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Resident Survey
In the spring of 2005, the City of Prior Lake hired Decision Resources, a national polling firm based in Minneapolis, to survey Prior Lake residents about their perceptions of the city and its programs and services.
The results of the survey, which were shared with the City Council March 21, 2005, offered great insight heading into the second update of the city's 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan in April and May of 2005.
Here, broken down by major categories, are the findings of the survey with links to graphics and other useful information. If you experience difficulty opening any of these, please contact Communications Coordinator Nathan Oster at (952) 447-9804.
Who was surveyed?
Decision Resources relied on a survey technique that allows the results of the survey of 400 community residents to be generalized to the entire Prior Lake population with an accuracy rate of 95 percent assured.
Of the 400 people surveyed, 25 percent had been Prior Lake residents from 10.1 to 20 years, 23 percent had lived here 5.1 to 10 years, and 19 percent had spent from 2 to 5 years in the community.
Eighty-nine percent of respondents were homeowners, compared to the 11 percent who rented. Of those 89 percent, 36 percent placed the value of their property between $200,000 and $300,000, while 28 percent set it between $300,000 and $400,000. On the low end, 9 percent reported home values under $200,000, while on the high end, 7 percent estimated home values over $500,000.
In terms of gender, more females (52 percent) than males (48 percent) were surveyed. Agewise, the largest percentage of respondents were in the 35-44 (32 percent) and 45-54 (26 percent) categories. In terms of profession, 27 percent described themselves as "professional-technical" while 20 percent indicate they were "blue-collar" laborers. When asked about education, the highest percentage, 43 percent, indicated they were college graduates.
In one final category, respondents were asked for their pre-tax yearly household incomes. Of the total, 55 percent reported less than $100,000, while 29 percent stated that their household's income was over $100,000.
The Survey Results
On to the survey results! In interviews that occasionally lasted up to two hours, residents shared their views on a wide range of city topics, which have been grouped into the following categories for ease of viewing (to view them as one file, click here):
n Quality of Life and Key Issues
n 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan
n Community, Change, Values & Partnerships
n City Services & Empowerment
n City Council and Staff
n Public Safety
n Downtown
n Other Commecial Areas & Redevelopment
n Value of City Services
n Travel Time & Transit
n Parks and Recreation
n Lake Issues
n Pace of Development
n Communication
By clicking on any of the above links, you will be directed to a .pdf of the slides associated with the topic you chose. These slides are the ones used by Dr. Bill Morris of Decision Resources in his March 21, 2005 presentation to the City Council.
You can also download the raw results of the survey which show precisely how the questions were asked, and how survey respondents answered them. For those results, click here.
Also, discover how Prior Lake's results compare with those of other metro cities in a summary report, printed in the May/June edition of the Wavelength.
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