Community Satisfaction Survey
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In the first part of this series we introduce a survey of the attitudes of soldiers and their dependents . It is important to remember that there is always someone who is unhappy with any single service or facility in Berlin, just as there are some people who are pleased with a service whose overall rating was very poor. Bearing that in mind, let's look at the facilities praised in the survey, or if you prefer, lets look at what the command is doing right. The most important fact is that members of the military community Berlin, both sponsors and dependents, as a whole are happy with the services and facilities offered here. There are items that re real sore points, but we'll look at them in another installment
The highest ratings on the survey, those listed as the top 25 on a 95 point scale, went to the "people" services. These included the overall rating given the military bus service, which placed first, various forms of recreation services (AFN Radio) and the medical and dental care available. The following were given the commands "pat on the back" as the items whose overall performance was the most satisfactory.
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1. The overall military bus service in Berlin
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2. The operation of the libraries
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3. Opportunities to learn German
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4. The merchandise available at the AAFES flower shop
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5. The variety of Rec Services facilities available
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6. The Duty Train service
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7. Selection of liquor available at the ClassVI
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8. Religious programs offered
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10. Quality of Rec Services
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11. The selections available at the S&S book store I visit most often
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12. Fees and charges for recreational activities
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14. Attitude of Rec Services operating personnel
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15. Operating hours of Rec Services activities
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16. The opportunity to do volunteer work
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17. Prices of books and magazines at S&S book stores
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18. Operation of the tours program
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19. Command/Community's effort to reduce crime
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20. Operation of the Gymnasiums
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21. The "Berlin Observer" newspaper
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22. The operation of the bowling alley I visit most often
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23. The time of day programs are heard on AFN-Radio
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24. The type of programs offered on AFN-Radio
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25. The processing I must do at Checkpoints Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie
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The fact that these things got the best overall ratings indicated that people in the command are aware of the opportunities offered by the various recreation services activities, the tours, and sports activities here, and that they are taking advantage of the opportunities to use them.
The fact that the quality of dental care (rated 9) and medical care (rated 13) both made the "top 25" would indicate that the MEDDAC is doing a good job of providing quality medical care to the community. Again that does not mean there are no complaints about these services, but that the large majority surveyed gave them good points for services and community satisfaction.
Other things receiving high marks included the library system (rated 2), the duty train, language instruction where desired and the community's effort to reduce crime. Another point cited as good news was the opportunity to do volunteer work.
The things the community appreciates tend to present a picture of an active group of people who are concerned about the welfare of their community and committed to seeking out its problems and getting involved in their solutions. The comments on the Berlin Observer and AFN show they are aware of what is happening and their concern with the community's effort to reduce crime combined with their willingness to "volunteer" to help bear this out.
They are not a group of sour folk who never have fun, however. They appreciate the recreational services offered in the community and use them regularly. The recreation services parts of the questionnaire had fewer items marked "Undecided" than most other items. This tends to show people know enough about the facility to rate its performance. It also indicates that the facility is being used.
The survey shows there are things in the community that are not being used also. There were a significant number who gave the tour program a neutral rating. It would be a good idea to stop by one of the rec centers and see what is being offered. Those who rated it were favorable by an almost 5-1 majority, so it seems to be a good program that a lot of people aren't using to the fullest extent.
In another article we will look at the things rated less satisfactory. Again, remember that there are people who are dissatisfied with every individual service, but these are the ones the respondents gave the highest overall marks. In the meantime, invest a little effort into finding out what is happening in the city, there may be a lot more good things going on that you know about.
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