poor housing facilities

Poor Housing Facilities

Poor housing facilities, along with an inadequate transportation system and public services in most regions of the country, are one of the major issues that American inhabitants experience in most urban areas. Poor housing facilities in most places of the United States are the result of inadequate city council planning. Furthermore, the constant transfer of individuals to metropolitan centers in search of a better living, better housing, and better employment opportunities has exacerbated the problem, putting strain on the limited resources. The problem of inadequate housing in urban centers has raised from a greater population of residents who should be enjoying the services of living in the most metropolitan cities in the US.

The Importance of Data Collection

In addressing the issue, as a town planner, I have the task to find out the level of residents’ satisfaction with the services offered by the city council. Additionally, collect data that will support the city council advocate for funding from other non-governmental organizations on expanding as well as rehabilitation of the current services and other facilities. One of the effective ways of collecting data from a large population of residents is through a survey. Besides, the data gathered through survey are always reliable and can be applicable when making policy regarding some services in the market where consumers are discontented.

Challenges with Data Collection

In conducting a survey regarding the housing facilities and services are commonly known as the American Housing Survey (AHS), there are several considerations for a city planner to put in their mind. One of the recurrent problem that other survey studies including AHS undergo is the proficiency of the respondents to provide incorrect information regarding the quality of the services received from the city council. The impreciseness acknowledged during the AHS in ascertaining the status of subsidy in housing have made the information collected unreliable to policy-makers.

Improving Data Collection

Even though collecting accurate information has been one of the shortcomings of a survey as a means of collecting data there are some aspects that informants can avoid to increase the reliability of the data. Some of the considerations include avoiding some of the terminologies used in the survey questionnaires that may appear unconventional to the subjects. When designing the survey questionnaire avoid terminologies that closely relate and may make respondents provide inaccurate information that affects their lifestyles such as income and rent. As the city planner, I will design the survey questionnaires that ensure the customers do not hesitate to deliver at least accurate information. Modification of the questions in a manner that will be sufficient to acquire trust from the respondents in providing correct information for proper policy-making and advocating for funding from well-wishers and other sectors.

The Importance of Questionnaire Design

The sequence of questions in a survey questionnaire should state explicitly or reveal the objective of the task to the respondents. The arrangement and order of the questions in a survey may bring a significant impact on how the residents of the city assess the services provided by the government (Van De Walle, and Van Ryzin, 1439). I will consider using the split-ballot experiment to organize the questions to understand consumer satisfaction regarding public services in the city.

Overcoming Challenges

When I consider the above aspects of designing survey questions, it will increase the chances of the respondents to provide adequate and reliable information regarding public services offered to them. Additionally, exhausting the split-ballot to organize items in the right order will determine how the respondents are likely to assess the services delivered by the public, thus reducing inaccuracies associated with AHS. However, some challenges come up when the questionnaire has the above aspects considered such as insufficient selection of terminologies that will make the respondent feel free to provide accurate information. Besides, some respondents are always unwilling to give inaccurate information when answering the questionnaires.

Works Cited

Van De Walle, Steven and Van Ryzin, G. Gregg. “The Order of Questions in a Survey on Citizen Satisfaction with Public Services: Lessons from a Split-Ballot Experiment” Public Administration Vol. 89, No. 4, 2011 (1436-1450).