<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Header Char";
margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.HeaderChar
{mso-style-name:"Header Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:Header;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:none;}
p.paragraph, li.paragraph, div.paragraph
{mso-style-name:paragraph;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
span.normaltextrun
{mso-style-name:normaltextrun;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:1064455278;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-950226244 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:.25in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:.75in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:1.25in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:1.75in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:2.25in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:2.75in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:3.25in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:3.75in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0A7;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:4.25in;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<div align="center">
<table class="MsoTableGrid" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="732" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:none">
<tbody>
<tr style="height:81.0pt">
<td width="348" style="width:261.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:81.0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><img width="325" height="73" style="width:3.3833in;height:.7583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01DA60BE.8EBDD830" alt="Title: City of Durham Communications Department"><span style="font-size:1.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td width="384" valign="top" style="width:4.0in;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:81.0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:right;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle">
<b><span style="font-size:5.0pt;color:#00467E"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:right;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle">
<b><span style="color:#00467E"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:right;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle">
<b><span style="color:#00467E">News Media Contact<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#00467E"><a href="mailto:CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov">CommsMedia@DurhamNC.gov</a></span><span style="font-size:5.0pt;color:#00467E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoHeader" align="right" style="text-align:right"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#00467E"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height:3.4pt">
<td width="732" colspan="2" valign="top" style="width:549.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:3.4pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:25.4pt;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;text-align:center;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle">
<span style="font-size:50.0pt;color:#00467F">News Release</span><span style="color:#00467F;text-transform:uppercase">
</span><br>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#EF3D42">For Immediate Release: February 16, 2024</span><span style="color:#D3372A"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:25.4pt;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none;vertical-align:middle">
<span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center;line-height:normal">
<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Annual Satisfaction Survey Shows Residents Continue Giving High Marks for Living and Working in Durham<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;text-align:center;line-height:normal">
<i><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Residents Rank Police Protection and Maintenance of City Streets as Top City-Provided Services to Receive Most Emphasis Over the Next Two Years<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">DURHAM, N.C. – The results from the City of Durham’s annual satisfaction survey are now in and show that residents have a continued positive perception of the Bull City as an excellent or good
place to live and work.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="normaltextrun"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">
<hr size="2" width="100%" noshade="" style="color:#042D4D" align="left">
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><b>What You Need to Know<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
75% feel Durham is an excellent or good place to live; 74% feel Durham is an excellent or good place to work.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Durham ranks almost 29% above the national average for satisfaction with the quality of customer service from City employees.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Residents rank top “very high” priorities: police protection and maintenance of city streets.<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">
<hr size="2" width="100%" noshade="" style="color:#042D4D" align="left">
</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">The results from the
<a href="https://www.durhamnc.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=40">2023 Resident Satisfaction Survey</a> show that 75% of residents feel Durham is an excellent or good place to live, 74% feel that Durham is an excellent or good place to work, and 69% are satisfied with
the overall quality of life in their neighborhood. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">The survey results also show that 68% of respondents are satisfied with the quality of customer service they receive from City employees, which ranks Durham 28.6% above the national average.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">According to City Manager Wanda Page, this annual survey objectively assesses resident satisfaction with the delivery of major City services to help determine priorities for the community, measure
trends from previous surveys, and compare the City’s performance with other communities regionally and nationally.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">“I’m proud of our staff for their hard work and dedication to our community, and this survey shows that our residents recognize and appreciate what their local government employees do every day
for our city,” Page said. “This year’s survey also gave us important data as to where our residents believe we should focus our efforts over the next two years. The overall results provide a picture of, not only resident satisfaction, but also how we should
view community-wide priorities since this data is used by the City Council and our City administration to help direct day-to-day decisions as well as overall long-term planning and funding allocations.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Residents ranked their top “very high” priorities for the major categories of City-provided services they believe should receive the most emphasis from City leaders over the next two years as the quality of police protection and the
maintenance of city streets. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The quality of GoDurham, which is the city’s public transit system; pedestrian facilities, such as sidewalks; the quality of bicycle facilities; and the overall ease of travel within Durham were ranked as “high” priorities.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Residents ranked their top “very high” priority for maintenance of City-provided services is the condition of sidewalks in their neighborhoods.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The condition of streets in their neighborhoods; condition of parking facilities; condition of bicycle facilities; and the appearance of landscaping on right of ways, along streets, and in other public areas were ranked as “high” priorities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">City-provided services with the highest levels of satisfaction, which combines very satisfied and satisfied responses, include:
<o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Solid waste collection services: 83.5%<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Curbside recycling services: 82.7%<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Fire and life safety programming: 69%<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Water and sewer utilities: 68%<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Response time for fire services: 67% <o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Parks and recreation programs: 62%<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">Notable increases in satisfaction since the 2022 survey include:<o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
Quality of customer service provided by City employees<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
Quality of water and sewer utilities<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
Maintenance of parking facilities<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
Community-led safety initiatives<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Maintenance of city streets<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">Notable decreases in satisfaction since the 2022 survey include:<o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Job creation and training<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Ease of travel within Durham<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Quality of bicycle facilities<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
Monthly housing costs exceeding 30% of monthly income<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
Ability to find affordable housing<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">The ETC Institute, which conducted the resident satisfaction survey in December 2023, used a randomly selected sample of 622 households whose demographics reflect the population inside the city
limits. The survey has a 95% level of confidence with a margin of error of +/- 3.93%.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal">The 2023 results, shared earlier today with the Durham City Council during their
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/CityofDurhamNC">annual budget retreat</a>, is the 14<sup>th</sup> City of Durham resident satisfaction survey distributed over the past 17 years, and the eighth combined survey with Durham County Government and Durham Public
Schools. The full results of the City’s portion of the survey are now available on the
<a href="https://durhamnc.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=40">City’s website</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center">###<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>