Shoreview Surveys
Shoreview has conducted four citizen surveys from 2010-2022 that have asked questions about solid waste collection. (A survey conducted in 2015 asked no solid waste questions.)
The surveys in 2010, 2013, and 2018 were conducted by Morris/Leatherman, one of the state's best known government survey companies. They conduct telephone surveys of 400 residents that are balanced on all metrics, including geography, gender, home vs. cell lines, etc. As expected, there is a significant cost to doing this type of professional scientific survey.
In 2022, the city decided to opt for a different and much cheaper survey option, called NCS. This is a survey where addresses are randomly selected, and 2,800 paper surveys are mailed out. In Shoreview's case, 2% were undelivered by the post office, and 74% refused to respond and were tossed in the trash. This left 727 completed surveys, or a 26% survey rate. This understandably skews survey results.
While NCS claims that their mail in survey is accurate +-4%, it is doubtful that Morris/Leatherman would agree. It is hard to imagine that a random mail survey with only a 26% response rate is comparable to a professional scientific survey based upon speaking with 400+ scientifically selected residents.
Regardless of the thoughts of telephone vs. mail surveys, most would agree that they are different survey methods and the results cannot be blindly considered an apples to apples comparison. Well that is unless you are city administrator Brad Martens.
In his June 20, 2023 report to the city council, Martens proclaims that the new survey of 2022 showed a dramatic change in public opinion on government trash collection and all of a sudden, people now support it! His report even shows a chart of the survey results from 2010, 21013, 2018, and 2022. (See report here)
Martens' proclamation is troubling as further research into how the survey was conducted raises questions of bias and professionalism. No city administrator should ever knowingly mislead a city council or the public on any issue.
What Martens' report fails to note are two things. First, that the survey method in 2022 is completely different from the survey methods utilized in 2010, 2013, and 2018. Second, that the survey question in 2022 was also completely different from the question used in prior years. Martens' report misled the council and the public into believing that the survey methods were the same and that the questions were the same, when neither was true.
Further troubling is evidence of what pollsters refer to as "push poll" questions being used. This is when survey questions are worded in a manner to guide a specific response sought by the person doing the poll. An example is the response, "lower cost associated with an organized system." In an government organized system, some pay more, some pay less, and some are forced to pay for services they previously did not need. Lower price and government managed trash collection are independent issues with one not necessarily connected with the other.
Martens also conveniently failed to note in his June 20, 2023 report how Shoreview residents rated the current open market system where citizens have the right to choose their own hauler. Not surprisingly, 90% rate their garbage service as Excellent or Good. Why was this left out of Martens' report? Perhaps because it doesn't fit the narrative that government managed trash collection is needed.
It is unknown whether these omissions were intentional, but if so, it further adds to the narrative that Martens is a key driver of government managed trash collection at the staff level.
Below are the questions asked in 2022, and then those asked in 2010, 2013, and 2018. As anyone can see, these are not the same questions and the results gathered therefore are not comparable.
Shoreview has conducted four citizen surveys from 2010-2022 that have asked questions about solid waste collection. (A survey conducted in 2015 asked no solid waste questions.)
The surveys in 2010, 2013, and 2018 were conducted by Morris/Leatherman, one of the state's best known government survey companies. They conduct telephone surveys of 400 residents that are balanced on all metrics, including geography, gender, home vs. cell lines, etc. As expected, there is a significant cost to doing this type of professional scientific survey.
In 2022, the city decided to opt for a different and much cheaper survey option, called NCS. This is a survey where addresses are randomly selected, and 2,800 paper surveys are mailed out. In Shoreview's case, 2% were undelivered by the post office, and 74% refused to respond and were tossed in the trash. This left 727 completed surveys, or a 26% survey rate. This understandably skews survey results.
While NCS claims that their mail in survey is accurate +-4%, it is doubtful that Morris/Leatherman would agree. It is hard to imagine that a random mail survey with only a 26% response rate is comparable to a professional scientific survey based upon speaking with 400+ scientifically selected residents.
Regardless of the thoughts of telephone vs. mail surveys, most would agree that they are different survey methods and the results cannot be blindly considered an apples to apples comparison. Well that is unless you are city administrator Brad Martens.
In his June 20, 2023 report to the city council, Martens proclaims that the new survey of 2022 showed a dramatic change in public opinion on government trash collection and all of a sudden, people now support it! His report even shows a chart of the survey results from 2010, 21013, 2018, and 2022. (See report here)
Martens' proclamation is troubling as further research into how the survey was conducted raises questions of bias and professionalism. No city administrator should ever knowingly mislead a city council or the public on any issue.
What Martens' report fails to note are two things. First, that the survey method in 2022 is completely different from the survey methods utilized in 2010, 2013, and 2018. Second, that the survey question in 2022 was also completely different from the question used in prior years. Martens' report misled the council and the public into believing that the survey methods were the same and that the questions were the same, when neither was true.
Further troubling is evidence of what pollsters refer to as "push poll" questions being used. This is when survey questions are worded in a manner to guide a specific response sought by the person doing the poll. An example is the response, "lower cost associated with an organized system." In an government organized system, some pay more, some pay less, and some are forced to pay for services they previously did not need. Lower price and government managed trash collection are independent issues with one not necessarily connected with the other.
Martens also conveniently failed to note in his June 20, 2023 report how Shoreview residents rated the current open market system where citizens have the right to choose their own hauler. Not surprisingly, 90% rate their garbage service as Excellent or Good. Why was this left out of Martens' report? Perhaps because it doesn't fit the narrative that government managed trash collection is needed.
It is unknown whether these omissions were intentional, but if so, it further adds to the narrative that Martens is a key driver of government managed trash collection at the staff level.
Below are the questions asked in 2022, and then those asked in 2010, 2013, and 2018. As anyone can see, these are not the same questions and the results gathered therefore are not comparable.
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2022 Survey
Rate the quality of Garbage Service in Shoreview Excellent Good Fair Poor To what extent do you support or oppose the city changing options to move away from private hauler garbage collection (in which residents choose their preferred hauler) to an organized system of garbage collection (in which the city contracts with haulers)? Strongly support Somewhat support Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose Please share your rationale for the answer choice selected above. Select all that apply. I like my current hauler I want to choose my own hauler Less truck traffic Less street maintenance Less noise and pollution Lower cost associated with an organized system Other |
2010, 2013, 2018 Surveys
Most communities have one of two systems for garbage collection. In an open collection system, like the City of Shoreview currently has, residents choose their hauler from several different companies serving the community. Other cities use an organized collection system, where the City contracts with haulers for collection throughout the city. Would you favor or oppose the City of Shoreview changing from the current system in which residents may choose from several different haulers to a system where the City chooses specific haulers for the whole community? (WAIT FOR RESPONSE) STRONGLY FAVOR FAVOR OPPOSE STRONGLY OPPOSE DON'T KNOW/REFUSED Do you feel strongly that way? IF A RESPONSE IS GIVEN, ASK Could you tell me one or two reasons for your decision? DON’T KNOW/REFUSED LIKE CURRENT HAULER WANT CHOICE CHOICE/LOWER COST LESS TRUCK TRAFFIC LESS STREET MAINTENANCE LESS NOISE LESS POLLUTION ORGANIZED/LOWER COST |
The city has an opportunity to do a professionally scientific survey if it wishes. Morris/Leatherman could easily be retained to ask Shoreview residents the exact same questions asked in 2010, 2013, and 2018 and the results could then be compared accurately.
It is highly doubtful that Shoreview will do this because politically, it appears that some within the city really do not want survey results that will conflict with their drive to institute government managed trash collection.
The same tactic was used in Bloomington, but differently. After years of obtaining positive survey results about solid waste haulers and support for the right to choose your own hauler, after politicians decided they wanted to institute government managed trash collection in order to fund employee positions in city hall, they eliminated solid waste hauling questions from citizen surveys. Then they could claim that they didn't know what the people thought, or that they simply knew better.
It is highly doubtful that Shoreview will do this because politically, it appears that some within the city really do not want survey results that will conflict with their drive to institute government managed trash collection.
The same tactic was used in Bloomington, but differently. After years of obtaining positive survey results about solid waste haulers and support for the right to choose your own hauler, after politicians decided they wanted to institute government managed trash collection in order to fund employee positions in city hall, they eliminated solid waste hauling questions from citizen surveys. Then they could claim that they didn't know what the people thought, or that they simply knew better.