For the fifth year in a row, the Red Deer and District Community Foundation will take the pulse on what residents think about living in Alberta’s third-largest city.
The foundation launched the 2011 Vital Signs Survey on Monday through the foundation’s website at http://reddeeranddistrictcommunityfoundation.ca
Kristine Bugayong, co-ordinator for communications and grants, said they hope to attract more than last year’s goal of 334 respondents. The survey will run until Aug. 31.
The survey is important because it’s used for the foundation to determine what grants to hand out in the community. Other organizations, including the City of Red Deer, use the information as well.
Bugayong said the survey will address questions of the past four years, but there will be some new ones, too.
New questions will include asking what individuals think about municipal spending on transportation, arts, culture and recreation.
“We ask people to rank their own individual well-being and whether Red Deer is a vibrant healthy community in their own quality of life,” said Bugayong.
The survey is confidential and should take 30 to 45 minutes.
The survey results will be released on Oct. 4.
Last year’s survey showed that residents’ quality of life had been affected by the economic downturn.
And the top concern was poverty, followed by health and the health-care system, and safety. The city’s green spaces was listed as its top strength, followed by recreation/active living and education.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com