Prince William County 2014 Community Survey Results

Prince William County residents are satisfied with the county government and their quality of life, according to the results of the 2014 Community Survey.

An independent research group surveyed more than 1,800 people to gain insight into public satisfaction with Prince William County government. The results of the survey showed overall high satisfaction with the county government:

• 91 percent of respondents said county services meet or exceed expectations (up from 90 percent in 2012)
• 86 percent of respondents said they think the services and facilities provided by the county are a good value for their tax dollars (highest score since 1993)
• 93 percent of respondents said they feel safe in their neighborhoods and in commercial areas

“The Board of County Supervisors is committed to making Prince William County a community of choice; and to do so, we must find out what we are doing well and what we need to improve upon by listening to our residents,” said Chairman Corey A. Stewart in a statement. “I am proud of the outstanding service our county staff provides. And the fact that residents feel they can trust their local government and that they are getting good value for their tax dollar is confirmation that this Board is on the right track.”

Residents responded somewhat less positively to transportation issues:

• 80 percent of respondents felt they could easily get around the county by car (down from 84 percent in 2012)
• 62 percent felt transportation and road systems adequately support current development (down from 68 percent in 2012)
• 72 percent thought bus service was adequate (according to The Washington Post)

“Previous surveys have told us that traffic is an issue,” said Stewart. “Therefore, knowing that the state was unable to help us in this area, we committed to building our own roads. We have the largest, local road building program in the Commonwealth. And we continue to work on this area to help residents get around more quickly and efficiently.”

Prince William County has conducted annual resident surveys since 1993 and changed to biennial surveys beginning in 2012. The county uses these to measure changes in residents’ opinions, assess residents’ perceptions of overall quality of life in the county, and ass perceptions of county services.

The county contracted with ORC International to conduct this year’s survey in June and July. Respondents were given the option of completing the survey online or by phone, including land lines and cellphones. The margin of error was 2.3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.