2020 Community Survey

The key findings of the 2020 Community Survey completed by the City of Washougal are that Washougal citizens give the City high marks for the overall quality of City services and that residents have a positive perception of the City. According to the results, the City is moving in the right direction with: 

  • Satisfaction ratings that have increased or stayed the same in 49 of 54 areas since 2018 and increased or stayed the same in 44 of 54 areas since 2014. 
  • Sixty-five percent (65%) of residents are satisfied with the overall quality of City services, which is a significant increase of 5% since the 2018 Community Survey. 
  • Only eight percent (8%) of residents were dissatisfied with the overall quality of City services.

“Most residents in Washougal think you’re doing a great job,” remarked Chris Tatham with ETC Institute, who presented the survey findings to the Council during the May 15, 2020 virtual City Council worksession. “Compared to other communities, you’re setting the standard particularly in customer services and the overall quality of city services. The improvements you’ve made just over the last couple of years are something you should be really proud of. It’s very unusual that I give a report like this and a community improves in 49 of 53 areas.”

ECommunity Survey CoverpageTC Institute administered the DirectionFinder® survey for the City of Washougal during the spring of 2020. The survey was administered as part of the City’s effort to assess citizen satisfaction with the quality of services. The information gathered from the survey will help the City align its priorities with the needs of residents. This is the fourth time that Washougal has administered a community survey with ETC Institute; the first survey was conducted in the summer of 2014. 

A six-page survey was mailed to a random sample of households in the City of Washougal. The survey was accompanied by a cover letter from the Mayor explaining the purpose of the survey and included a link for giving residents the option to complete the survey online. 

Of the households that received a survey, 517 completed the survey. The results for the random sample of 517 households have a 95% level of confidence with a precision of at least +/-4.3%.

Highlighted Data

KEY FINDINGS OF THE 2020 COMMUNITY SURVEY

  • Residents Have a Positive Perception of the City

    65% are satisfied with the overall quality of City services (a significant increase of 5% since 2018); only 8% are dissatisfied

  • The City Is Moving in the Right Direction
    Satisfaction ratings have increased or stayed the same in 49 of 54 areas since 2018, and increased or stayed the same in 44 of 54 areas since 2014

  • Washougal Rates Higher Than Other Cities in the Overall Quality of City Services
    The City rated 23% above the Northwest Regional Average and 17% above the U.S. Average in the overall quality of services provided by the City
  • Washougal Rates Higher Than Other Cities in Providing Customer Service
    The City rated 25% above the Northwest Regional Average and 28% above the U.S. Average in the quality of customer service provided by City employees

  • Overall Priorities for Improvement
    - Maintenance of City Streets
    - Effectiveness of Economic Development Efforts