Community Survey

This past fall the City launched a community survey administered by the ETC Institute to measure the general attitude of residents toward City services and programs. The survey was sent to randomly selected Lake Oswego households to ensure statistical validity, in addition to being available online to the greater community. Questions were benchmarked against other communities across the United States and the Northwest region of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

High Satisfaction with City Services

During the January 18 City Council meeting, Director of Community Research Jason Morado of the ETC Institute reported that community members’ perceptions of Lake Oswego were among the highest compared to other local municipalities surveyed nationwide. 97% of residents rated the overall quality of life in Lake Oswego as excellent or good, and 96% of survey respondents view the City as an excellent or good place to live. Major City services also received high rates of satisfaction, including the Library (91%), Parks and Recreation properties and facilities (90%) and public safety (89%). Lake Oswego rated above the Northwest average in 35 service categories, and significantly higher (5% or more) in 32 of the 38 services measured, such as effectiveness of communication with the public, overall feeling of safety and customer service by City employees.

Community Priorities

The ETC Institute identified services with high importance scores to determine community priorities. Survey results showed that the following services should receive emphasis over the next two years:

• Efforts to promote equity in the community
• Quality of public safety
• Efforts towards sustainability and responding to climate change 

Other priorities highlighted include maintenance of neighborhood streets, availability of pedestrian pathways and affordable housing. These areas of emphasis are in alignment with ongoing City efforts to foster inclusion in Lake Oswego, provide equitable law enforcement services and increase affordable housing options.

Thank you to all who participated in the community survey! Your insights help to create a welcoming and thriving Lake Oswego.