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HCP Associates Partners with Florida Institute of Government at USF to Conduct Sarasota Citizen Survey

SARASOTA, Fla. (September 13, 2018) Dr. Susan MacManus, a longtime political science professor at the University of South Florida retired in the Spring of 2018 after 47 years of service. MacManus has typically led the Sarasota County Citizens’ Opinion Survey, but HCP was suggested by MacManus’ longtime project associate Dr. Susan Schuler to take over the project moving forward.

HCP Associates announced a succession plan back in March 2018 to expand their research capabilities with the addition of the veteran research firm Susan Schuler & Associates.

HCP’s research team fielded the survey, performed statistical analysis, and worked with the Florida Institute of Government (FIOG) on reporting. Sarah Lindemuth, Senior Research Director at HCP Associates presented the 2018 findings to the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners earlier this week. The FIOG has been working on this survey for over 10 years.

The Sarasota County Citizens’ Opinion Survey has been an annual study and will be conducted in 2018 for the 27th time. Respondents are asked about specific topics and how they affect their quality-of-life in Sarasota County. The survey is used to recognize residents’ views on the need for efficiency and effectiveness of a wide array of public services and policies. The survey also acts as a gauge to county services like the responsiveness of public officials to citizen inquiries. The methodology has been the same as previous years; a telephone survey of a random sampling of 800 residents 18 or older.

“We appreciate the opportunity to collect and report quality life data from Sarasota residents in partnership with the Florida Institute of Government at USF. The information will help aid local government officials prioritize what is best for the community, says Sean Coniglio, Managing Partner of HCP Associates.”

For more information about the Sarasota County Citizen Opinion Survey, please visit https://www.scgov.net/government/county-administration/citizen-survey.