What Do Community Surveys Do for the Average Resident? [Video]

- NRC Q&A -

Community surveys are widely-used tools for city leaders to engage with and gather feedback from their residents. We talk a lot about how these assessments help local governments do their job, but what does the average resident get out of taking a community survey? NRC's marketing team Angelica Wedell and Keifer Johnson are both residents of municipalities that conduct surveys.  In this video, they explain how everyday citizens like them see the benefits of a community survey.

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Make their voices heard

City and town leaders have a lot happening in their day-to-day work, and residents can sometimes feel like their opinion is lost in the bureaucratic noise. Community surveys show residents that their government cares about providing quality services and bettering the lives of people living there. By conducting surveys, municipalities prove that the opinions of all their residents matter to them.

A survey lets residents see that their voices are heard and that community leaders are paying attention.

Bring them into the decision-making process

Time restraints can keep some residents from engaging with their local government, leaving them out of decision-making processes. Not everyone can make the time to go to city council meetings. Even though many people aren’t able to attend public meetings and forums, they would still like to have a say in what is happening in their city. Having the opportunity to take a survey on their own time allows those otherwise voiceless community members to participate in the city’s discussions.

Boost confidence in their leaders’ choices

Surveys offer local governments hard data on what residents are thinking. When leaders use this data for planning and legislation, the public can trust that their government is making good decisions for the community as a whole. Instead of revealing the opinions of only the few residents who go to every council meeting, survey data covers a much broader group.  Thanks to scientific surveys, every resident can feel confident that the community overall is well represented.

Reap the rewards of a better place to live

Because community surveys give such great insights for city management, leaders can make initiatives and take action in ways directly guided by the results. Residents are then left with the improvements that arose because they were able to voice their wants. In the end, the survey leads to better livability and a higher quality of life, which is what anyone would want.

Related Articles:

• Residents of Every Generation Reveal What Makes a Community Worth Recommending
• Should Communities be Conducting Resident Surveys Online?
• 5 Ways Local Governments Can Use Survey Data