Alicante, 9 September 2022. The IV Barometer of the satisfaction of public services, promoted by the Observatory of urban services (OSUR) reflects that municipal public services in the city of Alicante satisfy 75% of citizens, a result identical to that obtained in III OSUR Barometer, in 2019. This figure places the city 12 percentage points above the Spanish average (63%). With these data, Alicante’s public services consolidate the distance, positively, from the 2019 data, where only 49% of citizens said they were satisfied.
It stands out that all services show the consolidation of the good marks obtained in the large survey that OSUR conducted in the Valencian Community in 2021. The score of all the Alicante municipal services analyzed is above the national average. These results place Alicante in 6th place in the list of the 30 most populous Spanish municipalities analyzed in the OSUR study, and with this increase it climbs 10 places compared to the previous edition.
The councilor for street cleaning and the environment, Manuel Villar, showed his satisfaction “for the positive evaluation offered by the inhabitants of Alicante regarding their basic public services in a percentage that reaches 75%, and that in comparison with the 30 most cities in Spain, it rises from position 16 to 6, demonstrating the work that is being done to improve day after day the benefits that the Municipality offers to its neighbors ”.
“However, we are aware that we still have things to do and to improve until an optimal service is reached, an issue on which we have worked throughout this mandate in a process of renewal of the large municipal contracts, introducing solutions to the deficits that we have detected and that citizens they are moving to us, ”Villar said.
The highest rated service is water supply, with an acceptance rate of 79%, 5% higher than the national average. Although all aspects remain the same, or exceed 70%, the most appreciated is operational management (pressure, continuity of service, cash operations, etc.), with 75% satisfied.
Service public transport obtains 73% satisfaction, in line with the results of the surveys carried out by the Observatory in 2018 and 2021. Thirteen points above the national average. Of this service, practically all the items are about 70 points: the state of cleanliness and conservation of public transport, the frequency of urban bus timetables, access to neighborhoods, among others.
The alicanti finished third in the service of waste and waste collection, with 65% acceptance. This is 5% higher than the national average. Its most appreciated aspect is the frequency of the garbage collection service, with 62% favorable opinions, while the worst aspect is the customer service in case of accidents, with 44% satisfied and 34% dissatisfied.
With the same result, the city consolidates the growth seen in 2021 in the service of care of parks and gardens, and the conservation of public spaces and sports facilities, with 65% satisfaction, or 10% more than the national average. The most appreciated aspect is the state of the sports facilities, with 60% of satisfaction, and the least appreciated is the care of the green areas, with a satisfied / dissatisfied ratio of 46/45.
Finally, the street cleaning with 59% satisfaction, it is 8 points above the national average. Alicante residents disapprove of cleaning pet droppings, with 45% dissatisfaction, and approve of cleaning sidewalks and streets in their area, with 54% satisfaction.
Lorenzo Dávila, director general of OSUR, stressed that “the citizens of Alicante show general satisfaction with their public services, with water supply as the most appreciated service, followed by transport. As already highlighted by the 2021 barometer, both street cleaning, a weak point of past editions, and waste collection consolidate their new image in the perception of citizens and are above the average by more than ten points ”.
The results of this fourth edition of the Barometer are the result of the survey conducted by the ODC on 5,210 people between 4 July and 8 August 2022, with the aim of reflecting their views on public services in the 30 most populous municipalities of the country: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Bilbao, Alicante, Córdoba, Valladolid, Vigo, Gijón, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Vitoria, In Coruña, Granada, Elche, Oviedo, Terrassa, Badalona, Cartagena, Jerez de la Frontera, Sabadell, Móstoles, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Pamplona and Alcalá de Henares.
About OSUR – AESP
The Observatory on Urban Services (OSUR) is a platform belonging to the Association for the Excellence of Public Services (AESP) which wants to become a speaker of citizens’ opinions on its municipal services. We want to defend the interests of taxpayers so that they receive excellent services in the most daily aspects of their daily life, which are precisely the services that the Municipalities must provide. At OSUR we focus on analyzing how cleaning, transportation, water, lighting and other services that depend on city councils are provided.
