The #miVozmiCiudad Virtual Survey is a new measurement and monitoring initiative by the Corona Foundation and the Red de Ciudades Cómo Vamos (How Are We Doing Cities Network), which collects information on citizen perception and quality of life to provide input for decision-making during the current COVID-19 situation.

#miVozmiCiudad is a complement to the traditional Citizen Perception Survey of the Cómo Vamos programs, which uses digital tools and social networks as innovative mechanisms for measuring and analyzing citizen information, amidst the conditions of preventive isolation.

The Virtual Survey will have three measurement phases, from July 2020 to March 2021, allowing continuous monitoring of citizens' perceptions and priorities, highlighting changes in behavior and needs during the pandemic.

In its first phase, #miVozmiCiudad (My Voice My City) involved 17 Cómo Vamos programs and collected information in 34 municipalities across the country. This phase surveyed citizens on 11 different topics, including employment, health, security, and civic behavior, among others. Over a three-week period, the opinions of more than 60,000 citizens of varying ages, geographic areas, and socioeconomic levels in our cities were gathered.

National findings:

• Subjective poverty reaches high levels in several cities across the country. The percentage of people who identified as poor exceeds 40% in several of the cities surveyed, such as Quibdó (46.3%), Montería (46.1%), Cartagena (43.9%), Buenaventura (43.1%), and Barranquilla (40.5%). When analyzed by socioeconomic level, the lowest strata (1 and 2) report the highest percentages of subjective poverty, reaching 40%, while in the middle strata (3 and 4) this figure reaches 20%, and in the highest strata (5 and 6) it reaches 8%.

  
  

• Pessimism prevails in most of the cities surveyed. More than 40% of the population surveyed expressed feeling that things are going badly, compared to 30% who believe the opposite. While Montería is the only city where more than 50% of the population believes things are going well, in Armenia and Cúcuta, nearly 7 out of 10 citizens perceive that things are going badly. By age group, the percentage of people over 56 years old is more optimistic (41%), while those in the 18-25 age range (25%) have lower levels of optimism regarding the current situation in their cities.

  
  

• Dissatisfaction with educational services is prevalent during the quarantine. Cities such as Quibdó, Buenaventura, Cartagena, and Cúcuta showed the highest levels of dissatisfaction among surveyed citizens. Regarding satisfaction, Barranquilla is the capital city with the highest levels, followed by Santa Marta and Montería. An analysis by socioeconomic level revealed no significant variation in the perception of satisfaction and dissatisfaction across different socioeconomic strata.

  
  

• The mental health of young people deteriorated more during quarantine than that of adults over 56. Compared to physical health (26%), a higher percentage of respondents reported a decline in their mental health (36%). By age group, the percentage of young people between 18 and 25 years old who reported that their mental health was worse compared to before quarantine was higher (45%) than the percentage of those over 56 (28%). In cities like Barranquilla and Bogotá, more than 50% of young people surveyed reported a decline in their mental health during quarantine.

  
  

• The effects of the pandemic can be an opportunity to promote sustainable mobility in the country's cities. Comparing the use of modes of transport such as cycling and walking before and after lockdowns, an increase in the willingness to use these modes was identified in all the cities surveyed. In Bogotá, Santa Marta, and Cali, the change in bicycle use before and after quarantine showed the greatest increase, while in cities like Montería, Manizales, and Cúcuta, a greater willingness to walk was evident among the citizens surveyed after the lockdown.

  
  

• In most cities, surveyed citizens reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods. In cities like Pereira, Manizales, Medellín, and in the provinces of Socorro, San Gil, Vélez, and Barbosa in Santander, more than 50% of citizens reported feeling safe or very safe in their neighborhoods. Conversely, in cities like Cúcuta (58.4%) and Quibdó (50.1%), the situation was the opposite, with more than 50% of respondents reporting feeling unsafe or very unsafe. These levels of perceived safety may be closely related to victimization by crime, since in cities like Manizales, Pereira, Medellín, and Montería, the percentage of respondents who reported having been victims of a crime did not exceed 15%, while in cities like Cúcuta (33.4%), Buenaventura (27.0%), Bogotá, Quibdó, Cartagena, and Cali, it exceeded 20%.

  
  

• Citizens surveyed are more satisfied with how the mayor's office communicates decisions than with citizen participation during the quarantine. In cities like Medellín, Cartagena, and Bogotá, more than 50% of respondents expressed satisfaction with how the mayor's office communicated decisions during the lockdown, while in cities like Cúcuta, Tuluá, Provincias, Cajicá, and Tocancipá, satisfaction did not exceed 15%. Regarding citizen consultation and participation, only in Cartagena did satisfaction exceed 50%, while in the other surveyed cities, satisfaction did not reach 40%, and in cities like Cúcuta and Armenia, it barely reached 11%.

  
  

• Conflicts related to public services, healthcare, and debt management were prevalent. In all cities where the survey was conducted, the majority of people denied having experienced any conflict during the lockdown period. However, the most frequently reported conflicts were related to public services, healthcare, and debt management. Regarding conflicts related to public services, Bucaramanga and Cajicá registered the highest percentages of people who reported having a conflict related to this issue, both exceeding 50%. Of those surveyed who reported having a conflict, less than 15% stated that they had contacted an entity to resolve it.

  
  

• Citizens perceive negative behaviors regarding biosecurity measures. In general, most citizens have a negative perception of other citizens' behavior on issues such as mask use, staying home during lockdown, and social distancing in public spaces and transportation, reflecting a high level of distrust in responsibility and care during the pandemic. Maintaining social distance in the street and on public transportation is the behavior that registers the highest percentage of negative perception compared to mask use and staying home. Manizales and Medellín are the cities where the perception of others' behavior in relation to the different aspects analyzed was most positive; however, the percentages of positive perception remain low.

  
  

• High levels of disapproval are evident in the handling of the pandemic by local governments. In most cities, surveyed citizens expressed high levels of dissatisfaction with how municipal governments have addressed the coronavirus emergency. The situation in cities like Cúcuta (75.4%), Tuluá (63.4%), and Armenia (63.3%) is particularly concerning, registering the highest levels of dissatisfaction among surveyed citizens. However, in cities like Medellín (53.7%), Cartagena (49.6%), Zipaquirá (47.6%), and Chía (46.9%), citizens reported greater satisfaction with the performance of their local governments. These levels do not vary across different socioeconomic levels, but they do differ by age group. While adults over 56 years of age reported satisfaction levels close to 46%, those in the 18-25 age range reported levels around 32%.

Learn more about the results of the 1st measurement of the #myVoicemyCity Virtual Survey

Results Dashboard - 1st Measurement Virtual Survey #myVoicemyCity

Presentation of results - 1st measurement Virtual Survey #myVoicemyCity

Results infographics - 1st measurement Virtual Survey #myVoicemyCity

Press release - results of the 1st measurement of the #myVoicemyCity Virtual Survey

Technical specifications - Virtual Survey #myVoicemyCity