CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Receive the 2026 National Community Survey presentation by Polco
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DEPARTMENT: City Manager’s Office
SUBMITTED BY: Marcie Schatz, Assistant to the City Manager
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The City’s Bridge to 2023 Priorities Plan recommended that the City conduct a statistically valid resident survey every two or three years to give decision makers an assessment of resident satisfaction.
In 2023, the City partnered with Polco, an independent research firm and civic engagement company, to launch the National Community Survey (NCS) in Naperville. The City used the 2023 survey results to create the Naperville 2027: Investing in Our Community Priorities Plan. The plan prioritizes future improvements based on residents' highest values and concerns.
The City contracted with Polco again this year to administer the 2026 survey. The 2026 NCS retains the 2023 core questions, modifying only the half-page of custom queries. This consistency allows the City to compare the two datasets directly and identify statistically significant shifts in resident opinion.
The survey captures feedback across ten facets of community livability, including but not limited to safety, economy, mobility and community design. It is used by more than 400 government entities across the country to gain resident perceptions about their community’s quality of life and services. Using the same survey allows staff the ability to benchmark Naperville results against other government entities.
The NCS utilized random sampling via direct-mail postcards to ensure a statistically valid survey. The City also conducted an Open Participation Survey through a link on the City’s website. The Open Participation Survey results are included in the final report but are separate from the statistically significant sample.
DISCUSSION:
The City is happy to report that Naperville remains one of the highest-rated communities as a place to live (95% satisfaction), raise children (96%) and feel safe (94%). Naperville's quality of life received excellent or good ratings from 94% of survey respondents.
Key findings include:
• Community members give high ratings to Naperville as a place to live and raise children
• Residents continue to feel safe throughout Naperville and give high ratings to the City’s public safety services
• Residents highly rate Naperville’s economy, while affordability remains an area for improvement
• Residents rated mobility services highly, with ease of travel varying by transportation mode and opportunities for improvement across some modes
• Appearance and community design were highly rated despite modest declines in some planning measures
• Residents voiced strong support for educational and cultural offerings with the Library topping the ratings
Consistent with the 2023 survey, Naperville again receives higher ratings on 103 of 123 of the survey questions when compared with national benchmarks.
The 2026 survey also signals some challenges that require greater evaluation including statistically significant reductions in resident perceptions of economic opportunity, mobility, government responsiveness, and certain City services. City staff will evaluate the survey data in conjunction with other data, performance measures, projects, and activities to begin to develop the priorities for City Council consideration at a September or October City Council meeting.
The full report <https://www.naperville.il.us/residents/2026-national-community-survey-ncs/> is available on the City’s website.
Polco staff will present the survey results at the City Council meeting and answer any questions. The presentation has been updated from the version issued with the July 30 Manager’s Memorandum to provide additional comparable data.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Budget impacts will be dependent on City priorities.