Form questions
Resident satisfaction survey questions for an Australian council
Ask 12 to 16 once a year. Never skip the service rating grid, the top priorities and the ward or suburb. The grid shows how each service performs, priorities show where residents want effort, and the ward lets results be compared across the area fairly.
Resident satisfaction survey questions ask people to rate the council services they use, say what should come first, and describe their last contact with the council. These twenty questions are built for an Australian local council, with a ten row service grid at the centre and a ward question so results reach the right councillors and wards can be compared fairly.
The questions
About you
Which ward or suburb do you live in?DropdownRequired
How long have you lived in the area?Single choice
Do you own or rent your home?Single choice
Which age group are you in?Dropdown
Council services
How satisfied are you with each of these services?Rating gridRequired
Rows: waste collection, local roads, footpaths, parks and playgrounds, libraries, sports facilities, community events, planning and permits, street cleaning, customer service. Columns very dissatisfied to very satisfied, plus not used.
Overall, how satisfied are you with the council's performance?Single choice
Ask after the service grid so it reflects services, not mood.
Which service most needs improving?Dropdown
Priorities
Which three areas should the council focus on most?Multiple choiceRequired
Tick three only. Roads, footpaths, parks, environment, community safety, housing, local business, youth, older people, climate.
Is the council heading in the right direction?Single choice
How well does the council consult residents before decisions?Single choice
Contacting the council
Have you contacted the council in the last year?Single choice
How did you contact them?Multiple choice
Phone, email, online form, in person, social media.
How satisfied were you with how your enquiry was handled?Single choice
Was your issue resolved?Single choice
Information and wrap up
How do you prefer to get council news?Multiple choice
How well informed do you feel about council decisions?Single choice
What is one thing the council should change?Long text
Would you like to be part of future consultations?Single choice
Email, if yesEmail
Anything else?Long text
Which questions to make required
Three are required: ward or suburb, the service grid and the top three priorities. Ward lets results be split across the area, which councillors need. The grid is the main measure, and priorities show where residents want resources to go. A required matrix counts once any one row is answered, so analyse each service on the number who rated it. Everything else is optional.
- Which ward or suburb do you live in?
- How satisfied are you with each of these services?
- Which three areas should the council focus on most?
The form built from these questions
A static copy of the finished form, from its own example page.
Three ways to change this bank
For a regional or rural council, add rows for unsealed roads, water supply and emergency management, and offer paper copies through libraries and post offices. For a council doing a library or leisure centre review, replace the service grid with that facility's services and opening hours. For a city council with many renters, add questions on housing affordability and noise. Keep the grid rows and scale the same each year so trends are reliable, and publish results by ward so residents can see their area compared with the rest.
Questions people ask
How often should councils survey residents?
Once a year is common, often at the same time each year so seasonal services such as waste collection are compared fairly. Some states have run statewide council satisfaction surveys, and a council's own survey can add detail on local services and wards.
How do councils get a representative sample?
An open online survey attracts people with strong views. Councils often combine it with a random sample contacted by phone or mail, or weight results by age, gender and ward to match the population. Report how the sample was gathered alongside the results.
Why include a not used option in the service grid?
Many residents do not use every service, such as sports facilities or planning permits. Without a not used option they guess, which distorts the results. Analyse each service on the residents who used it, and report how many that was.
Should councillors see individual responses?
No. Councillors should see results by ward and service, not individual answers, which may contain personal details. Comments can be shared with identifying details removed. Keep the raw data with the council's research or engagement team, and limit access in line with the council's privacy policy.
How should a council report survey results?
Publish a plain language summary with service scores, the top priorities, results by ward and what the council will do next. Compare with last year. Residents who see their feedback used are more likely to take part again, and councillors can point to the results in decisions.
Can residents complete the survey on paper?
They should be able to, especially older residents and those without reliable internet. Paper copies at libraries and customer service centres, with reply paid envelopes, widen participation. Enter paper responses into the same form so all results are analysed together.
Should the survey ask about rates?
Asking whether residents feel they get value for their rates gives a useful headline, but the answer is shaped by the rate itself and the economy. Pair it with the service grid, so the council can see which services drive the value score, and avoid promising changes to rates in the survey.
What is the difference between consultation and a satisfaction survey?
A satisfaction survey measures how services are performing across the board. Consultation asks for views on a specific proposal, such as a park upgrade, before a decision is made. Both matter, and asking about consultation in the satisfaction survey shows whether residents feel heard.
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On writing the questions themselves, read How to create a survey, from the decision back to the questions. For everything the builder can do, see the form maker. Step by step: Create a conversational form with AI, then View, export and manage your responses.
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