	117	100	91	106
Had no opinion	16	10	8	8	4
Satisfied	316	312	345	352	315
Very Satisfied	47	46	34	41	80

Q23 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s efforts to protect natural resources, the environment, and open green space?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	35	25	13	12	18
Dissatisfied	140	120	85	81	90
Had no opinion	6	1	6	8	3
Satisfied	262	276	324	332	319
Very Satisfied	57	78	72	71	90

Q24 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with City trash collection and recycling services?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	8	7	26	22	14
Dissatisfied	40	41	56	50	59
Had no opinion	2	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	282	268	274	289	296
Very Satisfied	168	184	144	143	151

Q25 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s efforts to combat gang activity and gang violence?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	10	19	12	7	13
Dissatisfied	106	113	99	97	74
Had no opinion	20	10	6	10	4
Satisfied	309	294	331	316	341
Very Satisfied	55	64	52	74	88

Q26 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s planning for residential development?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	40	31	24	17	30
Dissatisfied	201	156	150	121	116
Had no opinion	13	12	7	7	0
Satisfied	223	275	282	320	308
Very Satisfied	23	26	37	39	66

Q27 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the opportunity citizens have to share their ideas or opinions before the City makes important decisions?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	35	38	35	23	30
Dissatisfied	170	157	154	127	136
Had no opinion	0	4	4	3	3
Satisfied	252	261	269	316	293
Very Satisfied	43	40	38	35	58

Q28 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the maintenance of existing City roads and bridges?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	23	37	33	22	20
Dissatisfied	155	149	161	136	129
Had no opinion	2	0	1	0	0
Satisfied	284	287	269	307	327
Very Satisfied	36	27	36	39	44

Q29 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the flow of traffic in the City?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	95	72	72	54	64
Dissatisfied	225	230	227	190	194
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	168	185	189	246	242
Very Satisfied	12	13	12	14	20

Q30 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the planning and construction of new City roads?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	43	38	36	28	22
Dissatisfied	193	215	167	121	124
Had no opinion	13	10	4	4	4
Satisfied	231	223	270	325	319
Very Satisfied	20	14	23	26	51

Q31 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the courtesy of City employees?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	7	4	8	6	7
Dissatisfied	22	44	35	34	40
Had no opinion	0	2	3	0	0
Satisfied	378	347	366	368	355
Very Satisfied	93	103	88	96	118

Q32 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied City services (overall)?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	3	2	7	7	2
Dissatisfied	30	41	38	24	29
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	383	335	351	376	381
Very Satisfied	84	122	104	97	108

Q33 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the appearance of the City’s municipal buildings and facilities?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	2	0	0	0	0
Dissatisfied	17	0	0	0	0
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	272	0	0	0	0
Very Satisfied	209	0	0	0	0

Q34 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the number of City activities and programs where residents can be volunteers?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	2	2	0	0	0
Dissatisfied	25	27	0	0	0
Had no opinion	22	20	0	0	0
Satisfied	309	303	0	0	0
Very Satisfied	142	148	0	0	0

Q35 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the City’s rain water drainage (also called storm water management)?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	22	0	0	0	0
Dissatisfied	124	0	0	0	0
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	330	0	0	0	0
Very Satisfied	24	0	0	0	0

Q36 - Are you Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied with the overall work performance of City employees?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Very Dissatisfied	6	0	0	0	0
Dissatisfied	25	0	0	0	0
Had no opinion	5	0	0	0	0
Satisfied	390	0	0	0	0
Very Satisfied	74	0	0	0	0

⊕A shameless plug in support of the add more bike lanes reference.

Q37 - What is the ONE most important thing the City should do to make Virginia Beach a better place to live?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Accept Visa for payments	0	1	0	0	0
Add more access roads to use in a hurricane	0	4	0	0	0
Add more before and after school care programs	1	1	0	0	0
Add more bike lanes	0	8	3	5	9
Add more open space at the oceanfront	0	6	0	0	0
Add more parks	0	2	3	0	0
Add more public transportation	0	15	4	5	2
Add more quality retail stores	0	0	2	0	0
Add more wheelchair cut-outs in the sidewalks and improve handicap access	0	1	0	0	0
Add sidewalks in older neighborhoods	0	0	2	0	0
Address the larger issue of transportation	0	7	4	0	0
Allow people to park boats and RVs in their own driveways	0	0	0	0	1
Attract a professional sports team	0	0	0	0	3
Attract more quality retail stores	0	0	0	1	1
Better focus on neighborhood preservation	0	1	1	0	0
Build more affordable housing	0	0	0	4	2
Build more branch libraries	0	0	0	1	0
Build more City parking lots at the beach	1	0	0	0	0
Build more dog parks	0	0	1	0	0
Build more parks	0	0	0	2	2
Build more restrooms at the oceanfront	0	2	1	0	0
Build more schools	0	2	2	1	4
City staff should respond to requests more quickly	0	1	4	1	2
Clean up the waterways	0	2	2	0	0
Connect to the light rail project	0	13	21	0	0
Continue the development of Town Center	0	2	0	0	0
Control gangs and gang activity	5	0	0	0	0
Control gangs and stop gang activity	0	14	0	0	0
Control gangs/Stop gang activity	0	0	8	5	5
Create and preserve more green space	0	8	4	7	5
Do more for needy residents	0	0	1	3	3
Do more for seniors	0	0	5	0	0
Do the light rail project	0	0	0	22	13
Don’t allow Sentara to close needed hospitals	0	0	0	1	0
Don’t connect to the light rail project	0	2	1	0	0
Don’t do the light rail project	0	0	0	7	13
Don’t get involved in public-private partnerships	0	0	0	4	1
Don’t let the North End Civic League be in charge of zoning	0	0	0	1	0
Don’t use eminent domain to take private properties	0	0	0	1	0
Dont charge for storm water management	2	0	0	0	0
Dont just landfill the recyclables	1	0	0	0	0
Dredge the Lynnhaven Bay	0	0	1	0	0
Educate us on how to better recycle	0	0	0	0	1
Encourage diversity and involve all races in decisionmaking	0	2	0	0	0
Encourage re-development of empty buildings instead of doing new building	0	0	0	0	1
Enforce an early curfew for teens	2	0	0	0	0
Enforce the immigration laws more	4	0	0	0	0
Enhance all neighborhoods not just the chosen ones	0	0	0	0	3
Expand sidewalks into my neighborhood	0	1	0	0	0
Focus more on locals, not tourists or businesses	0	9	19	8	8
Focus more on regionalism and regional solutions	0	0	0	2	7
Focus more on regionalism and regional solutions (e.g., to alleviate traffic)	0	6	8	0	0
Focus on creating walkable communities	0	0	0	0	3
Get money from sources other than citizens	0	2	1	4	2
Get rid of illegal immigrants on government assistance	0	0	0	1	0
Get the new arena built so we can benefit from the proceeds	0	0	0	0	2
Have more customer service training for City employees	0	0	2	1	5
Have more customer service training for employees	0	1	0	0	0
Have more police presence	0	7	0	0	0
Have weekly recycling	0	0	2	0	0
I am concerned that our budget shortfall is over $30 million	0	0	0	0	5
I disagree with current elected officials positions on some issues	3	0	0	0	0
I disagree with some elected officials’ views	0	3	3	10	0
I disagree with some elected officials/Want some replaced	0	0	0	0	4
I think everything is fine	44	60	53	57	52
Id like more wheelchair cut-outs in the sidewalks	1	0	0	0	0
Improve our emergency preparedness plans	0	1	1	2	2
Improve roads/Build more/Finish road projects sooner	0	0	0	0	43
Improve the Farmers Market	0	2	0	0	0
Improve the quality of our drinking water	0	2	0	0	0
Improve the quality/taste of our tap water	0	0	0	0	1
Improve the roads, build more roads, or finish road projects sooner	0	68	71	0	0
Improve the roads, build more roads, or finish sooner	0	0	0	56	0
Improve the schools (more funding/smaller classes)	0	17	20	33	23
Increase beautification efforts in the City	0	0	13	5	8
Increase teachers’ pay	0	4	3	6	2
Install more neighborhood street lights	0	0	0	1	0
Just listen more to citizens/Do more surveys	0	16	18	26	16
Keep the Oceana jets here	0	0	1	0	0
Lower my taxes/fees	0	0	25	21	25
Lower the executive salaries at City Hall	0	1	0	0	0
Maintain existing green spaces better	0	0	0	2	5
Make better plans in case of a disaster	1	0	0	0	0
Make Virginia Beach more upscale by attracting high-end retail	0	1	0	0	0
More information should be shared with citizens	4	3	11	10	15
More police presence	0	0	8	8	11
Move the courthouse complex to a more central site	0	2	0	0	0
Need more beachfront parking	0	0	2	0	0
Need more code enforcement	0	0	4	2	5
Need more good jobs/better employment opportunities	0	0	0	0	24
Need more/free beachfront parking for locals	0	0	0	6	9
Offer cheaper beach parking for Virginia Beach residents	2	0	0	0	0
Offer free beach parking for Virginia Beach residents	0	4	0	0	0
Offer more activities and things to do	0	1	5	11	0
Offer more activities and things to do/Family-friendly	0	0	0	0	13
Offer more frequent recycling pickups to encourage recycling	0	2	0	0	0
Offer school vouchers so we can choose which school our children attend	0	3	0	0	0
Our Council needs to be nicer to each other	0	0	3	0	0
Police should enforce the law more (e.g., at the oceanfront)	0	0	0	5	6
Police single out certain people to stop them	0	0	0	0	2
Prevent off-shore drilling	0	0	1	0	0
Promote tourism more	0	3	3	7	4
Provide more help for the homeless	0	6	0	0	0
Provide more mosquito control services	0	0	1	1	0
Put more utility lines underground	0	1	1	0	0
Raise City employees’ wages/Treat them better	0	1	4	2	5
Raise revenues by increasing real estate taxes a little; it’s necessary	0	0	2	0	0
Raise the Shore Drive speed limit	0	0	5	0	0
Reduce crime	0	14	9	21	21
Reduce crime/Enhance public safety	14	0	0	0	0
Reduce racial prejudice	0	0	0	2	0
Reduce the excessive regulations	0	0	2	1	0
Reduce the speed limit on Shore Drive	0	1	0	0	0
Reduce the traffic flow problems in the City	0	39	42	36	48
Remove the red light cameras	0	1	0	0	0
Renovate the outdated recreation centers	0	1	0	0	0
Replace the animal shelter	0	1	0	0	0
Rules at the oceanfront area should be stricter	0	1	0	0	0
Solve the homeless problem	0	0	8	9	7
Solve the jet noise problem	0	1	1	0	0
Solve the mold and lead problems in Friendship Village	1	0	0	0	0
Step up Economic Dev. efforts to bring in big businesses	0	0	0	0	3
Stop all development near NAS Oceana	0	3	0	0	0
Stop catering to impoverished people - more are moving in now	0	0	2	0	0
Stop financing the Town Center project	0	1	0	0	0
Stop illegal immigrants from settling here	0	1	0	0	0
Stop jet noise at night	0	0	0	5	7
Stop or minimize the growth	21	0	0	0	0
Stop or reduce population growth	0	14	8	6	7
Stop the spending on recreational facilities	0	1	0	0	0
Stop wasting money and spend our tax dollars carefully	0	2	4	10	5
Stricter rules at oceanfront	0	0	1	2	3
The City needs more good jobs/better employment opportunities	0	27	27	0	0
The City needs more good jobs/employment opportunities	0	0	0	28	0
The City needs more parks	1	0	0	0	0
The City needs more/better jobs	5	0	0	0	0
The City needs to improve the sewer system	1	0	0	0	0
The City needs to plan better for growth	0	4	7	5	5
The City needs to plan better for growth/development	16	0	0	0	0
The City needs to treat military personnel with respect	1	0	0	0	0
The City should create/preserve more green spaces	15	0	0	0	0
The City should lower my taxes/fees	61	25	0	0	0
The City should maintain green spaces better	2	0	0	0	0
The City should maintain the green spaces better	0	2	3	0	0
The City should prevent pollution/protect wildlife better	3	0	0	0	0
The City should respond to requests more quickly	3	0	0	0	0
The City should stop wasting money/spend tax dollars more carefully	7	0	0	0	0
The cost of living is too high	0	0	0	6	18
The cost of living is too high (e.g., utilities, housing, retail)	0	2	9	0	0
The cost of living is too high (utilities/housing)	10	0	0	0	0
The police are overzealous	0	2	0	0	0
The rules in the oceanfront area should be stricter	1	0	0	0	0
The trash pick-up people shouldnt drop litter	2	0	0	0	0
There is too much commercial development	8	4	0	0	0
There is too much residential development	2	9	0	0	0
They need to expand the beach again	1	0	0	0	0
They need to increase teachers pay	1	0	0	0	0
They need to stop cutting deals with developers	3	0	0	0	0
They should add more bike lanes	2	0	0	0	0
They should continue the development of Downtown	2	0	0	0	0
They should expand sidewalks into my neighborhood	1	0	0	0	0
They should focus more on locals, not tourists or businesses	3	0	0	0	0
They should focus more on regionalism and regional solutions (e.g., for traffic issues)	4	0	0	0	0
They should improve the roads, build more roads, or finish road projects sooner	37	0	0	0	0
They should improve the schools (more funding/smaller classes)	13	0	0	0	0
They should improve the water quality	3	0	0	0	0
They should listen more to citizens/do more surveys	18	0	0	0	0
They should provide more help for the disabled	8	0	0	0	0
They should provide more help for the homeless	5	0	0	0	0
They should put more utility lines underground	3	0	0	0	0
They should reduce the traffic flow problems	84	0	0	0	0
They should solve the jet noise problems	6	0	0	0	0
They should solve the rain water drainage problems	5	0	0	0	0
Too much commercial development	0	0	1	1	3
Too much residential development	0	0	6	4	5
Upgrade the rundown hotels in the resort area	3	0	0	0	0
We need a Sentara hospital in southern Virginia Beach	1	0	0	0	0
We need more affordable housing	3	7	2	0	0
We need more code enforcement	9	6	0	0	0
We need more cultural events and activities	2	3	3	0	0
We need more frequent recycling pickups	5	0	0	0	0
We need more help for small businesses	1	0	0	0	0
We need more help for the elderly/more for seniors to do	2	0	0	0	0
We need more mental health services and rehab facilities	0	0	0	0	3
We need more public transportation	14	0	0	0	0
We need more recreation and activities for our youth	0	3	2	3	1
We need more recreation/activities for kids and teens	4	0	0	0	0
We need more roadside litter control	0	0	0	0	2
We need more street sweeping and litter control	0	3	3	7	0
We need more street sweeping/litter control	10	0	0	0	0
We need to extend Nimmo Parkway	1	0	0	0	0
We need to raise City employees’ wages/Treat them better	1	0	0	0	0
Work for racial harmony	0	0	0	0	4
Work harder to keep NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach	0	1	0	0	0

Q38 - We’d like to know which programs and services provided by the City of Virginia Beach you or other members of your household have used in the past 12 months. Have you been to a Virginia Beach recreation center?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	207	221	246	241	262
Yes	293	279	254	263	258

Q39 - In the past 12 months, have you or other members of your household visited a City park?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	101	76	124	124	127
Yes	399	424	376	380	393

Q40 - In the past 12 months, have you or other members of your household visited a public beach in Virginia Beach?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	102	75	92	97	103
Yes	398	425	408	407	417

Q41 - In the past 12 months, have you or other members of your household visited a Virginia Beach public library and/or accessed library information by computer from your home or work?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	92	97	91	128	146
No response	0	0	56	0	0
Yes	408	403	353	376	374

Q42 - In the past 12 months, have you or other members of your household visited a museum, the aquarium, or attended a cultural arts activity in Virginia Beach?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	163	153	148	187	190
Yes	337	347	352	317	330

Q43 - In the past 12 months, have you or other members of your household contacted the City by phone (which includes the 3-1-1 system), by Internet, or in person to report a problem, for information, or to conduct business?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	182	169	193	227	221
Yes	318	331	307	277	299

Q44 - In the past 12 months, have you or other members of your household had any contact with or observed Public Safety, which includes Police, Fire, or Rescue services and the enhanced 911 system?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	133	139	178	174	192
Yes	367	361	322	330	328

Q45 - How do you prefer to get information about City programs, services, and issues?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
“Regular” TV news	0	0	40	30	51
311 Call Center	0	0	3	13	7
Civic league meetings	0	0	4	0	3
Connect your links to popular search engines	0	0	7	1	17
Disseminate what’s happening on other websites	0	0	6	0	3
Email from the City	0	0	93	117	108
Facebook/Twitter	0	0	5	2	13
Have a recorded message call me periodically	0	0	2	0	0
Have a staff member call me	0	0	13	0	0
Have a staff member or recorded message call me	0	0	0	8	15
Hold Town Hall meetings	0	0	1	0	0
I will call the City to ask for needed information	0	0	17	22	7
In the printed newspaper	0	0	67	95	59
List things on HamptonRoads.com	0	0	7	0	2
Pilot Online	0	0	9	10	19
Radio	0	0	1	0	2
Send a text to me	0	0	0	2	5
Send pamphlets or newsletter in the mail	0	0	109	63	63
Start sending out Beach Magazine again	0	0	1	2	1
The City’s cable TV channels	0	0	17	14	7
The City’s website, VBGov.com	0	0	89	120	130
Word of mouth from friends/family	0	0	9	5	8

Q46 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: Virginia Beach is a good place to live.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	2	3	3	3	5
Disagree	18	10	11	17	16
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Agree	285	237	255	259	248
Strongly Agree	195	250	231	225	251

Q47 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: For the most part, I can conveniently access City services.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	1	3	3	3	4
Disagree	22	20	28	20	24
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Agree	338	300	312	343	336
Strongly Agree	139	177	157	138	156

Q48 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: I know how to inform the City about the way I feel on important issues.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	12	26	14	16	24
Disagree	135	123	125	108	116
Had no opinion	0	1	1	0	0
Agree	292	265	281	309	300
Strongly Agree	61	85	79	71	80

Q49 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: My neighborhood is a safe place to live.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	6	3	6	5	8
Disagree	28	29	34	42	43
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Agree	318	285	308	324	318
Strongly Agree	148	183	152	133	151

Q50 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: The houses in my neighborhood are well maintained.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	0	0	4	7	7
Disagree	0	0	47	37	52
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Agree	0	0	309	335	320
Strongly Agree	0	0	140	125	141

Q51 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: Virginia Beach, in general, is a safe place to live.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	1	0	2	3	3
Disagree	35	29	25	23	28
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Agree	365	338	335	355	352
Strongly Agree	99	133	138	123	137

Q52 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: Overall, I receive a good value for my City tax dollar.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	29	20	11	21	22
Disagree	99	94	114	77	82
Had no opinion	4	0	0	0	0
Agree	317	312	302	339	348
Strongly Agree	51	74	73	67	68

Q53 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: The roads I use in Virginia Beach are generally too congested.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	0	0	4	13	12
Disagree	0	0	135	151	130
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Agree	0	0	228	237	259
Strongly Agree	0	0	133	103	119

Q54 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement on transportation: “Bus service seems adequate within Virginia Beach.”

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	0	58	0	0	0
Disagree	0	158	0	0	0
Had no opinion	0	16	0	0	0
Agree	0	232	0	0	0
Strongly Agree	0	36	0	0	0

Q55 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: “I would like to have more alternatives to using my car to get around the City.”

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	0	22	22	24	0
Disagree	0	93	126	164	0
Had no opinion	0	0	3	0	0
Agree	0	274	235	237	0
Strongly Agree	0	111	114	79	0

Q56 - Do you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with this statement: The roads I use in Virginia Beach are generally too congested.

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	0	13	0	0	0
Disagree	0	116	0	0	0
Had no opinion	0	0	0	0	0
Agree	0	236	0	0	0
Strongly Agree	0	135	0	0	0

Q57 - Agreement with this statement on transportation: ‘I think if the light rail system is completed, it will relieve congestion from the City’s roadways.’

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Strongly Disagree	0	47	0	0	0
Disagree	0	108	0	0	0
Had no opinion	0	1	0	0	0
Agree	0	261	0	0	0
Strongly Agree	0	83	0	0	0

Q58 - Do you own your home or do you rent?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Owns/Has mortgage	390	355	359	377	375
Rents	110	145	141	127	145

Q59 - How many years have you lived in Virginia Beach?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
01	18	11	23	12	8
02	19	20	14	18	28
03	9	10	12	8	13
04	9	11	12	16	11
05	6	9	12	11	11
06	15	9	4	10	6
07	18	20	23	20	20
08	6	7	14	6	12
09	10	5	7	11	10
10	7	10	10	8	10
11	14	6	7	4	8
12	17	18	10	8	13
13	28	22	29	24	18
14	8	7	9	10	6
15	13	11	8	10	17
16	11	14	7	17	5
17	10	10	8	7	14
18	12	21	30	24	21
19	3	10	8	10	12
20	7	5	8	11	9
21	7	9	8	3	7
22	9	10	8	2	7
23	19	11	18	13	6
24	24	17	26	25	21
25	6	7	7	3	7
26	9	7	4	8	13
27	5	5	3	10	3
28	8	11	6	6	6
29	12	13	11	14	11
30	3	3	3	7	4
31	5	5	2	3	7
32	3	7	3	4	4
33	3	1	0	2	1
34	19	16	13	10	13
35	13	14	12	18	16
36	3	6	4	2	4
37	6	3	7	5	4
38	5	7	4	6	6
39	4	4	3	3	3
40	2	4	4	6	7
41	3	0	3	4	6
42	5	2	5	3	6
43	2	1	7	3	2
44	2	6	2	1	2
45	12	26	13	13	15
46	6	8	11	5	12
47	3	1	3	3	3
48	2	1	3	0	2
49	2	0	4	3	6
50	2	1	1	2	1
51	2	2	3	3	1
52	0	2	1	1	1
53	0	0	3	2	2
54	0	1	0	2	2
55	0	1	0	4	1
56	10	12	7	8	11
57	1	2	1	5	3
58	0	1	0	1	1
59	2	0	1	1	1
60	0	1	0	3	1
61	0	1	2	0	0
62	0	0	0	2	1
63	0	1	0	1	1
64	0	1	0	0	1
65	1	0	0	0	1
66	1	0	0	1	0
67	16	12	7	14	13
68	0	0	0	1	0
69	16	13	8	16	13
70	7	8	14	7	9

Q60 - Do you have any children under the age of 18 living in your household?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	322	310	311	315	324
Yes	178	190	189	189	196

Q61 - If you work, in what city do you work? (If non-working, inquire about spouse.)

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Chesapeake	39	0	0	0	0
Hampton	5	0	0	0	0
Newport News	6	0	0	0	0
No one works	81	0	0	0	0
Norfolk	101	0	0	0	0
Portsmouth	12	0	0	0	0
Suffolk	4	0	0	0	0
Virginia Beach (incl. works from home)	252	0	0	0	0

Q62 - Age of Respondent

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
18 to 25	30	48	35	35	42
26 to 34	80	102	99	94	95
35 to 44	124	112	112	101	108
45 to 54	120	103	102	102	114
55 to 64	72	66	67	80	73
65 or older	74	69	85	92	88

Q63 - Please think about the future of the City for a moment. In 27 years, it will be the year 2040. What do you think the City of Virginia Beach should be known for in 2040?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
A city that focuses on the residents, not the tourists	0	0	0	2	0
A city that pro-actively managed sea-rise	0	0	0	3	0
A city that provides for those in need/trouble	0	0	0	3	0
A city with good disaster planning	0	0	0	2	0
A city with good government	0	0	0	19	0
A clean city	0	0	0	19	0
A family-oriented place	0	0	0	10	0
A friendly place	0	0	0	15	0
A good place to retire	0	0	0	2	0
A great beach	0	0	0	49	0
A great place for tourists to visit	0	0	0	88	0
A nice place to live/good quality of life	0	0	0	44	0
A nice place to raise a family	0	0	0	20	0
A place that manages growth well	0	0	0	7	0
A place with a professional sports team	0	0	0	7	0
A place with a strong economy and good jobs	0	0	0	27	0
A place with good recreational opportunities	0	0	0	4	0
A place with good transportation	0	0	0	3	0
A place with less jet noise	0	0	0	2	0
A place with light rail	0	0	0	11	0
A place with more to do/attractions	0	0	0	3	0
A place with natural/green spaces	0	0	0	8	0
A place with quality schools	0	0	0	26	0
A place with strong community ties/respect for diversity	0	0	0	4	0
A safe city	0	0	0	71	0
A strong military	0	0	0	9	0
An attractive city	0	0	0	8	0
Good public transit options	0	0	0	6	0
Good roads/good traffic flow	0	0	0	8	0
Keep it as it is now	0	0	0	16	0
Other miscellaneous comments	0	0	0	8	0

Q64 - Ethnic Origin of Respondent

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
African American	106	87	85	96	90
Another ethnic background	0	0	0	0	11
Asian or Pacific Islander	5	17	10	10	17
Filipino American	7	14	17	10	15
Hispanic	6	20	18	18	28
Other	5	14	8	7	0
White (Caucasian)	371	348	362	363	359

Q65 - Educational Attainment of Respondent

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
High school or less	113	90	97	104	94
Beyond high school	387	410	0	0	0
1-3 years college or completed a trade school	0	0	190	166	0
1-3 years of college or completed a trade school	0	0	0	0	187
A 4-year college degree	0	0	128	153	151
Completed a graduate degree	0	0	85	81	88

Q66 - Are you registered to vote in the City of Virginia Beach?

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
No	94	81	106	111	110
Yes	406	419	394	393	410

Q67 - Yearly Household Income

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Refused	0	9	9	10	14
Refusal after probe	13	0	0	0	0
Under $20,000	28	31	36	38	24
$20,000 to $39,999	76	59	83	76	89
$40,000 to $59,999	109	83	88	84	91
$60,000 to $79,999	91	94	77	73	80
$80,000 to $99,999	69	72	71	80	74
$100,000 to $124,999	65	86	73	69	73
$125,000 or more	49	66	63	0	0
$125,000 to $149,999	0	0	0	32	26
$150,000 or more	0	0	0	42	0
$150,000 to $174,999	0	0	0	0	19
$175,000 or more	0	0	0	0	30

Q68 - Gender of Respondent

	2007	2009	2011	2013	2015
Female	255	251	252	265	260
Male	245	249	248	239	260

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⊕Check out more Virginia Beach quick facts from the Census Bureau.