View results from our surveys:

Below you can view or download brief reports or summaries of CivicPanel (formerly eTownPanel) surveys.  These include:

New reports
Prior (eTownPanel) reports
Published articles
Methodological reports

The reports are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download available at www.adobe.com ).

New reports!

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Prior (eTownPanel) reports

Special Report #15: Satisfaction with Local Parks
(December 2006)

Assesses how people use local parks, and how satisfied they are with various
aspects of parks. Compares results to previous survey findings (see Special
Report #5 and #10). Conducted in cooperation with New Yorkers for Parks.

(April 2007)

Presents ranking of noises that bother people most often, and assesses the behavioral and emotional consequences of noise. Compares results to previous survey findings (see also Special Reports #3 & #9). Conducted in cooperation with the Council on the Environment of New York City.

Special Report #13: Satisfaction with Local Beaches

(September 2006)

Discusses findings of an eTownPanel online survey about people’s use of and
satisfaction with beaches, conducted in collaboration with New Yorkers for Parks. Survey focuses on frequency of beach use, ways beaches are used,
rating of beach conditions and beach funding.

Special Report #12: Green Power

(July 2006)

Conducted in cooperation with The City University of New York’s Million Solar Roofs Initiative, this report focuses on general perceptions of energy use and cost, knowledge of green power, global warming and solutions for the energy problem.

(July 2006)

Fourth report on neighborhood problems and quality of life, including ranking of top neighborhood problems. Conducted in cooperation with Citizens for NYC.

Special Report #10: Satisfaction with Local Parks

(February 2006)

Assesses how people use local parks, and how satisfied they are with various aspects of parks. Compares results to previous survey findings (see Special Report #5). Conducted in cooperation with New Yorkers for Parks.

Special Report #9: Neighborhood Noise and Its Consequences

(January 2006)

Presents ranking of noises that bother people most often, and assesses the behavioral and emotional consequences of noise. Compares results to previous survey findings (see Special Report #3). Conducted in cooperation with the Council on the Environment of New York City.

Special Report #8: Recycling Survey

(June 2005)

This report describes people's knowledge and awareness of recycling rules in their city and their recycling habits. Conducted in cooperation with the Gotham Gazette.

Special Report #7: Neighborhood Problems and Quality of Life

(June 2005)

Third report on neighborhood problems and quality of life, including ranking of top neighborhood problems. Conducted in cooperation with Citizens for NYC.

Special Report #6: Satisfaction with Local Schools

(February 2005)

Citizen ratings of the quality of various aspects of their local public schools.  Also covers attitudes regarding school financing. Conducted in cooperation with InsideSchools.org.

(December 2004)

Assesses how people use local parks, and how satisfied they are with various aspects of parks. Conducted in cooperation with New Yorkers for Parks.

Special Report #4: Neighborhood Problems and Quality of Life

(November 2004)

Second report on neighborhood problems and quality of life, including ranking of top neighborhood problems. Conducted in cooperation with Citizens for NYC.

(December 2004)

Presents ranking of noises that bother people most often, and assesses the behavioral and emotional consequences of noise. Conducted in cooperation with the Council on the Environment of New York City.

(July 2004)

Report on how concerned and prepared people are for a local emergency, such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Conducted in cooperation with Citizens for NYC.

(June 2004)

Initial report on neighborhood problems and quality of life, including ranking of top neighborhood problems. Conducted in cooperation with Citizens for NYC.

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Published articles

Importance-performance analysis of citizen satisfaction surveys.  Public Administration: An International Quarterly, 2007, Vol. 85, No. 1, pp. 215-226.  By Van Ryzin, G. G., Immerwahr, S.

This paper introduces the method of importance-performance analysis of citizen surveys, a useful approach to understanding citizen satisfaction with local government services. Using data from a US national online panel, we directly compare two approaches to importance-performance analysis: one employing an explicitly stated measure of importance, the other using a measure of importance derived from regression analysis. The different results that the two approaches give suggest that local government administrators and policy analysts arrive at distinctly different conclusions depending on which importance measure they use. These differences are illustrated by simulating the change in citizen satisfaction that would result from improvement in the top-rated services according to each measure. Research and policy implications are discussed.

Exploring dimensions and determinants of citizen attitudes toward governmental transparency.  American Review of Public Administration, 2007, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 306-323. By Piotrowski, S., & Van Ryzin, G. G.

The proper balance between governmental secrecy and open government is at the forefront of contemporary public debate. Citizens have different degrees of interest in and demand for governmental transparency. Using data from a national online survey of more than 1,800 respondents, we develop several indices to measure citizens' demand for transparency at the local level and explore its correlates. We also examine the correlates of citizens' reported requests for information from local government. The data and analysis suggest that there are several dimensions to the public's demand for transparency, including fiscal, safety, and government concerns, and principled openness. Age, political ideology, confidence in government leaders, frequency of contacting government, and especially the perception that there is currently not enough access to government appear to drive the public's demand for transparency, although determinants differ for each dimension. Some, although not all, of these factors also predict citizens' actual requests for government information.

Testing the expectancy-disconfirmation model of citizen satisfaction with local government.  Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2006, Vol. 16, pp. 599-611.  By Van Ryzin, G. G.

It is important for public administration researchers and practitioners to understand how citizens form satisfaction judgments regarding local government services. A prior study by Van Ryzin (2004) found strong support for an expectancy disconfirmation model of citizen satisfaction, which focuses on the gap between performance and expectations. This model has been tested for decades in studies of private sector customer satisfaction, yet it is little known and applied in the field of public administration. The present study seeks to replicate the Van Ryzin (2004) results, which were based on a telephone survey in New York City, using a nationwide sample and a much different survey methodology, namely, an online, self-administered survey of a national panel. In addition, this study tests the sensitivity of the results to two alternative measures of disconfirmation (or the gap between performance and expectations). Results using subtractive disconfirmation confirm the basic expectancy disconfirmation model, but results using perceived disconfirmation do not, calling into question the policy and management implications of the prior study.

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