Municipal citizen survey Chemnitz 2020
First results of the 2020 municipal citizen survey are available
For the third time, the city of Chemnitz has carried out a municipal citizens' survey. The aim of this survey is to find out more about the social and economic living conditions of the people of Chemnitz, as well as their opinions and wishes. What has changed in recent years?
For this purpose, 6,000 Chemnitz residents were randomly selected from the residents' register. Participation and answering the individual questions was of course voluntary. However, the more people take part in the survey, the more meaningful the data collected will be. The legal basis for the survey is the "Statutes of the City of Chemnitz for conducting municipal citizen surveys", which were adopted by the Chemnitz City Council in 2016.
The range of questions included a broad spectrum of questions on personal life satisfaction, problem areas in the city, satisfaction with infrastructure services, health, housing, relocation intentions, use of leisure facilities, transport, use of public transport, shopping, perception of safety and citizen participation. Participants were able to return the questionnaire to the city administration by post or answer the questions online.
All survey results are stored and analysed exclusively anonymously and strictly separately from the address data. It is not possible to establish a link between the answers and the individual citizens surveyed. After receipt of the questionnaire or with the online response, the personal address data was deleted from the sample file.
The first analyses of the response from the 2,058 people who took part in the survey are now available as aquick report. The edited results are available to everyone.
Selected findings from the survey
Four out of five respondents are (very) satisfied with their own lives. In addition, the majority are positive about their personal future (63 per cent). While people continue to view their own economic situation as predominantly positive, the city's economic situation is generally perceived as worse compared to the 2019 survey.
As in 2019, the areas of construction sites/diversions, medical care, safety/crime, car parks and road conditions were the five most frequently mentioned problem areas in the city in 2020. The availability of green spaces and parks as well as the supply of desired living space were perceived more positively compared to the 2019 survey.
In contrast to previous years, the respondents' positive assessments of the range of playgrounds and care homes also predominate. Only when it comes to earning opportunities and youth leisure facilities do the dissatisfied participants predominate.
The average personal net income of the survey participants is EUR 1,362.00 (without weighting). During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, one in four full-time employees was affected by short-time working. A further 4 per cent of respondents were affected by redundancy, company insolvency or the loss of a job opportunity.
39 per cent of respondents also stated that they had suffered a loss of income since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Significant losses were recorded more frequently in the lower income brackets than in the higher income brackets.
When asked to assess their current state of health in November and December, 71 per cent of participants said that they would describe it as at least good.
People who described their own state of health as (very) poor were significantly less satisfied with the range of GPs on offer. Overall satisfaction with the range of GPs and specialists has deteriorated slightly compared to the 2018 survey.
Two thirds of respondents live in rented accommodation. Important location factors for the choice of flat or house are green spaces, the countryside and nature as well as access to the road network. Proximity to cultural and educational facilities (including schools), on the other hand, played a subordinate role for the majority of respondents.
The main reasons for moving within Chemnitz are, on the one hand, a desire to increase the size of their home and, on the other, health reasons. In contrast, respondents who plan to leave Chemnitz in the next two years cite the purchase of a home and their job or education as the main reasons.
Despite the criticism of roadworks and diversions, most respondents favour a car with a combustion engine for the majority of their journeys. The main reasons given for rarely using local public transport were unfavourable connections and excessively expensive tickets. When shopping for food, cosmetics or personal care products, most respondents stay in their own neighbourhood.
By contrast, respondents mainly buy clothes, shoes and electrical appliances in the city centre or in shopping centres on the outskirts.
The respondents' perception of safety has developed positively compared to previous years. Every second respondent is of the opinion that the number of criminal offences has increased in the last five years. Compared to the 2018 survey year, however, this proportion has fallen by 15 percentage points.
