Community Survey Tool:

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Community Survey Tool:

Template and Guidance

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Disclaimer

While all care and diligence has been exercised in the preparation of this report, Jetty Research Pty. Ltd. does not warrant the accuracy of the information contained within and accepts no liability for any loss or damage that may be suffered as a result of reliance on this information, whether or not there has been any error, omission or negligence on the part of Jetty Research Pty. Ltd. or its employees.

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Executive summary

Understanding the views of the community is important for councils considering a merger.

This document outlines a recommended standard survey tool and standard methodology for the

collection of community opinion to support the completion of Template 1.

Table i below outlines a summary of the standard survey tool and Table ii outlines a summary of

the standard methodology. Comprehensive outlines of the Standard Survey Instrument and

Standard Methodology are available in Parts 2 and 3 respectively.

Note: The table below of standard survey tool questions is intended to act as a brief summary of

the questions. The full survey tool - including questions and answer codes - is available in Part 2.

Table i: Recommended Standard Survey Instrument

Category Question

Screening and demographics

1 _{Do you live within the XXX Local Government Area?}

2 _{And in what capacity are you answering? (Tick any that apply)}

3 OPTIONAL: Are you a local Councillor or Council employee within this Local Government area?

4 _{OPTIONAL: And have you lived in [INSERT AREA] for at least the last 6 months?} 5 _{And into which of the following age ranges do you fall?}

6 _{Please confirm your gender for the record}

7 _{And which suburb/town/village/locality do you live in?} 8 _{OPTIONAL: How many people live in your household?} 9 _{And do you rent or own your home?}

9 _{Do you speak a language other than English at home?} 10 _{Are you a ratepayer within the Council area?}

Drivers of local identity and sense of community

11 _{What do you like MOST about living where you live?}

12 I’d now like to ask you about the types of activities you undertake in your local area. Can you tell me in which suburb you undertake each of the following;

Grocery shopping Other shopping Work

Leisure activities (cinema/dining) Recreation activities (exercise /sport) Health services

Education Involvement with

local council

13 _{Can you tell me the name of your local Mayor?}

14 _{Frequency of visitation to Council Chambers or Administrative Centre}

15 Have you contacted your Council over the past 12 months for any reason apart from paying rates?

16 And have you contacted any of your elected councillors or the mayor over the past 12 months?

Current satisfaction with local council

17 Evaluate Council services: Using a scale of 1-5, where 1 is very poor and 5 is excellent, how would you rate your local Council on the following?

The quality of services it delivers to local residents Its financial strength

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18 Its maintenance of local infrastructure The way it consults with the community

The way it plans and delivers services for the local community The way it lobbies for the local region

The way it works with other levels of government to plan and deliver services for the local community

The way it plans and provides for the residents of the future

The way it carries out its regulatory functions, for example processing development applications, parking controls, cat and dog management

The way it works with businesses in the LGA

19 (optional) Do you feel your Council currently plays an important role in fostering the economic development of your Local Government Area?

20 _{(optional) And do you believe this should be a Council responsibility?}

21 (optional) If the Council were to merge with x/y, do you think this would improve economic development opportunities for business in the region?

22

(optional) And If the Council were to merge with x/y do you think this would reduce the impact of regulation on business in the region?

Awareness and opinion regarding local government reform

23 As you may know, the NSW State Government is looking at ways that councils can better serve their communities and be sustainable for the long term. This includes asking councils to consider voluntary mergers and other reforms.

Prior to this call, were you aware of this local government reform program? 24 If YES, where did you hear about it?

25 _{And how interested are you personally in the subject of Council reform?}

26 [INSERT COUNCIL] has a number of options available including [Outline the options available to your LGA]

Which is your preferred option?

Option 1 – Merger option 1 – with council/s x and y Option 2- Merger option 2 – merging only with council x (etc. etc.)

Not merging with another Council Really don’t care

27 _{And what is the main reason why that is your preferred option?} 28 _{And which is your least preferred option?}

29 _{And what is the main reason why that is your least preferred option?}

30 (IF “not merging” or “don’t care” to Q26) If the decision was made to merge with another Council, which option would you prefer?

Option 1 – Merger option 1 – with council/s x and y Option 2- Merger option 2 – merging only with council x (etc. etc.)

Option 2-3 - Benefits and concerns regarding a merger

31 _{What do you see as the major advantages of your council merging with one or more} neighbouring councils? (Unprompted/Open answer- allow up to 3)

32 And what do you see as the major disadvantages? (Unprompted/open answer – allow up to 3)

33 You have stated [1], [2] and [3] as the major disadvantages of a merger. Please rank those three issues according to priority. Which of those three do you believe is the greatest concern?

34 To what extent would you agree or disagree with the following statements relating to the creation of a new council through a merger?

A new Council would deliver a broader range and better services A new Council would make it harder to adequately represent residents A new Council would be more financially sustainable

A new Council would change the character of my suburb/town/village/locality

35 (optional) What would you see as the single biggest benefit arising from having a new Council?

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Table ii: Recommended Standard Methodology

Methodology

component

Recommendation

Sample

LGA residents as per postcodes, wards etc.

Not Council representative (councillor)

Over 18 years old

Representative of LGA by age and gender

1

Sample size

Where population <10,000 = 400

Where population >10,000 = 500

(To achieve a sampling error of <5%)

Contact method

Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)

Questionnaire length

15 mins when applied in full but dependant on

options considered (may be reduced to 10-12

mins)

Time frame

4-5 weeks from contract signing to report delivery

1

Or at least aiming for a robust sample by age and gender, which can then be post-weighted to match ABS 2011 Census data for the LGA

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Guidelines: How to implement and interpret the results

1

Do you need to conduct a community opinion poll?



Are you completing Template 1? If yes, you need to explain community

perceptions of the benefits and concerns regarding a merger

2

Decide on your survey parameters and issue an RFQ



Pick your sample size (see Table 3.2) and define your sample (based on your

LGA and the possible merger LGAs)



Issue your RFQ to research providers (see www.amsrs.com.au for a list of

providers)

3

Appoint your research supplier



Talk to your procurement specialist about how to select and appoint a

research provider to undertake the data collection for your community opinion

survey

4

Agree the research specifications with your research provider



Consider the cost and the degree of sampling error you are willing to bear

based on Table 3.2)



Finalise the sample size and demographic quotas with your research provider

5

Tailor your questionnaire



Determine which optional questions you would like to include and talk to your

research provider about how the addition of optional questions will impact the

timing and cost of your data collection

6

Leave your research provider to it



Your research provider is skilled at turning a questionnaire into meaningful

insights



They will give you frequent updates on how the research is going

7

Interpret the results



Your research provider will tell you what the community insights mean for your

merger



Incorporate the findings into Template 1 and consider what the results mean

for your communications

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Part 1: Introduction

1.1 About this guide

This guide will assist you to implement a survey instrument to support the completion of Part 3 of

Template 1. Specifically, those Councils intending to merge with another Council are asked to

gather an understanding of community opinion regarding the benefits and concerns around a

merger. This guide outlines a standard survey tool which can be tailored to your Council, the

methodology required for gathering the survey data in a statistically reliable and cost-effective way,

and guidance material which outlines all of the information you need to undertake the project.

1.2 Background

1.2.1 Why is understanding of the community response important?

Understanding how your community will respond to a merger is important for a number of reasons.

First, it will assist you to put processes or communications strategies in place to address any

concerns. Second, knowing your community will assist you to tailor your communication and

education material to suit them. Finally, it is important that the community feel heard and involved

in the merger process. By consulting with them and communicating an understanding of their

opinion, your community will feel more open, engaged and supportive of your decisions – rather

than feeling they are having something ‘done’ to them.

Template 1 asks councils to research the community response to a possible merger. A

methodologically sound, primary research project which will gather intelligence about the

community response to a possible merger to inform the councils’ Fit for the Future proposal.

This document outlines a standard survey tool, methodology and guidance material to assist you to

implement a best practice community opinion poll.

1.2.2 Should I conduct a community opinion poll?

Before you work though this guide it is important to be clear about your need to conduct a

community opinion poll. To help you decide, see Section 3 of the Template 1 Guidance material on

the

Fit for the Future website

.

1.2.3 What information do I need to gather from the community?

Part three of Template 1 asks you to demonstrate your understanding of the community’s

perception of the benefits a merger may offer and concerns regarding a merger. In addition, it is of

value to understand a number of other aspects including their level of engagement with the

community and Council, baseline ratings of Council service provision and aspects important for

driving a sense of community.

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Overall, the standard survey tool addresses the following research objectives:



Assess awareness of, and attitudes towards the local Council’s position regarding a

merger;



Understand drivers of local identity and sense of community and impact of local

Council on these aspects;



Determine confidence in your Council’s scale and capacity to effectively advocate for

the local region and engage with other levels of government to plan and deliver

outcomes for the local community;



Evaluate perceptions of satisfaction towards local Council’s; a) provision of services, b)

maintenance of local infrastructure; c) quality of community engagement; and d)

planning and providing for its residents in the future;



Scenario test the benefits and costs of a merger – for example, would the community

look more favorably on a merger if it meant that local services, infrastructure and

planning could be delivered to a higher standard or at a reduced cost?



Determine current engagement and communication with Council and perceptions

regarding how this engagement and communication might change as a result of a

merger; and

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Part 2: Standard Survey Tool

The following section outlines the standard survey tool. The tool allows for the exploration of

community opinion regarding a merger with one or more Councils. It is all-encompassing and

outlines all questions relevant to the topic including some ‘optional’ questions which are noted as

such.

It is appropriate to use the full survey tool and it is designed to run in the question order presented

below to avoid any sequencing bias.

There is opportunity to tailor some elements of the survey to make them applicable to your Council

situation (for example, the number and names of Councils being considered for a merger).

However, most questions should remain as is.

The length of the survey will depend on the merger options being considered, and the number of

optional questions included. When all of the questions below are applied, the survey will take

approximately 15 minutes to complete. However, this may be reduced to 10-12 minutes if some

questions are deemed unnecessary in your specific circumstance.

The standard survey is designed for residents. In some circumstances, the sample will also

capture people who have businesses in the LGA. In these cases, some business-specific

questions are relevant.

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Table 2.1: Standard Survey Tool

Question

List options

Answer options

Rationale

Screening 1 Do you live within the XXX Local Government Area? Yes No 2 And in what capacity are you answering? (Tick any

that apply)

I am a resident I own or manage a business

I work in the Local Government area I am a volunteer Other

Useful cross-tab, plus provides opportunity to ask additional questions of business owners/managers later in survey

3 OPTIONAL: I just have a few quick qualifying questions. Firstly, are you a local Councillor or permanent Council employee within this Local Government area?

Yes No

May wish to exclude these

4 OPTIONAL: And have you lived in [INSERT AREA] for at least the last 6 months?

Yes No

May wish to exclude new residents

5 And into which of the following age ranges do you fall? 18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-plus Useful cross-tab

6 Please confirm your gender for the record Male

Female

Useful cross-tab 7 And which suburb/town/village/locality do you live

in?

List of possible

suburbs/towns/villages/localities in the LGA

May be of interest to councillors/managers, and may allow cross-tabs by ward 8 OPTIONAL: How many people live in your

household?

Number Useful cross-tab (e.g. sole occupant/multiple person)

9 And do you rent or own your home? Rent

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Drivers of local identify and sense of community

12 What do you like MOST about living where you live? (unprompted – probe for up to THREE. Research company to pre-code likely options plus “other”)

Pre-coded list – examples might include: Natural environment

Sense of community/friendly place A safe place to live

Good place for families and children Lots of community events

Sport and recreation opportunities Balanced lifestyle

Active lifestyle

Parks, playgrounds, walking trails and open spaces

Access to natural parks

Access to rural/peri-urban lifestyle Public transport

Great council Friends and family OTHER

Enables local and state government to understand exactly what residents value about their local area, and (hence) which are and aren't LGA-specific

13 I’d now like to ask you about the types of activities you undertake in your local area. Can you tell me in which suburb you undertake each of the following;

Grocery shopping Other shopping Work

Leisure activities (cinema/dining) Recreation activities (exercise /sport) Health services

Education

List to include the suburbs in the LGA plus City and other

Understand local engagement and involvement

Involvement with local council

14 Can you tell me the name of your local mayor? (open ended

Answer correct

Answer incorrect Unsure/don’t know

Designed to understand level of engagement with local government

15 How often, on average, would you visit your local Council Chamber or service centre?

Monthly or more

Three to four times a year A couple of times a year Once a year or less

Designed to understand importance of having such a centre nearby

16 Have you contacted your Council over the past 12 months for any reason apart from paying rates?

Yes

No Unsure

Designed to understand level of involvement with local council. Also a potentially useful cross-tab

17 And have you contacted any of your elected councillors or the mayor over the past 12 months?

Yes

No Unsure

Designed to understand level of involvement with local council. Also a potentially useful cross-tab

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Current satisfaction with local Council

18 Using a scale of 1-5, where 1 is very poor, 3 is neutral or unsure and 5 is very good, how would you rate your local Council on the following?

The quality of services it delivers to local residents 1 Very poor 2 Poor 3 Neutral/unsure 4 Good 5 Very good

Provides broad measures of satisfaction with different aspects of current council. Its financial strength

Its maintenance of local infrastructure The way it consults with the community The way it plans and delivers services for the local community

The way it lobbies for the local region The way it works with other levels of government to plan and deliver services for the local community

The way it plans and provides for the residents of the future

The way it carries out its regulatory functions, for example processing development applications, parking controls, cat and dog management. The way it works with businesses in the LGA

19 (Optional) Do you feel your Council currently plays an important role in fostering the economic development of your Local Government Area?

Yes No Unsure

For those councils running economic development activities, understanding business response to this role 20 (Optional) And do you believe this should be a

Council responsibility?

Yes No Unsure

For those councils running economic development activities, understanding business response to this role 21 (optional) If the Council were to merge with x/y, do

you think this would improve economic development opportunities for business in the region?

Yes No Unsure

Understand how business perceive that the business orientated Council service might change as a result of a merger

22 (optional) And If the Council were to merge with x/y do you think this would reduce the impact of regulation on business in the region? How?

Number of inspections Permits required General red tape Other

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Awareness and opinion regarding Council reform

23 As you may know, the NSW State Government is looking at ways that councils can better serve their communities and be sustainable for the long term. This includes asking councils to consider voluntary mergers and other reforms.

Prior to this call, were you aware of this local government reform program?

Yes No

Measure awareness of FFF. Potentially useful cross-tab

24 If YES, where did you hear about it? Newspaper

Radio Social Media

Community notice board Friends / neighbours / word of mouth

Council Website Other

Understand how locals are receiving information regarding mergers Awareness and opinion regarding Council reform

25 And how interested are you personally in the subject of Council reform?

Very interested Quite interested Not very interested Not at all interested

Measure interest in FFF. Potentially useful cross-tab (prob. x 2: very/quite vs. not very/not at all)

26 [INSERT COUNCIL] has a number of options available including [Outline the options available to your LGA]

Which is your preferred option? (prompted except “unsure” or “don’t care”)

Option 1 – Merger option 1 – with council/s x and y Option 2- Merger option 2 – merging only with council x

(etc. etc.)

Not merging with another Council

Unsure Don’t care

Understand preference for various models

27 And what is the main reason why that is your preferred option? (unprompted)

List likely options, plus "other" Understand reasons for preferences

28 And which is your least preferred option? Option 1 – Stay as is Option 2 – Merger option 1 – with council/s x and y Option 3- Merger option 2 – merging only with council x

(etc etc)

Really don’t care

Understand preference for various models

29 And what is the main reason why that is your least preferred option? (unprompted)

List likely options, plus "other" Understand reasons for preferences

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30 [if Q26 = “Not merging” or ”Don’t care”) If the decision was made to merge with another Council, which option would you prefer? (prompted except “unsure” or “don’t care”)

Option 1 – Merger option 1 – with council/s x and y Option 2- Merger option 2 – merging only with council x (etc. etc.) Unsure/don’t care Option 2-3 - Benefits and Concerns regarding a merger

31 If one of the merging options were chosen, what would you see as the major advantages of your council merging with one or more neighbouring councils? (Unprompted/Open answer- allow up to 3)

It will unify our region Lower rates

More influence to attract funding or attention from State and Federal governments

Less bureaucracy/waste Simplify or reduce the layers of government

Better facilities and/or services for the area

Fewer politicians/councillors Increased community diversity None/can't think of any Other

Allows measurement of unprompted/top-of-mind assessment of the possible advantages of council mergers

Option 2-3 - Benefits and Concerns regarding a merger

32 And what would you see as the major

disadvantages? (Unprompted/open answer – allow up to 3)

Benefits unknown/can't see benefits/unnecessary

A bigger council will be less efficient/too bureaucratic

Not needed/happy with the way things are Make Council performance worse Doubt about cost savings/waste of time and/or money

Delays or inefficiencies during the transition

Local issues will overlooked/loss of local identity

Loss of representation/loss of voice Mergers have not worked in other places Resource shifting -our rates being spent

Allows measurement of unprompted/top-of-mind assessment of the possible disadvantages of council mergers

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33 You have stated [1], [2] and [3] as the major disadvantages of a merger. Which of those three do you believe is the greatest concern?

Benefits unknown/can't see benefits/unnecessary

A bigger council will be less efficient/too bureaucratic

Local issues will overlooked/loss of local identity

Loss of representation/loss of voice Mergers have not worked in other places Resource shifting -our rates being spent elsewhere

None/can't think of any

Option 2-3 - Benefits and Concerns regarding a merger

34 To what extent would you agree or disagree with the following statements relating to the creation of a new council through a merger? In each case we'll use a 5 point sliding scale, where 1 means you strongly disagree, 3 is neutral or unsure, and 5 means you strongly agree.

A new Council would deliver a broader range and better services

A new Council would make it harder to adequately represent residents

A new Council would be more financially sustainable

A new Council would change the character of my suburb/town/village/locality 1 - Strongly disagree 2 3 - Neutral/unsure 4 5 - Strongly agree

Allows respondent to judge potential specific outcomes of a merged council

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35 (optional) What would you see as the single biggest benefit arising from having a new Council?

(Unprompted – code likely responses plus “other”)

Reduced costs

More efficient/better use of resources and services

Better facilities and/or services for the region

It makes sense

Regional approach to issues (health, crime, public transport etc.)

Reduce bureaucracy and reduce number of staff

Less politicians/councillors

Mergers have worked in other places It will unify the local area.

Lower rates

More influence to attract funding or attention from State and Federal governments

Simplify or reduce the layers of government

None/can't think of any Other

Understand perceived personal benefits arising from a merger

Questions 22-25 explore perceived advantages and disadvantages of a merger at a broad level which is a requirement of Template 1. Questions 26-27 are optional as they provide for further explorations of perceived benefits and concerns regarding a merger at a more personal level (thus are beyond the requirements of Template 1 but should be included where you a) have time in the questionnaire and b) wish to explore community opinion in more depth). Option 2-3 -

Benefits and Concerns regarding a merger

36 (optional) And what would be your single biggest concern about having a new Council? (Unprompted – code likely responses plus “other”)

Benefits unknown/can't see benefits A bigger Council will be less efficient/too bureaucratic

Local issues will be overlooked/loss of local identity

Loss of representation/loss of voice Mergers have not worked in other places Resource shifting -our rates being spent elsewhere

Understand perceived

personal concerns arising from a merger

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Communica-tions regarding a possible merger

37 (optional) We are looking to understand the ways in which the community prefers to be involved in community consultation over the issue of a possible merger. How would you prefer to be consulted about this issue? (Unprompted – code likely responses plus “other”)

Community surveys Council meetings

Community workshops / focus groups Online discussion forums

Talking with others in the community Contacting Councillors

Writing a submission to Council

Communicating through community group leaders

Joining an advisory committee Other

None

Allows council to understand how community wishes communication and

consultation to take place, and how this varies by factors such as age

38 (optional) What do you believe would be the best ways for [INSERT COUNCIL] to communicate information about these local government reforms to residents? (Unprompted – code likely responses plus “other”)

Letterbox drop - flyers or brochures Personalised mail

Local newspaper ads Emails Council newsletter Council website Social media Displays Rates notice Mayor's column Other

Allows council to understand how community wishes communication and

consultation to take place, and how this varies by factors such as age

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Part 3: Standard Survey Methodology

This section outlines the recommended methodology to be applied when collecting the standard

survey data to address the core research objectives. This methodology is based on best practice

market research principles and considers the requirements for statistical reliability and robustness

of the results.

3.1 Sample specification and screening

The nature of the survey (and as outlined in Section 14 of the Local Government Act) indicates that

the interested parties are the electors. Thus the sample includes any person who is living within the

LGA of interest. Screening questions and quotas should be applied to ensure that the sample is

representative of the population and reduces any potential bias.

2

3.2 Exclusions and quotas

Surveying should be conducted on a purely random basis. However attempts should be made to

ensure a robust mix of ages and genders, and that all parts of the LGA are adequately sampled.

Residents should be asked a number of demographic questions including age, gender, household

composition and whether languages other than English are commonly spoken in the home. These

demographic characteristics should be monitored to ensure the sample collected is at least

partially representative of your LGA.

Any person likely to have a bias regarding the subject matter should be excluded to ensure the

survey results are reflective of the residents’ opinions. Thus elected members are to be excluded.

You may also decide to exclude those who have only recently moved into the area (e.g. have lived

there for less than six months) as they may not yet have enough knowledge to provide an informed

opinion.

3.3 Method for contacting residents

There are a number of options typically used for contacting respondents regarding a community

opinion survey. These options include; telephone, online, paper; face-to-face (street intercept or

door-to-door) or by mail. This survey requires a geographically specific sample – a representative

sample of residents of a defined LGA. Table 3.1 below outlines the potential of each survey

method for contacting residents.

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Table 3.1: Methodology types and advantages/disadvantages

TYPE

Advantages

Drawbacks

Costs

Data

Quality

Random CATI (telephone)

 Results can be

extrapolated to the wider community to a pre-defined margin of sampling error

 Sample size can be guaranteed

 Sub-sample size (e.g. by ward) can also be guaranteed

 Best at capturing the “middle ground”

 Due to time constraints, does not allow considered thought

 Not suitable for visual surveys or long lists of options

 Hard/expensive to reach residents 18-39 due to low incidence of fixed line phones

 Will not cover businesses

 Not everyone can have a say

 Biased against non-English speakers High Highest (equal) Random face-to-face  Same advantages as CATI

 Better than CATI at targeting younger residents (i.e. 18-39), CALD residents etc.

 Subject to location bias

 Hard to stop people for the 10-15 minutes required

 May be subject to unconscious interviewer bias

 Can be difficult/expensive to gain interview permission in many ideal locations (e.g. train stations, shopping centres)

 Door-to-door may raise OH&S issues

Highest Highest (equal)

Paper-based

 Very inclusive – everyone literate can have a say

 Enables visual cues/long lists of options

 Includes businesses

 No rush - allows considered responses

 Easier for people with English as a second language to take part

 No guarantee on response rate (either overall or for specific wards)

 Tend to be completed only by those with strong views

 Results not representative due to self-selecting sample

 Data quality tends to be poor

 Expensive due to printing, mailing and data entry costs

Medium Lowest

Online survey

 Same benefits as paper-based, above

 Cheaper than paper

 Higher data quality than paper

 Can be interactive – e.g. YouTube videos, links to background information, or graphics

 May bias against

older/lower socio-economic residents (unless paper or phone option added)

 No guarantee on response rate

 Tend to be completed only by those with strong views

 Results not representative due to self-selecting sample

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Telephone and face-to-face interviewing are the only alternatives which allow a geographically

specific, unbiased and random sample to be selected. Both online and paper/mail surveys are

self-selecting (i.e. ‘opt-in’) and, for this reason, not representative of the population in question.

Face-to-face surveys tend to be extremely expensive due to the interviewer time required to both

administer and re-visit residences.

Therefore, to address the research objectives, residents should ideally be surveyed randomly by

CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing). This allows a geographically specific,

representative sample to be selected in a cost effective way

3

_.

Phone number selection should be discussed with your research supplier – typical sources include

E-White Pages/commercial residential phone lists, random (suffix) number generation, commercial

suppliers of (computer-proven) random valid phone numbers, or a combination of these.

3.4 Sample Size

Sample sizes are typically chosen based on a number of considerations including;



How large the target population is;



How similar or different respondents/responses are likely to be;



Whether you want to analyse data according to smaller sub-groups within the

larger target population;



The acceptable degree of random sampling error in your final results;



What looks credible to an external stakeholder; and



Budget and time.

Sampling error refers to the degree to which the results differ to the actual but unknown value of

the population on account of observing a sample rather than the real population (i.e. conducting a

census). By minimising the sampling error, we ensure the results are within an acceptable margin

of error to the actual but unknown value of the population.

As graph 3.1 (next page) shows, margin of error falls as sample size rises. Hence sub-groups

within the overall sample will typically create much higher margins for error. For example,

considering a population size of 50,000, a sample size of 500 exhibits a margin for error of +/-

4.4% (at the 95% confidence level

4).

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Graph 3.1: Sampling error variation by population size

It is helpful to consult a sampling chart to estimate how many individuals to include to be confident

your sample represents the target population. Typically, ± 5% is considered acceptable. Table 3.2

outlines the acceptable sample size based on different population bases. For population sizes over

5,000, the typical sample size required is between 400 and 600 depending on whether you are

willing to accept a sampling error of ± 4% or ± 5%. To achieve a sampling error of ± 3% is often not

cost effective – the cost of collecting the required sample to achieve a sampling error of ± 3% is too

high given the marginal benefit of ± 1%.

Table 3.2: Respondents needed for 95 per cent confidence level

Population Size

± 3% Sampling

Error

± 4% Sampling

Error

± 5% Sampling

Error

± 10%

Sampling

Error

2,500

748

480

333

93 5,000

880

530

357

94 10,000

964

560

370

95 25,000

1,023

600

378

96 50,000

1,045

600

381

96 100,000

1,056

600

383

96 1,000,000

1,066

600

384

96 NOTE: How to read this table

A. Determine how many people are in your target population and find the closest number

(rounding up) in column 1, Population Size.

B. Determine the level of sampling error you can tolerate: 3%, 5% or 10%. Sampling error

indicates how much confidence you can have that your sample is representative of the

larger population. Generally a 5% sampling error is selected. In other words, 95 times out of

100 this sample is representative of the larger population.

C. Find the cell in which your population size and sampling error meet. For example: if there

are 5,000 in your LGA you would need a sample size of 357 in order to be 95% confident in

your sample. If there are 50,000 people in your LGA you would need a sample size of 381

in order to be 95% confident in your sample.

How random sampling error varies with population size

© Jetty Research 2008 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9% 10% 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 Sample size S a m p li n g e rr o r (a t 9 5 % c o n fi d e n c e ) _{Pop = 5,000} Pop = 50,000 Pop = 20m

(23)

You should consider the population base of all of the LGAs of interest. For example, if you are

wishing to gain the opinion of a number of LGAs (in the case of a merger), you must collect a

sample in each of the LGAs to ensure each LGA can be analysed and compared to the others with

statistical reliability.

In the case of a population size of less than or equal to 10,000, we recommend a sample size of

n=400. In the case of a population size of greater than 10,000 we recommend a sample size of

500.

3.5 Timeframe

This is subject to discussion between council and research supplier. However for CATI (telephone)

surveys, polling is typically conducted over 5-6 nights (depending on call centre capacity and

sample size selected). Residents are generally phoned from 3.30-8.00 p.m. each weekday evening

(possibly excluding Fridays), and (if necessary) on weekends from midday to 5pm. To maximise

response rates, potential respondents should be called up to five times at different times of the

afternoon and evening. Within reason, callbacks can usually be programmed to suit resident

wishes.

Table 3.4 outlines the likely timeframe for implementation of the survey.

Table 3.4: Timeframe for survey implementation

WHAT

WHO

HOW LONG

Decide survey parameters (in particular sample

size and likely survey length) and issue RFQ

Council

Determined by

Council

Appoint research supplier

Council

Determined by

Council

Define sample and agree sample size (post

codes and demographic makeup based on 2011

Census profile)

Council and Supplier

1 day

Tailor questionnaire

Council and Supplier

2-3 days

Script CATI and source relevant numbers

Supplier

1 day

Fieldwork

Supplier

5-6 days

Analysis

Supplier

5 days

Reporting

Supplier

5-8 days

As outlined above, a survey will typically take approx. four to five weeks (20-25 business days)

from contract signing to delivery of a report. This can vary.

3.6 Analysis

As noted above, results are typically post-weighted to match the LGA’s age and gender profile as

at the 2011 ABS Census (Usual Resident Profile.) Analysis is generally conducted in SPSS, Q, or

other statistical database software which allows detailed cross-tabulations and identification of

significant differences (e.g. between LGAs or genders). Analysis should include comparisons to the

other LGAs involved in the merger and should consider any meaningful differences between

sub-groups of interests (such as different demographic sub-groups).

(24)

APPENDIX A: Request for Quote

The following outlines the details required by a research provider within a request for quote to

conduct data collection.

Methodology

component

Standard Requirement

Council to make decision (will vary

by Council area)

Sample

LGA residents as per postcodes,

wards etc.

Not Council representative

(councillor)

Over 18 years old

Representative of LGA by age and

gender

5

Which LGAs to survey?

Sample size

Where population <10,000 = 400

Where population >10,000 = 500

(To achieve a sampling error of <5%)

Contact method

CATI

Questionnaire

length

15 mins when applied in full but

dependant on options considering

(may be reduced to 10-12 mins)

Consider optional questions – do you

need them?

Requirements

Data collection

Reporting

(no questionnaire design – a

standard instrument will be used)

5

Or at least aiming for a robust sample by age and gender, which can then be post-weighted to match ABS 2011 Census data for the LGA

Community Survey Tool: