From Office of Honolulu City Auditor March, 2014

This is the fifth National Citizen Survey of Honolulu residents conducted for the City and the fourth 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. This year’s citizen survey is redesigned into four reports, Community Livability, Dashboard Summary of Findings, Trends Over Time, and Technical Appendices.

The results from this year’s NCS indicate:

• Honolulu residents enjoy a high quality of life
• Natural Environment is a feature that makes Honolulu a livable community
• Honolulu received favorable ratings for air and water quality
• Honolulu has high rates of participation in environmentally friendly activities like conserving water, making homes more energy efficient and recycling
• Residents identified homeless and/or homelessness as a priority for the City to address.

This year’s NCS is issued under a separate cover, rather than an appendix to the 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 2013 National Citizen Survey and the Service Efforts and Accomplishments (FY 2013) reports are posted on our website at http://www1.honolulu.gov/council/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

LINK: Honolulu Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report

FULL TEXT: Honolulu Community Livability Report