Implemented for the first time ever in 2009, the Baltimore Citizen Survey aims to identify trends in behavior and attitudes regarding quality of life indicators and City services. Survey results will be used to inform and enhance program planning and policy development across all City agencies, to create more focused, responsive, and efficient government services. The survey will be implemented yearly; these year over year trends will be especially useful in tracking performance.
The City selected the University of Baltimore’s Schaefer Center for Public Policy as the vendor to conduct the survey this past winter. The survey was conducted by phone in both English and Spanish, and lasted about 16 to 20 minutes. A representative sample of 1,800 Baltimore citizens responded to the survey. This large sample size means that the city-wide results are statistically valid within a margin of error of +/-2.3%. In other words, you could survey every single person in the City and the results would be very similar.