Survey of Jūrmala Residents: 87% of Residents Satisfied with Quality of Life in Jūrmala

In a 2020 survey of Jūrmala residents conducted by the public opinion research centre SKDS, 87% of Jūrmala residents said that they were satisfied with life in Jūrmala when assessing the living environment and the availability of services, while 94% said that they did not plan to move to another city. The work of the Jūrmala City Council was rated positively by 61% of residents, the highest assessment of the council’s work in the past 20 years.

The improvement in assessments of the council’s work over time has been significant: in 2009, only 13% rated the council’s work positively, while 63% of respondents rated it negatively. In the survey of residents conducted this summer, 61% of Jūrmala residents expressed a positive assessment of the council’s work, while 24% expressed a negative assessment.

 

The municipality conducts public opinion surveys to ascertain residents’ assessments and recommendations regarding such areas of municipal work as city management and improvement, the promotion of culture, sport and a healthy lifestyle, opportunities for public participation in decision-making within the municipality and other aspects of city life. Residents’ assessments indicate to the municipality which areas require greater attention and help determine work priorities.

 

Public transport services and cleanliness in the city receive the highest ratings

When assessing various areas of municipal work, Jūrmala residents gave the highest rating to the availability of city public transport services, with 85.2% satisfied with them. Since 2018, the municipality has provided all Jūrmala residents with free travel on city buses, as well as school buses to ensure safe travel to school.

 

The second-highest rating was given to cleanliness in the city, which 83.3% of residents assessed positively. A total of 77.3% were satisfied with the availability of everyday services (food and household goods shops, pharmacies, ATMs and cafés), while 75.7% of Jūrmala residents were satisfied with cultural life and entertainment opportunities.

 

Improving the city is the area most important to residents

This year, a larger number of residents gave a positive assessment of the municipality’s work to improve the city (road repairs, children’s playgrounds, city cleanliness, landscaping and similar activities): in 2018, 38% of residents rated this work positively, compared with 48% this year.

 

At the same time, residents identify repairs to streets, roads and pavements as the most important work they expect from the municipality. This year, a total of 5.4 million euros will be invested in maintaining, constructing and repairing roads, pavements, street infrastructure and courtyards in Jūrmala, both from the municipal budget and by attracting co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund and earmarked grants allocated by the state. The municipality also redirected funds to street repairs from planned cultural events that were cancelled due to the restrictions imposed in the country.

 

Residents give positive assessments to the resolution of social problems

More than one-third of respondents—34.3%—gave a positive assessment of the municipality’s work in resolving social problems. Among social support measures, the highest ratings were given to free lunches for all schoolchildren and kindergarten pupils, and a €100 benefit for Jūrmala seniors to purchase medicines or pay for doctor’s appointments—these measures were noted by 98% of Jūrmala residents. A total of 97% of residents indicated that a 90% reduction in real estate tax on land properties and a €500 benefit for newborns were important. Likewise, a majority of Jūrmala residents (96%) regarded free public transport in the city as an important form of municipal support, while 90% of respondents indicated that free health-promotion activities (Nordic walking, yoga and other classes) were important support from the municipality.

 

Cultural and sporting opportunities receive positive assessments

Although most of the planned cultural and sporting events were cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, 75.7% of respondents were satisfied with cultural life and leisure events in Jūrmala, while 61.4% of Jūrmala residents were satisfied with sporting life, including the availability of sporting activities.

 

The city’s most popular celebration is the Jūrmala Resort Festival, which was attended by 52.9% of Jūrmala residents, followed by the Jomas Street Festival (51.8% of respondents) and the Kauguri Festival (51.0%). More than half of the Jūrmala residents surveyed had attended cultural events at the Dzintari Concert Hall during the past year, while one-third had attended cultural and leisure events at the renovated Melluži Open-Air Stage and exhibitions at the Dubulti Art Station.

 

In the area of sporting events, residents gave positive assessments to the Jūrmala Colour Run, the Jūrmala Running Festival at the Jūrmala Beach Centre and the Jūrmala Cycling Marathon, organised in previous years, as well as to a beach volleyball leg of the International Volleyball Federation’s World Tour.

 

The city’s popular cultural, leisure and sporting events are also attended every year by a large number of visitors, and the municipality will continue to plan them in the future.

 

More than one-third of respondents satisfied with opportunities to participate in decision-making

Almost half of Jūrmala residents—49%—say that they are well informed about the municipality’s work. Overall, 35% of residents were satisfied with opportunities for public participation in the decision-making of the Jūrmala City Council (participation in public consultations, residents’ advisory councils, working groups and so on), compared with 32% in 2018.

 

As in previous years, the survey data show that Jūrmala residents’ interest in becoming involved in municipal work is very low: only 5.4% of respondents had participated in one of the public consultations, 2.2% had attended council meetings, 3% of the Jūrmala residents surveyed had attended a meeting with the chair of the council or councillors, and 14% had visited municipal specialists during their public reception hours. The municipality calls on Jūrmala residents to be more active and participate in public consultations and council meetings. This year, residents are invited to take an active part in developing Jūrmala’s development programme by participating in thematic working groups.

 

About the survey

The survey of Jūrmala residents was conducted by the public opinion research centre SKDS through face-to-face interviews at respondents’ homes, surveying 890 residents aged 18 to 75.

 

The survey results are available at www.jurmala.lv under “Municipality” – “Research”.