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Commissioners debate survey methods after roughly 400 responses to planning questionnaire
Summary
Commissioners and staff reviewed recent survey results and debated whether the response set—about 390–400 answers with many incomplete responses—was statistically valid for countywide conclusions; they contrasted anecdotal online responses with results from a prior random-sample survey that produced ~600 usable responses.
The meeting included an extended discussion about the public survey used to collect input on the comprehensive plan. A staff member reported that "we had 390 people answer the survey; 18 of those were not residents," and commissioners flagged that many online surveys are not statistically representative of the entire county.
Tim Martin and others explained the difference between anecdotal SurveyMonkey returns and a statistically valid random-sample survey: Martin said a prior income survey used a random-sample process that produced roughly 600 responses and was accepted by federal reviewers. Commissioners discussed targets for meaningful engagement (one speaker suggested 2,000 responses as an illustrative goal for very high confidence, while staff noted that a random-sample of 600 would be statistically significant for the county's population). The board directed staff to identify engagement targets and to consider combining direct outreach (polling at polls or town events), prototype meetings and improved digital outreach to reach a more representative sample.
