Public Services

While issues such as housing, education, taxes, jobs, services, and health care are fundamental to quality of life, there are many other amenities that enrich our day-to-day existence. These include shopping, recreation, dining, sports, and entertainment activities. One of the objectives of this benchmark survey was to measure the extent to which respondents take advantage of these community services.

The profile of activities that emerges from these data reflects lifestyles that are full and rely on frequent access to a wide variety of services.

Perhaps the most important activity is grocery shopping. Eighty-six percent of all respondents report that their last trip to the grocery store was less than a week ago. In addition to grocery shopping, two out of three respondents visited another store within the previous week. Half paid a visit to a fast-food restaurant and 53% patronized a sit-down restaurant within the week. Two out of three people visited a park within the previous month and one person in five visited a public golf course. Two respondents in five visited a library some time during the previous month.

Respondents make far fewer visits to museums and public swimming pools. For half of
this population, their last trip to a museum or swimming pool was more than a year ago. Just one person in six visited a public pool during the previous month and one in seven took in
a museum.


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