03 - PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
DeSoto Survey Analysis An online survey was provided for the community to respond to a variety of issues regarding the parks system. The survey was available on the Parks Master Plan website for three months. The following is a summary of the results of the survey. Respondent Profiles • The survey gathered 144 responses over the course of 12 weeks. • Over 50 percent of respondents were between the ages of 35 and 55. The survey had a good distribution of respondent ages overall. • 69 percent of respondents were female. The difference in gender response rate could be due to word of mouth for this particular effort reaching more women than men. Typically online surveys are free of gender bias due to their availability to everyone, but in this case, there may be a skew toward female responses due to the significant difference in respondent gender percentages. • Over half of respondents did not have any children under the age of 19 in their home. For parks and recreation purposes, that could mean that more amenities for adults could be applicable in DeSoto, and it also means that responses to the survey could be slightly skewed toward adults without children rather than the alternative. • Over 52 percent of respondents had been a resident of DeSoto for more than 10 years, and the majority of respondents had been a resident of DeSoto for over three years. This is characteristic of a stable community. Typically residents who have lived in a city for a considerable amount of time have generally lower expectations than new residents. It is possible that due to an influx of new residents in the region and in DeSoto, expectations could steadily rise for new and improved parks and recreation amenities. The satisfaction levels tended to be high with the City when it came to the parks in reference to the quality of maintenance. However, that same number decreased by about 18% with a total response hovering a little over half when it came to the provided recreational activities. The numbers show that while parkland may not be a large issue with the residents, the provided recreation plays a large factor in satisfaction.
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City of DeSoto - 2020 Parks, Recreation, Open Space & Trails Master Plan
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