In January 2016 the City of Cedar Rapids asked a sample of residents to participate in The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS™). The survey was designed to provide a baseline of how the city government is serving residents, to gauge perceptions of the city, and to make comparisons with peer cities. The survey centers on community livability and includes questions about the quality of life in the community, local policies, demographics, rating of local government services and resident use of services.

Survey results measure public perceptions and areas of interest for residents. Overall results show residents value the economy and safety as their top priorities, and Cedar Rapids compares favorably to other benchmark cities. The complete NCS Community Livability Report is available here.

“It is important for us to gather information about the needs and perceptions of our citizens in order to ensure decisions are reflective of the public’s interests,” said Jeff Pomeranz, Cedar Rapids City Manager. “The survey results show City Council goals are on track with the interests of residents, and highlight some areas where we can continue to improve”

City Council and staff will utilize results from the survey to help with future visioning and goal setting.

About The National Citizen Survey:

The City of Cedar Rapids contracted with National Research Center, Inc. to participate in The NCS™, an instrument that was developed in partnership with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in 2001 to provide cities with a low-cost, high-quality method to conduct market research.

The National Citizen Survey™ (The NCS™) was among the first scientific surveys developed to gather resident opinion on a range of community issues, and has been used in more than 350 jurisdictions across 46 states. The NCS™ is a high-quality cost-effective scientific survey of resident opinion and an important benchmarking tool that allows for comparison among communities. Communities using The NCS™ have reported that the tool helped improve performance, strengthen communications with community stakeholders, and identify clear priorities for use in goal and budget setting.