The University's Center for Survey Research recently conducted a survey of the quality of life of Albemarle County residents on behalf of the County's Board of Supervisors and found residents favorably reviewed their quality of life.
Residents were asked to rate the quality of life in Albemarle County on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest rating.
"Quality of life includes beauty of the area, the cultural opportunities they have, the services that are offered, recreation activities, places to eat, entertainment," said Lee Catlin, Community Relations Manager for Albemarle County. "It is really a chance for people to express how they feel about the experience of living in Albemarle County," Catlin said.
The mean quality of life rating was 8.04 with 74 percent of the residents surveyed giving a rating of eight or higher.
Residents also rated 33 of the counties services and programs in the area. Satisfaction was highest for emergency rescue, fire protection and residential safety.
Additionally, the survey indicated that residents were least satisfied with public transportation, managing growth and recycling services. According to Catlin the County will use these results to make changes in the future.
"We are very committed to focusing on the areas that need improvements," he said. "Part of our strategic plan is to look at the result and make improvements based on these results."
According to City of Charlottesville Spokesman Rick Barrick, the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle plan to form a joint transportation system that will serve as a better [public transportation] system for all residents.
"We are not surprised about the expressed needs of the residents being that of transportation," Barrick said. "The city and the county are moving forward towards the benefits of the joint transportation system."
Two-thirds of the residents indicated in the survey that slower growth was in the best interest of the county. According to Catlin, Albemarle County grows between 1.7 to 1.9 percent each year and people feel negatively towards traffic and congestion in the area.
"The government cannot control growth rate but we certainly want to manage it to make citizens feel more comfortable," Catlin said.
This is the fourth time Albemarle County has surveyed residents about their quality of life. The first survey was in 1994, then again in 2002 and 2004. The average rating of 8.04 was not a statistically significant result difference from the earlier years' surveys.
According to CSR Assistant Director Robin Bebel, this survey will continue in the future.
"The county plans to conduct this survey every two years from now on," Bebel said.
The survey was conducted in June and July. According to Bebel the CSR used Random Digit Dialing to contact those surveyed to ensure it included all types of Albemarle residents.
"We can say confidently that the general population of Albemarle County was represented through the survey," Bebel said.
Overall, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors was pleased with the results of the survey, Catlin said.
"During a time when we are really challenged with growth and development, we are pleased that a majority of residents still feel our quality of life is still outstanding," Catlin said.
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