National Citizen Survey of Honolulu Residents (2017)

From Honolulu County Auditor, February, 2018

This is the ninth National Citizen Survey of Honolulu residents conducted for the City and the eighth administered in conjunction with the Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report. The National Citizen Survey (NCS) is a collaborative effort between the National Research Center and the International City/County Management Association. The survey and its administration are standardized to assure high quality research methods and directly comparable results across over 500 NCS communities. Great communities are partnerships of the government, private sector, community-based organizations, and residents; all geographically connected.

The NCS captures residents’ opinions within the three pillars of a community--Community Characteristics, Governance and Participation, and across eight facets of community--Safety, Mobility, Natural Environment, Built Environment, Economy, Recreation and Wellness, Education and Enrichment, and Community Engagement. The citizen survey is comprised of four reports: Community Livability, Dashboard Summary of Findings, Trends over Time, and Technical Appendices.

The results from this year’s NCS indicate:

• Residents rated the homeless and/or homelessness, and protecting Honolulu’s drinking water from Navy fuel leaks, as priorities for the City to address.

• Honolulu residents identified Safety as a priority, with the Economy as an important area of focus in the coming years.

• Expanding Complete Streets programs and infrastructure, and Protecting and preparing infrastructure against sea level rise, also received high support from residents.

• Honolulu residents continue to enjoy a high quality of life.

• Nearly all residents’ ratings for Community Characteristics remained stable (none trended up and four trended down).

• Ratings for Governance generally remained stable (five decreased over last year, while residents’ ratings of police services increased from 2016 to 2017).

The NCS is issued under a separate cover, ahead of the 2017 Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report (SEA). The SEA report provides data about the costs, quality, quantity and timeliness of city services. By reviewing both reports, readers have an independent, impartial assessment of performance trends that can be used to strengthen governmental accountability and transparency, improve governmental efficiency and effectiveness, and improve the delivery of public services.

We solicit inputs and any suggestions for improving this report. The 2017 National Citizen Survey is posted on our website at http://www.honolulu.gov/auditor. Copies of these reports are also available by contacting the Office of the City Auditor at:

Office of the City Auditor City and County of Honolulu

1001 Kamokila Boulevard, Suite 216 Kapolei, HI 96707

Phone: (808) 768-3134

Email: oca@honolulu.gov

Respectfully submitted,

Edwin S. W. Young

City Auditor

PDF: Full Report

LINKS: View National Citizen Survey by Section  

Honolulu Auditor March 9, 2018 -- The FY 2017 Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report and FY 2017 Citizen-Centric Report have been posted on our website.