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Understanding and Interpreting the Survey Results
Survey results provide the greatest value when you understand the results and their use
as a tool that contributes to the effective management of court operations. This document
will guide you through the basic survey reports and provide direction on interpreting the
data.
* CAUTION: please note that it is important to interpret these results
with the following in mind:
The survey responses are based on a person's perception, rather than hard facts.
The survey questions are general and do not provide enough information to suggest a
direct improvement or change, therefore further study may be needed. For example, if
there are a high percentage of negative responses to the timeliness question, the actual
cause of the weakness may not be easily identifiable, and may need further study to
ascertain the underlying cause.
Survey results may not be valid for those sections/pages of the report where the number
of people who responded to the survey is less than 20, or Respondents = a number less
than 20. For those sections/pages displaying less than 20 respondents (Respondents = 19
or less), a warning message notes that the results should be interpreted with caution.
The CPMS Survey Results should be interpreted for statewide response sections/pages only.
Currently most, if not all response numbers reported on the County Totals pages are low
(less than 20 responses), and the results may not be valid.
Court Access and Court Fairness: Survey Summary Page
The Court Access and Court Fairness sections present summaries of the responses for survey
questions on court access and court fairness.
Response Ratings
Respondents: displays the total number of court users who responded to the
on-line survey from January 2006 through the current month.
Rating Scales: Two color-coded bar charts provide a visual illustration of
the response percentage and the response count for each question on the Summary page.
The response percentage and response count are calculated for each question by
combining the "Strongly Agree" and "Agree" responses together, and the "Strongly
Disagree" and "Disagree" responses together to obtain the response count, and then
dividing each response count by the total number of respondents (Respondents =).
For example, for the question below, the "Strongly Agree/Agree" response count is
36 and the response percentage is calculated: 36/91= 40%:
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Respondents = 91
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"Parking at the courthouse was easy" |
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| Response |
Respondents |
Response Count |
Response Percentage |
| Strongly Disagree |
14 |
| Disagree |
24 |
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38 |
42% Strongly Disagree/Disagree |
| Neutral |
15 |
|
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| Agree |
25 |
| Strongly Agree |
36 |
|
38 |
40% Strongly Agree/Agree |
| N/A |
2 |
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| Total |
91 |
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Interpreting Response Ratings
The results for questions within the court access and fairness Summary sections can
provide information on the strengths and weakness for certain areas of the court
system. In interpreting each question in these sections, if 50% or more of the
responses to a question are positive (Strongly Agree/Agree), then that particular
area suggests strength. If 35% or more of the responses were negative (Strongly
Disagree/Disagree), then that suggests an area that may need attention.
The above approach is also useful in interpreting the overall ratings for the
Summary sections, an average overall positive rating of at least 50% for the section
would suggest strength in this general area. On the other hand, an average overall
negative rating of at least 35% may suggest more opportunities for improvement.
For example, an average overall positive rating of 62% on the court fairness section
indicates that the majority of respondents perceived the court system as being fair
and responsive. However, an average overall negative rating of 38% suggests an area
worth exploring further.
Court Access and Court Fairness: Survey Details Page
This page presents a more detailed summary of the results for individual questions selected from
the court access or court fairness Summary sections. Comparable data are also shown for questions
on respondents with courthouse matters and involvement.
Response Ratings
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Respondents: displayed at the top of the detail page is the total number of court users who
responded to the on-line survey from January 2006 through the current month.
Rating Scales: The color-coded bar chart at the top of the Details page displays the percentage
and count of respondents who selected a rating of either "Strongly Disagree," "Disagree," "Neutral,"
"Agree," "Strongly Agree," or "N/A" for the selected question. The red bars represent the percent of
negative responses (Strongly Disagree and "Disagree), the blue bars represent the percent of positive
responses (Strongly Agree and Agree), and the yellow bars indicate the percent of neutral and no
response ratings (NA). The response percentage is shown inside each corresponding bar and the response
count is displayed on the chart below each corresponding bar, and is the total number of responses for
each item.
The response percentage for the selected question is calculated by dividing each response count by the
total number (Respondents =) of responses for that question. For example, if 10 out of 50 respondents
chose the response item "Strongly Agree," the response percentage of those respondents choosing "Strongly
Agree" is 10/50 or 20%.
The two color-coded bar charts at the bottom of the Details page display percentage results for two survey
questions on respondents with courthouse matters and involvement who "Strongly Disagree/Disagree" or
"Strongly Agree/Agree" with the selected question.
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Interpreting Response Ratings
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In interpreting the Details section of the report, you may find that there are patterns across the
individual questions. The table below provides an example of the relationships between responses
for the selected question on courtesy and respect and two of the selection choices from the
courthouse matters question. The selected fairness question is displayed as row labels and the
two response choices for the courthouse matters question as column headings.
Comparing this data reveals that of those respondents with superior court matters, only 38%
perceived court personnel as respectful and courteous, compared to 67% of respondents with district
court non-domestic matters:
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Respondent Background and Description - Survey Summary
The results on this Summary page are displayed in table form showing the response count and percentage
of respondent’s who reported background and description information on age, gender, race, and education,
as well as times to the courthouse. Two color-coded bar charts also display the response count and percentage
of respondents with courthouse matters and courthouse involvement.
* For a more detailed analysis of the CPMS Survey Results, or for comments or questions about the survey results,
please contact us at:
court.performance@nccourts.org
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