National Citizen Survey Data Shows Schaumburg as an Excellent Place to Live and Raise a Family
Feedback from residents who completed Schaumburg's recent National Citizen Survey™ (NCS) indicate that 95 percent of respondents view the village as an excellent or good place to live. In addition, the survey shows that Schaumburg offers a thriving economy, a positive overall image and appearance, and serves as a great place to raise a family thanks to schools, parks, and the library that all ranked greater than national averages.
The village sought opinions and feedback from residents by conducting the National Citizen Survey™ (NCS) in the fall of 2016 to ensure Schaumburg continues on a path of growth and improvement. The survey, which was designed based on experience of hundreds of local governments, was sent to a random sample of 1,500 households. Participants were asked to provide feedback on the quality and usefulness of village services.
Additional statistics of the survey showed 97 percent of residents gave particularly high ratings to the village's public safety services; 95 percent of respondents would recommend the village as a good or excellent place to live; 93 percent agreed Schaumburg was an excellent or good place to raise children, which is higher than the national benchmark; and 92 percent rated the village's overall appearance as good or excellent.
Respondents rated public safety and the economy as the most important priorities for the village for the next couple years. The village exceeded national benchmarks in these areas and a number of other benchmarks with 97 percent of residents feeling safe in their neighborhoods. Other areas where the village received strong ratings were economic development, shopping opportunities, the quality of new development, education and enrichment and recreation and wellness.
"The village is pleased with the data collected from the National Citizen Survey as this information is a key indicator of how the village is performing and what direction we should move in based on resident opinions and feedback," said Village Manager Brian Townsend.
In addition to gathering valuable data from the community, the survey identified new priorities for the village which include:
1. Continuing investment in local streets;
2. Reducing the tax burden;
3. Easing the cost of living;
4. Increasing transit awareness; and
5. Improving traffic flow and signal timing.
The village previously conducted the survey in 2014 to a random sampling of residents. Since that time, the results have been used to shape strategic planning and define budget goals. By resurveying residents, the village was able to assess its progress and determine areas for future improvement.
In 2014, residents identified the need for additional investment in local street repair as a priority for the village to focus on in the coming years. Over the last three years, the village has increased its local street repair program from $5.5 million to $6.375 million to $8 million in the 2017 Capital Improvement Plan that was approved by the Village Board in January.
In the 2016 survey results, the percentage of residents responding positively to street repair increased by 10 percent from the 2014 survey. Data from the 2016 survey also showed an increase of residents who are more likely to stay in Schaumburg and an increase of those who have a greater sense of community.
The National Citizen Survey™ is a collaborative effort between the National Research Center, Inc., (NRC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The survey and its administration are standardized to assure high quality research methods and directly comparable results across The NCS™ communities. Schaumburg was one of more than 350 jurisdictions in the U.S. to participate in the survey process in 2016. For more information on the survey, visit http://bit.ly/28JlleG or contact Clayton Black at cblack@villageofschaumburg.com or (847) 923-4702.