The survey also demonstrates Dunedin residents have become more satisfied with the look and feel of the city.
Survey results have been broken down by quarter for the first time and they appear in the agenda for next week’s Dunedin City Council strategy, planning and engagement committee meeting.
In 2021, the survey provided a telling sign the mayoralty of Aaron Hawkins was in trouble in the eyes of the public, as just a quarter of those surveyed were satisfied with the performance of the mayor and councillors, down from 40% on a year earlier.
The latest quarterly results seem to show satisfaction with the mayor and councillors has improved since the election, and sits at 36% in the April-June 2023 quarter.
It was at 27% in the same quarter a year earlier, followed by 31%, then 39% in the October-December quarter and 32% in the first quarter of 2023.
That would appear to line up with a honeymoon period for Mr Radich, followed by some wobbles and perhaps then a degree of stabilisation.
Missteps of the new mayor have included a mixed run championing the city’s need for a fit-for-purpose new hospital in the face of government cuts to the vision.
The survey, carried out by GravitasOPG, has a target sample size of 1200 residents each year, and most questions were answered by between 300 and 400 people each quarter.
The shift in sentiment about the look and feel of the city was the only change considered to be statistically significant.
Asked about planning and urban design, overall satisfaction of people surveyed increased to 62% in the October-December 2022 quarter, up from 47% in the previous quarter.
It then settled at 60% in the first two quarters of 2023.
The October-December quarter coincided with completion of the Farmers block in the upgrade of George St.
Of 50 comments extracted from December survey results, 20% specifically commented positively on George St and 4% expressed disappointment, the council said.
The performance of the council was given a slating by residents across several categories in 2021 and the overall satisfaction rating for the organisation dropped 14 points to 40% on a year earlier.
New quarterly results show satisfaction at 45% and 46% in the quarters leading up to the election and 52% since.
Some satisfaction levels have remained steady, such as in the mid-20s for roading-related infrastructure and in the mid-70s for sports and recreation facilities.
Roading-related infrastructure maintained a consistently high level of dissatisfaction, landing on 42% in the April-June 2023 quarter.
