In a City of Westmount survey conducted by Ipsos Reid, 59 percent of residents still chose the telephone as the preferred method of communication with the city, although that number is down from the 77 percent who chose it during the last survey period in 2009. In-person visits to municipal service counters were on the rise, while 8 percent of residents chose e-mail as the best means, up from 1 percent four years ago.
Residents in Westmount tend to keep up a healthy communication with the City, with two-thirds of them claiming to have communicated with the City at least four times. Of these, most had communicated with the city in some way in the past year.
Use of the official city website is on the rise, with 2-in-3 residents claiming to have visited it within the last year. Nevertheless, residents still overwhelmingly chose local newspapers and documents such as brochures and notices as the best way for the City to disseminate information to citizens.
The city received high marks for the quality of written English in their written communications, with 92 percent giving it positive ratings. In French, they did not fare so well, with 74 percent rating it as “good,” but almost half saying that there still needed to be improvement.
Residents still overwhelmingly chose local newspapers and documents such as brochures and notices as the best way for the City to disseminate information to citizens. -
Overall, residents felt informed about city projects and actions, with an overwhelming 90 percent saying they felt “rather” or “very” well-informed. Residents felt particularly up-to-speed on the Westmount Library, public safety, sporting and community activities, the Westmount Recreation Centre and parks and green spaces.
Although satisfaction was high, some 12 percent wished to be better informed about road and infrastructure repairs and maintenance, 11 percent wished for more information on cultural recreation activities, and 7 percent on the recreation centre, down from 12 percent in 2009.
The survey spoke to 300 residents over the age of 18 during the month of December 2012. Respondents were mostly English-speaking, over 35 years of age, university-educated, with full-time employment. Most had lived in Westmount for an average of 16.5 years.
