Central Highlanders favour Facebook

When it comes to finding out about council news, projects and events, Central Highlanders favour Facebook a recent survey has found.

The survey asked residents to rank their preferred media channels for different council topics, as well as how often they’d like to receive updates.

An external research consultant collated and analysed the findings.

‘Facebook was the clear winner, coming out on top for all categories except weather alerts where SMS was preferred,’ CEO Scott Mason said.

Other popular channels included:

The preferred frequency of updates varied depending on the topic.

Mr Mason said the survey revealed residents also want to see an improvement in the quality of information they receive from council.

‘Particularly, participants would like more accurate and transparent reporting of council meetings and the outcomes from these meetings,’ he said.

‘Transparency and integrity are key corporate values to this organisation, which is why we wanted to know what you want to know and how.

‘There’s no point putting things where they won’t be seen, so this will ensure we prioritise the correct communication channels and direct our efforts where it matters most.’

Mr Mason said the results and potential strategies to improve council’s communications were discussed at a workshop with councillors this week.

‘This kind of feedback is pure gold so thank you to everyone that participated,’ he said.

Download the full survey results

Download the demographics addendum