Agenda - Planning Commission - 12/04/2014

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The National Citizen SurveyTM The margin of error for the City of Ramsey survey is no greater than plus or minus five percentage points around any given percent reported for the entire sample (43o completed surveys). For subgroups of responses, the margin of error increases because the sample size for the subgroup is smaller. For subgroups of approximately ioo respondents, the margin of error is plus or minus io percentage points. Survey Processing (Data Entry) Upon receipt, completed surveys were assigned a unique identification number. Additionally, each survey was reviewed and "cleaned" as necessary. For example, a question may have asked a respondent to pick two items out of a list of five, but the respondent checked three; in this case, NRC would use protocols to randomly choose two of the three selected items for inclusion in the dataset. All surveys then were entered twice into an electronic dataset; any discrepancies were resolved in comparison to the original survey form. Range checks as well as other forms of quality control were also performed. Survey Data Weighting The demographic characteristics of the survey sample were compared to those found in the 2010 Census and American Community Survey estimates for adults in the City of Ramsey. The primary objective of weighting survey data is to make the survey sample reflective of the larger population of the community. The characteristics used for weighting were housing tenure, housing unit type, sex and age. The results of the weighting scheme are presented in the following table. Table 81: Ramsey, MN 2014 Weighting Table Characteristic Population Norm Unweighted Data Housing Rent home 9% 8% Own home 91% 92% Detached unit 82% 75% Attached unit 18% 25% Race and Ethnicity White Not white Not Hispanic Hispanic Sex and Age Female Male 18-34 years of age 35-54 years of age 55+ years of age Females 18-34 Females 35-54 Females 55+ Males 18-34 Males 35-54 Males 55+ Weighted Data 9% 91% 82% 18% 94% 94% 94% 6% 6% 6% 98% 100% 99% 2% 0% 1% 50% 57% 50% 50% 43% 50% 30% 14% 29% 44% 38% 44% 26% 48% 27% 15% 9% 15% 22% 21% 22% 13% 27% 13% 15% 6% 15% 22% 17% 22% 13% 21% 13% within the confidence interval created for a single survey. For example, if 75% of residents rate a service as "excellent" or "good," then the 4% margin of error (for the 95% confidence interval) indicates that the range of likely responses for the entire community is between 71% and 79%. This source of uncertainty is called sampling error. In addition to sampling error, other sources of error may affect any survey, including the non -response of residents with opinions different from survey responders. Though standardized on The NCS, on other surveys, differences in question wording, order, translation and data entry, as examples, can lead to somewhat varying results. 31