Challenge
Using 311 Complaints to Improve Conditions of Communities
However, we know that people do not complain at the same rate. Some of this may simply be a function of the problems they are exposed to - a neighborhood with better conditions should illicit fewer complaints per person. At the same time, two individuals facing similar conditions may have different responses based on their expectations for what the conditions should be. For instance, an individual accustomed to seeing rodents in their building may be less likely to complain than someone seeing a rodent in their apartment for the first time. In addition, individuals may be have different levels of trust in government, differing expectations that the government will actually respond, and socio-cultural traits that make them more or less likely to report a problem.