The Urban Futures Opinion Survey was designed to find long-term trends in the relative importance of a number of community and regional issues. It was conducted in 1990 through personal interviews with 1,300 randomly selected residents of Greater Vancouver. Respondents were asked to rate 54 different public issues based on a scale ranging from unimportant to critically important.
The survey helps to highlight areas of public concern where greater attention is required, as well as those areas where the public feels issues are being adequately handled. It also helps to show what kinds of actions the public would support to address critical issues. The survey was conducted by Tantalus Research under the direction of Dr. Walter Hardwick. Partially funded by the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, it replicated a similar 1973 study.
Here is a summary of the 1990 Urban Future Survey findings:
Summary of 1990 Greater Vancouver Urban Futures Opinion Survey
The 2012 Urban Futures Survey is the third iteration of this program. While the previous surveys were conducted in person and via telephone, the 2012 survey is being conducted online, utilizing PlaceSpeak, a location-based public consultation platform developed by the late Dr. Hardwick’s daughter, Colleen.