Hearing The Public

"As a means of putting a finger in the wind before making tough political and fiscal decisions, citizen surveys have become a well-established tool across the United States. More and more jurisdictions are using structured mechanisms - mail and telephone surveys or focus groups - to assess citizen priorities, get a sense of whether voters are happy with city services and solicit feedback about specific program and service areas."

"What distinguishes citizen surveys from the other common methods of inviting input - namely, public hearings and, increasingly, via Web sites - is that, in theory at least, surveys are a more accurate gauge of broad citizen concerns and sentiment."

"Where public hearings tend to draw the fringe folks who seem to have the time, energy and inclination to show up and spout off, citizen surveys or focus groups - at least the well-designed and well-executed variety - are regarded as a much more reliable touchstone. 'With the typical public meeting, you're hearing from what I call the 'coalition of the willing,'' says Stuart Elway, a professional pollster with clients ranging from Olympia, Washington, to the U.S. Navy. 'It's people showing up, often with an ax to grind.'"

"So cities from Chippewa Falls to Clearwater, Florida, to Eugene, Oregon, are now either occasionally or regularly utilizing more formalized vehicles for gauging citizen sentiment beyond public hearings, city council meetings and the Internet to figure out what people think and want."