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Public survey findings

Public survey findings

Shoreline Master Program Update

» Full survey results

In February 2007, King County commissioned a telephone survey* interviewing 400 residents living in the unincorporated areas of King County to get feedback on:

  • What they thought about the way shorelines are managed;
  • How they value shorelines;
  • And what they feel the goals should be for the future of shorelines in the unincorporated areas of King County.

* The survey was developed by King County's Shoreline Team with consultant Mary V. McGuire and conducted by Consumer Opinion Services.

Key findings

Of the 400 interviews, 55% characterized themselves as living in an area that is more rural than urban, while 30 percent said they lived in an area that is more urban. Total surveyed = 400 people. Responses shown in percentage.

Question: On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 meaning "extremely important" and 1 meaning "not at all important", how important to you personally are King County shorelines, i.e. Puget Sound, lakes, and rivers in King County?

Answers:

Pie chart results to the survey question, How important to you personally are King County shorelines, i.e. Puget Sound, lakes, and rivers in King County?
  • 57.4% - 5, Extremely important
  • 23.3% - 4
  • 12.8% - 3
  • 3.3% - 2
  • 3.3% - 1, Not at all important
Shoreline usage Strongly agree Agree Neither agree or disagree Disagree Strongly disagree

Protecting the environment and ecology of Puget Sound shorelines should be King County's top priority in shoreline management.

51.3% 30.6% 10.1% 5.1% 3.0%

Climate change and global warming will affect shorelines in King County in the next 40 years.

34.4% 29.1% 17.3% 10.0% 9.2%

Providing the public with access to more shoreline areas should be King County's top priority in shoreline management.

22.3% 30.2% 26.9% 14.0% 6.6%

At the present time, there are enough places in King County where the public has access to shoreline areas.

11.9% 26.0% 23.1% 25.5% 13.5%

Providing opportunities to extract and use natural resources, such as gravel or timber, should be King County's top priority in shoreline management.

0.1% 9.6% 20.8% 29.9% 31.7%
Shoreline priorities Strongly agree Agree Neither agree or disagree Disagree Strongly disagree
It is more important to protect the environment and natural habitats than to build new businesses and homes on shorelines in King County. 49.9% 28.4% 11.6% 5.3% 4.8%
It is more important to provide the public with access to shorelines in King County than to protect the environment. 3.0% 5.6% 17.5% 38.8% 35.0%
It is more important to build new businesses and homes on King County shorelines than to provide the public with access to shoreline areas. 1.8% 7.1% 10.1% 36.5% 44.6%

Question: By law, King County is required to protect critical areas, such as wetlands and salmon habitats. The county does this by requiring new and development to be set back from the shoreline edge and allowing only certain land uses in these setback or buffer areas. Do you feel the county should continue to protect critical areas at this level, do more to protect critical areas, or do less to protect critical areas?

Answers:

Pie Chart survey results to the question - Do you feel the county should continue to protect critical areas at this level, do more to protect critical areas, or do less to protect critical areas?
  • 47.5% Do more
  • 30.3% Continue at the same level
  • 18.5% Do less
  • 3.8% Don't know

About the survey

The opinions were gathered in a recent telephone survey as part of the public involvement process for the state-mandated King County Shoreline Master Program update, which is a set of policies and regulations that determines how major shorelines are managed.

  • The telephone survey was conducted between February 19 and March 3, 2007.
  • The survey was developed by King County's Shoreline Team with consultant Mary V. McGuire and conducted by Consumer Opinion Services.
  • The phone survey consisted of interviewing 400 randomly selected residents of the unincorporated areas of King County.
  • The survey has a confidence level of +/-5 %.

» Full survey results

For more information about shoreline management in King County, please contact Laura Casey, environmental scientist, Department of Local Services.

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