The “Citizen Satisfaction Survey” is a research study commissioned by the City of Albuquerque to assess residents’ perceptions of the overall quality of life in Albuquerque, satisfaction with City services, and issues relating to crime, safety, and the economy. On January 21, the City of Albuquerque released the results of the 2019 study. The survey was of 607 adults living in Albuquerque and conducted November 8 to 24, 2019 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4% points.
The 2019 survey questionnaire consisted of 48 questions. The final survey report is 105 pages long and contains multiple bars and graphs to illustrate the results. The survey was done by Research and Polling, consider by many as the very best polling service as to accuracy in Albuquerque.
This blog article is a deep dive analysis of the survey results and what it may mean for Mayor Keller’s efforts to seek an second 4 year term in 2021.
You can review the entire survey at this link.
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6668008/FINAL-COA-Citizen-Survey.pdf
COMPARING 2019 RESULTS TO 2020 RESULTS
The major differences comparing the 2018 to the 2019 “Citizen Satisfaction Survey” can be summarized as follows:
DIRECTION OF THE CITY AND AS PLACE TO LIVE
Residents were asked if they are very hopeful, somewhat hopeful, somewhat concerned, or very concerned about the direction of the City in 2019. Short of half at 49% of residents say they felt either somewhat hopeful at 36% or very hopeful at 13% about the direction of the City. A nearly equal percentage of residents say they are either somewhat concerned at 26% or very concerned at 21% for a total of 47%.
The percentage of residents who say they were hopeful about the direction of the City fell dramatically from 68% last year to 49% while concern has risen from 29% to 47%
City residents were asked if they feel Albuquerque has become a better place to live in the past year, a worse place to live, or is about the same:
Nineteen percent of residents believe Albuquerque has become a better place to live in the past year, while nearly one-in-three, or 32%, residents feel it is become a worse place to live. Nearly half, 48%, the residents surveyed do not feel the quality of life in Albuquerque has changed in the past year.
Nearly half of the respondents, 47%, said Albuquerque has become a worse place to live due to more crime, crime rates increasing while 16% say there is more homelessness.
CRIME
Not at all surprising, rime was cited among those who said the city is getting worse. On December 31, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officially recorded the 82 homicide for the city, an all-time record. It was on December 9, 2019, the city recorded its 74th homicide breaking the previous record of 72 murders set in 2017. Before 2017, the last time the City had the highest number of homicides in one year was in 1996 with 70 murders.
A solid majority of 65% said they felt safe while outside alone in their neighborhoods at night. However, the number who said they feel “somewhat” or “very” unsafe increased from 21% a year ago to 28% in 2019. For opinions on feeling safe in specific quadrants and areas of the of the city see the postscript below or page 28 of survey entitled:
“PERCEIVED SAFETY OF DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE”.
Residents were asked if they feel different types of crimes in Albuquerque are going up, going down, or not changing. 64% of residents believe violent crimes are going up and 62% believe that crimes involving guns are going up. Just over half at 53% of the residents surveyed believe crimes against children are going up compared to 11% who feel these are going down and 26% who feel this is not changing.
Approximately half at 51% of the survey respondents believe auto thefts are going up, while 17% say auto thefts are going down and 27% feel this is not changing. The plurality of residents at 43%, feel home burglaries are going up in Albuquerque, compared to 18% who say home burglaries are going down and 31% say this is not changing.
Close to half of residents, 49%, believe the Albuquerque Police Department is doing a good job handling public safety and responding quickly to emergencies, up from 45% in 2018. However, more than half of the respondents said they feel that violent crime, crimes against children, crimes involving guns and auto thefts are rising.
The overwhelming majority of those surveyed, or 84%, agreed Albuquerque Fire Rescue is doing a good job, up from 83% in 2018.
THE CITY ECONOMY
Over two-fifths or 42% of residents agree that the City of Albuquerque is doing a good job of attracting out of-state companies to open in the City. 25% of residents disagree while 27% have neutral or mixed feelings.
Approximately 31% of the residents surveyed agree the City of Albuquerque is doing a good job of helping local businesses and entrepreneurs create jobs, though 26% disagree and 33% have neutral or mixed feelings.
Residents are twice as likely to disagree at 43% than to agree at 20% the City of Albuquerque is doing a good job of keeping young local talent from leaving the City. Twenty-eight percent of voters have neutral or mixed feelings.
CITY HOMELESS SHELTER
With respect to the city’s handling of homelessness, the survey revealed 35% of those surveyed felt the city was doing “very poor.” Only 19% agreed that the city is doing a good job providing treatment for those with substance abuse problems and support for those with mental health issues.
On November 5, 2019, voters approved $14 million to build a 24-hour, 7 day a week homeless shelter. The City is also requesting $14 million from the New Mexico legislature for phase two of the project. The Mayor and the City Council have not decided on a location, but the wants to break ground on the centralized homeless shelter next winter.
On the issue of where to locate a new homeless shelter, Downtown had the most support, with 27%. Another 18% said it should go near the Veterans Affairs hospital, while 15% preferred a location near the University of New Mexico Hospital.
https://www.abqjournal.com/1412097/abq-residents-weigh-in-on-shelter-stadium-in-survey.html
BUILDING NEW SOCCER STADIUM AND PREFERRED LOCATION
In “Citizen Satisfaction Survey” half of the respondents were asked if they supported or opposed building a new soccer stadium for New Mexico United games. A solid majority of 61% saying they favored it. The other half of the survey takers were asked if they supported or opposed building a new “multipurpose arena” for use by both New Mexico United and other events beyond soccer, and 67% said they supported it. Support for using public funds for a new stadium or multipurpose arena was 50% while 38% of respondent said they opposed using public funds for the facility or opposed the facility altogether.
Supporters of a stadium or multipurpose arena chose by an overwhelming margin the UNM sports complex area as the best site. Of five locations presented, 48% preferred building it around the UNM athletic venues, with Downtown and the West Side in a tie for distant second, each getting support from 12% of the respondents.
https://www.abqjournal.com/1412097/abq-residents-weigh-in-on-shelter-stadium-in-survey.html
TRANSPORTATION GLARING OMISSION IN CITIZENS SATISFACTION SURVEY
The Citizens Satisfaction Survey questionnaire consists of 48 questions and can be found on pages 87 to 103 of the final report. The research study was commissioned by the City of Albuquerque in order to “assess residents’ perceptions of the overall “quality of life” in Albuquerque, satisfaction with City services, and issues relating to crime, safety, and the economy.”
One major city service that affects overall quality of life that was totally ignored in the survey with not a single question asked about was the city’s road system and mass transportation. No questions were asked about bus services, roads, bridge and street maintenance and citizens’ problems and concerns commuting around the west-side, commuting back and forth from the west side to the east side of the city and all-around town. No questions were asked about such topics as:
1. The controversial ART Bus project and if it should be expanded as Mayor Keller is suggesting or if it should be abandoned with the platforms dedicated to another purpose
2. The city’s existing bus system and if it is meeting the city’s needs and what would make it more attractive for use
3. The need for more bridges across the Rio Grande or expansion of existing bridges
4. Albuquerque’s neighborhood and main street maintenance
5. The city’s traffic light control system and the increase use of round-abouts
6. Overall driving conditions and street safety
7. Neighborhood and main thorough fair street lighting
REACTION TO SURVEY RESULTS BY KELLER ADMINISTRATION
Matt Ross, a spokesman for Mayor Tim Keller, downplayed the survey results that citizens surveyed reported that they feel “somewhat” or “very” hopeful about the city’s direction and it dropping by 19% within a year from 68% to 49%. Ross noted that the survey was conducted in November when there was intense media coverage of the city breaking the all-time year record for murders in the city. According to Ross, there was “no question” that crime drove the responses in November and he said:
“Our general reaction to the poll is it’s a snapshot in time.”
https://www.abqjournal.com/1412094/citizen-hopefulness-tumbles-in-albuquerque.html
ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY
In 2017, candidate Tim Keller campaigned to be elected mayor on the platform of implementing the U.S. Department of Justice-mandated reforms, increasing the size of the Albuquerque Police Department, returning to community-based policing and promising to bring down skyrocketing crime rates. On November 15, 2017, Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller was elected in a runoff securing a 62.2% vote over his Republican opponent Dan Lewis who secured 37.8% of the vote. Only 29% of registered voters actually voted for a total 97,419 votes cast in the Mayor’s race. Keller was sworn into office on December 1, 2017. The 2018 Citizen’s Satisfaction Survey was done less than one year into Mayor Tim Keller’s first term.
Mayor Tim Keller once sworn into office hired his own command staff, reorganized APD and he has been given everything he has wanted from city council for public safety, and then some. For two years, Keller tried to take credit for crime rates being on the decline. It turns out the numbers were inflated, with Keller blaming it on antiquated APD software. The city recorded 82 homicides in 2019, an all-time record.
KELLER’S HONEYMOON OVER
According to Research & Polling President Brian Sanderoff, the 2019 results likely reflect the “honeymoon” period for Mayor Tim Keller is over and people ar very concerned about crime and the homeless. Sanderoff further said the “hopeful” results reflected in the 2018 were surprisingly high. The “hopeful” results were a likely carry over from Keller’s landslide win. The 2019 survey was taken about midway through Keller’s first term . The 2019 survey reflects a more even balance between those who are hopeful and those who are concerned. Sanderoff’s summation of the recent survey is that crime and homelessness clearly loom large in the minds of citizens and he put it this way: “Year after year, people get more frustrated if they perceive crime as not declining and so the cumulative effect will increase people’s frustration, and that will show up in the polling data.”
Any poll is always considered by the news media, public officials, elected officials and those running for office as a “snapshot in time” and to determine momentum of a candidate. Candidates for office and politicians know you need to examine similar polls over a period of time to get a clear picture. The problem is, the “Citizen Satisfaction Survey” was more than just a poll, but a detail survey of people’s attitudes.
It’s a bogus argument and wishful thinking by the Keller progressive loyalists if they think the survey was a “snapshot in time”. The truth is, if the survey was just a “snap shot in time” as Mayor’s spokesman Matt Ross said, and if you follow his logic, the snapshot got “blood red” as the homicide rate became worse in December with the year ending with the most homicides ever recorded in one year by the city.
The Citizen Satisfaction Survey was a survey that dealt with how citizens feel on a large number of major issues and not just the candidacy of a person in a single political race nor the job performance of Keller. It is possible that Keller still has a high percentage of people who feel he is doing a good job, but that job approval rating has probably gone down. Research and Polling does all the polling for the ABQ Journal and you can expect the Journal to do a poll on Mayor Keller’s and Governor Lujan Grisham’s approval ratings, assuming such a poll has not already been done.
CITIZENS NOT “ONE ALBUQUERQUE” AS TO SATISFACTION
Ever since Mayor Tim Keller assumed office on December 1, 2017, he has taken political showmanship to all new levels. Keller is known for his photo ops and press conferences, attending protest rallies to speak at, attending marches, attending heavy metal concerts to introduce the band, running in track meets and participating in exhibition football games as the quarterback and enjoying reliving his high school glory days, and posting pictures, press conferences and videos on his FACEBOOK page.
Since being elected in November 2017, Mayor Tim Keller has implemented a public relations and marketing campaign to re brand the city image with his “One ABQ” slogan an using the slang nickname “BURQUE” for the city. Keller came up with a strained logo that rearranges the letters in the city’s name to reflect the slang name “BURQUE” in red letters with t-shirts and created a web page with slick videos promoting the city.
Since taking office, Keller has spent more than $312,000 dollars on his “One Albuquerque” positive image campaign and re branding the city as BURQUE. The City spent over $53,000 on the “One Albuquerque” letter sculpture that rearranges the letters in the city’s name to reflect the slang name “BURQUE. $54,000 was spent on a “One Burque” sculpture.
Last year’s Citizens Satisfaction survey asked residents their “overall feelings about the term BURQUE to describe the city of Albuquerque.” The results found city residents evenly divided as follows:
28% have an unfavorable opinion.
28% have a favorable opinion.
35% felt neutral about using it.
9% stated they did not know or would not say how they felt.
https://www.petedinelli.com/2019/09/04/so-whats-in-the-name-burque-over-300000-and-counting/
This year’s “Citizens Satisfaction Survey” revealed almost half of citizens at 49% say they felt either somewhat hopeful at 36% or very hopeful at 13% about the direction of the City. The percentage of residents who say they were hopeful about the direction of the City fell dramatically from 68% last year to 49% this year while concern for the city has risen from 29% to 47%. The Citizens Satisfaction Survey reflects that the city is a long way away from being the “ONE ALBUQUERQUE” Keller promotes.
KELLER’S RE ELECTION BID
Mayor Tim Keller made it known on election night November 5, 2019 in a radio interview he is seeking another 4-year term. About 4 months ago, a poll not released to the general public showed Keller at 62% approval rating, the same percentage he had when he was first elected. Keller was swept into office by a strong democratic party vote with a large base of support from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
With all the negative press on crime, the city’s high violent and murder rates, and the crime statistics fiasco, Keller’s popularity has likely dropped but no one knows for sure until a poll is actually taken. The constant mantra you hear from Keller supporters is that he “inherited a mess”, he has done a “good job” and needs more time. Keller loyalist quickly jump to his defense when anything remotely critical of his job performance is raised preferring to ignore his shortcomings.
No doubt Keller has upwards of a 95% name identification level within the city because of his never-ending public relations efforts. For that reason, Keller will have the tremendous advantage of incumbency and the almost daily press coverage that comes with it, a built-in campaign organization of city staff where many will likely take a leave of absence to help collect 3,000 qualifying signatures and to collect the $5.00 qualifying donations to qualify for $660,000 in public finance. Keller’s long time paid political consult who has been with Keller since he ran for State Auditor, now works for the city being paid $80,000 a year. One of Keller’s former campaign managers when he successfully ran for State Senate is a professional political consultant and headed up the measured finance committee that raised over $600,000 to spend to promote Keller, and the same can be expected in 2021.
Keller will in all likely again seek public finance in 2021 as he did in 2017 and say he is “walking the talk” opposing dark money and big donor money in politics by being a public financed candidate while at the same time giving a “wink of an eye” of encouragement to measured finance committees that will raise $1 million or more on his behalf. In his 2017 bid to become Mayor, Keller was the only candidate out of 8 that qualified for public finance and given a total of $506,254 in public finance and he collected $37,870 in “in kind” donations.
Notwithstanding being a public finance candidate, Keller had three (3) measured finance committees that either raised money directly to spend on his behalf or that indirectly spent money and supported him financially. ABQ Forward Together raised $663,000 for Keller, ABQFIREPAC, organized by the City’s local Fire Union raised $67,000 to help Kellerand Democrat City Council candidates. The measured finance committee ABQ Working Families also supported Tim Keller and raised $122,000.
Broken down, at least $1,169,254 minimum was spent on Tim Keller’s 2017 campaign for Mayor ($506,254 public finance money + $663,000 ABQ Forward = $1,169,254 total). Broken down further, the maximum of $1,358,254 was spent on Tim Keller’s campaign for Mayor ($506,254 public finance money + $663,000 ABQ Forward + $67,000 ABQFIREPAC + $122,000 ABQ Working Families = $1,358,254.)
https://www.petedinelli.com/2017/11/13/tim-kellers-1-3-million-campaign-for-mayor/
2021 WILDCARD AND OPPOSITION LIKELY
A big wild card for the 2021 Mayor election and the municipal election is that it has been moved from the October ballot to the November ballot because of the new “local elections” law. The Mayor’s race will be on the same November ballot with all local elections as was the case last year. The voter turnout will be much higher as a consequence and progressive Democrats may not be as motivated to vote for Keller as they were in 2017 after 8 years of Republican leadership.
Two term Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzalez has made it know he is running for Mayor in 2021 against Keller. The second Gonzales said he would be running, Keller supporters went into overdrive and dismissed his candidacy pointing to the Keller’s 62% approval rating and saying the Sheriff will be a one issue candidate.
Sheriff Gonzalez is well liked, has won to terms as Sheriff, but will likely divide the Democrat vote that will allow others a shot at winning, much like what happened to Marty Chavez and Richard Romero with Richard Berry winning in 2009 on the first ballot. Another problem is the Sheriff will be viewed as a one issue candidate of law and order and his opposition to police lapel cameras will very problematic, especially when it comes to the Department of Justice reforms and the federal consent decree. Then again, a law and order candidate will appeal to an angry population upset with our high crime rates.
HOLDING ONTO HIGH APPROVAL RATINGS DIFFICULT FOR ANY MAYOR
Notwithstanding, credibility and popularity are difficult to hold onto by any Mayor year after year, just ask former Mayors Ken Schultz, Jim Baca, Marty Chavez and Richard Berry, all who had tremendous popularity but ended their careers as Mayor with extremely low approval ratings. When it comes to all Albuquerque Mayors, they may win reelection but go onto having their political careers ended as was the case with both Marty Chavez and Richard Berry.
Just one major controversy can end the career of any Mayor, just ask David Rusk and his failure to cut weeds, Richard Berry with his ART Bus Project and the APD shooting of homeless camper James Boyd. Jim Baca and Ken Schultz did not make it into a runoff serving one term with each coming in 3rd for re-election. Ken Schultz years later has the dubious distinction of becoming a convicted federal felon for his role in the Metropolitan Courthouse scandal.
What is very troubling is that all the increases in APD budget, personnel and new programs are not having any effect on bringing down the violent crime and murder rates. The city is no longer safe on many levels in virtually all quadrants of the city, despite Chief Michael Geier saying “Generally, it’s a safe city”. It is no longer an issue of not having the money, personnel or resources, but of a failed personnel resource management issue.
CONCLUSION
Comparing all the 2018 to the 2019 “Citizen Satisfaction Survey” results , the biggest take away that can be made is that the people of Albuquerque are increasingly becoming restless as a result of the city’s high crime rates. After more than two years in office, they are expecting results from Mayor Tim Keller and many feel he is not delivering on his promises. The fact that Research and Polling, the most accurate polling company in New Mexico, did the survey explains the spin by the Keller Administration calling it a “snapshot in time”, which is what the politicians say when they are down in the polls.
The 2019 Citizens Satisfaction Survey is a major red flag relating to Keller’s job performance. If Keller continues to ignore the signs that his APD management team are not cutting it, Keller runs a significant risk of being just another one term Mayor. Even progressives want results and Keller is not delivering when it comes to reducing our high crime rates and the economy. Others will run when they see more blood in the water as Keller’s popularity declines. Never underestimate the power of a crisis mishandled to bring down a Mayor. The city’s high violent and murder rates are Keller’s Achilles Heel and saying he needs more time to fix things he inherited is not much of a campaign slogan.
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POSTSCRIPT
The 105 page “Citizen Satisfaction Survey” contains an executive summary in 8 major categories:
1. FEELINGS OF PERSONAL SAFETY,
2. CHANGES IN CRIME,
3. HOMELESSNESS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES,
4. ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT
5. ALBUQUERQUE FIRE RESCUE
6. THE ECONOMY
7. YOUTH PROGRAMS
8. MULTIPURPOSE ARENA/SOCCER STADIUM
Following are edited summaries:
1. FEELINGS OF PERSONAL SAFETY
“Overall, the vast majority (87%) of residents say they feel either very safe (57%) or somewhat safe (30%) when alone outside in their neighborhood during the day.
The majority (65%) also feel either very safe (28%) or somewhat safe (37%) when alone outside in their neighborhood at night (28% feel unsafe alone at night).
Those residing in the UNM/Southeast Heights are the least likely to feel very safe. Males and those residing in higher income households are more likely to feel very safe.
Approximately two-thirds (68%) of residents also say they feel either very safe (26%) or somewhat safe (42%) when attending public events in the City.
In comparison, 19% say they feel unsafe when attending public events in Albuquerque.
When asked to rate their feelings of personal safety in different areas of the City, the following results are found. The results show that different areas of Albuquerque are viewed very differently when it comes to perceived safety:
79% feel either very safe (37%) or somewhat safe (42%) in Uptown, compared to just 6% who feel unsafe.
73% feel either very safe (29%) or somewhat safe (44%) in Old Town compared to just 10% who feel unsafe.
70% feel either very safe (29%) or somewhat safe (41%) in the Cottonwood Mall area (just 5% feel unsafe).
67% feel either very safe (30%) or somewhat safe (37%) in City parks in your neighborhood, though 20% of residents feel either somewhat unsafe (11%) or very unsafe (9%)
64% feel either very safe (23%) or somewhat safe (41%) walking, hiking, or biking trails in the City. Eleven percent feel unsafe on these trails.
51% of residents report feeling either very safe (11%) or somewhat safe (40%) in the Nob Hill/University area, though 28% say they feel either somewhat unsafe (21%) or very unsafe (7%).
38% feel either very safe (6%) or somewhat safe (32%) Downtown. Forty-four percent of residents say they feel either very unsafe (17%) or somewhat unsafe (27%) when they are Downtown.
35% of residents say they feel either very safe (8%) or somewhat safe (27%) in the Coors Blvd. and I-40 area, though nearly two-fifths (38%) of residents feel unsafe in this area (12% have no opinion).
When residents who feel each of the different areas of the City are unsafe were asked (unaided) to give the reasons why, they are most apt to mention homelessness, drugs/drug use, and a high crime rate.”
2. PERCEIVED CHANGES IN CRIME
“Residents were asked if they feel different types of crimes in Albuquerque are going up, going down, or not changing. Overall, 64% of residents believe violent crimes are going up and 62% feel that crimes involving guns are going up.
Just over half (53%) of the residents surveyed believe crimes against children are going up compared to 11% who feel these are going down and 26% who feel this is not changing.
Approximately half (51%) the survey respondents believe auto thefts are going up, while 17% say auto thefts are going down and 27% feel this is not changing.
The plurality of residents (43%) feel home burglaries are going up in Albuquerque, compared to 18% who say home burglaries are going down and 31% say this is not changing.”
3. HOMELESSNESS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
“Homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health are major issues facing many cities throughout the nation with no easy solutions. Just 13% of residents give the City positive marks for addressing the homelessness issue. The majority of residents (59%) feel the City is doing a poor job of addressing homelessness, while 26% give the City a mixed review on how it’s handling the issue.
When given the choice of different locations where a new City homeless shelter could be built, 27% of the residents surveyed prefer that it be located Downtown, while 18% prefer it be located near the VA Hospital, 15% prefer the area near UNM Hospital, 11% prefer the Far Westside of the City, and 10% say they prefer Mesa Del Sol. Just 19% of residents agree the City of Albuquerque is doing a good job of providing substance abuse treatment programs for those addicted to drugs and alcohol. In comparison, 48% disagree the City is doing a good job of providing substance abuse programs, while 23% have neutral or mixed feelings.
Nineteen percent of residents also agree the City of Albuquerque is doing a good job of providing support for people with mental health issues, though 51% disagree. Although the City of Albuquerque is making considerable efforts to address these issues, many residents appear to be either unaware of what is being done, or do not believe the programs have been effective to date. All of these issues will take time and as the City continues to develop new programs and facilities to address these issues, public perceptions should change over time.”
4. ALBUQUERQUE POLICE DEPARTMENT
“When it comes to the Albuquerque Police Department, half the residents (49%) believe APD is doing a good job addressing public safety issues and making quick responses to emergencies, while 22% have mixed feelings and 27% do not believe APD is doing a good job in this regard. Overall, these results are similar to those observed last year. Residents are somewhat polarized when it comes to how well APD is doing when it comes to interacting with people who have substance abuse and mental health issues.
While 35% believe APD is doing a good job in their interaction with those who have substance abuse or mental health issues, 28% disagree, and another 28% have a neutral/mixed opinion. The survey results also show that 40% of City residents say the Albuquerque Police Department is doing a good job working with the U.S. Department of Justice to implement new policies and reforms designed to reduce the use of force and encourage policing that ensures residents’ constitutional rights. Approximately one-in-five residents (21%) rate APD poorly for implementing the new policies and reforms, while 27% have neutral/mixed feelings.”
5. ALBUQUERQUE FIRE RESCUE
Residents continue to view Albuquerque Fire Rescue highly as 84% of residents agree the Department is doing a good job responding to emergency medical services needs and making quick responses to medical emergencies, with 53% who strongly agree and just 3% who disagree. The majority of residents (55%) also agree that Albuquerque Fire Rescue is doing a good job interacting with people who have substance abuse and mental health issues, compared to 11% who disagree. It is interesting that 55% of residents feel Albuquerque Fire Rescue is doing a good job interacting with people who have substance abuse and mental health issues compared to 35% who feel APD is doing a good job interacting with this population.
6. THE ECONOMY
“Residents were read various statements relating to the City of Albuquerque and the economy, and for each one, asked to rate how strongly they either agree or disagree using a 5-point scale where 5 is strongly agree and 1 is strongly disagree.
42% agree the City of Albuquerque is doing a good job of attracting out-of-state companies to open in the city, though 25% disagree and 27% have neutral or mixed feelings.
31% agree the City of Albuquerque is doing a good job of helping local businesses and entrepreneurs create jobs, though 26% disagree and 33% have neutral/mixed feelings.
20% agree the City of Albuquerque is doing a good job of keeping young local talent from leaving the city, compared to 43% who disagree (28% have neutral/mixed feelings) While the City has made strides in encouraging new businesses and economic development, the survey results show that many residents either believe more still needs to be done, or perhaps are not aware of what is being done to encourage more economic development.”
7. YOUTH PROGRAMS
“There is a perceived need for more before school, after school and summer programs for kids, as nearly three-in-four residents (74%) agree that more of these programs are needed, with 54% who strongly agree. Just 7% of residents do not agree that Albuquerque needs more before and after school programs and summer programs. Nearly nine-in-ten (84%) parents with children under the age of 18 feel more of these programs are needed.
Although there is a perceived need for more youth programs, there also appears to be a lack of knowledge about the programs that currently exist. Just two-fifths of the residents surveyed say they are aware the City offers summer and before and after school programs for kids. Among parents with children under 18 years of age, 64% say they are aware of these City programs for kids. Thirty-six percent of the parents with children under the age of 18 say they have kids who participate in the City summer and before and after school programs. Hispanic parents (45%) are much more likely than Anglo parents (26%) to say they have children who participate in the programs.”
8. MULTIPURPOSE ARENA/SOCCER STADIUM OR A PERFORMANCE ART CENTER
“There appears to be strong public support for building a new multipurpose arena that could house soccer games for New Mexico United, or a standalone soccer stadium. Two-thirds of survey respondents say they support building a new multi-purpose arena that could be used for New Mexico United soccer games and other events, compared to 24% who are opposed. Furthermore, 61% of respondents say they support a new standalone soccer stadium for New Mexico United, compared to 29% who are opposed.
Residents who support either the multipurpose arena or standalone soccer stadium were given different options where the facility could be located and asked which location they would prefer. Nearly half (48%) say the stadium/multi-purpose arena should be located near the UNM football stadium, basketball stadium, and Isotopes Park.
In comparison, just 12% believe the facility should be located downtown and another 12% feel it should be located on the Westside of Albuquerque. Overall, half of the residents surveyed say they support using public funding to build either the soccer stadium or multipurpose arena that could be used for soccer games. However, 38% are either opposed to using public funds for the facility, or are opposed to building a facility altogether, while 7% say it depends.
In a separate question, residents were informed the City of Albuquerque is considering either building a new performing arts center or renovating existing facilities such as the KIVA Auditorium to bring in Broadway shows, popular musicians, and other national touring acts and further revitalize Downtown. They were then asked, if they would prefer that the City build a new performing arts center or renovate an existing facility, assuming the costs would be approximately the same. The majority of residents (55%) say they would prefer renovating an existing facility, while 30% would prefer building a new performing arts center.”