OVERVIEW

The National Community Survey™ (The NCS™) report is about the “livability” of Richland. A livable community is a place that is not simply habitable, but that is desirable. It is not only where people do live, but where they want to live.

The survey was developed by the experts from the National Research Center at Polco. Great communities are partnerships of the government, private sector, community-based organizations and residents, all geographically connected. The NCS captures residents’ opinions considering ten central facets of a community:

• Economy
• Mobility
• Community Design
• Utilities
• Safety
• Natural Environment
• Parks and Recreation
• Health and Wellness
• Education, Arts, and Culture
• Inclusivity and Engagement

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

What is The National Community Survey (The NCS)?

• Developed over 20 years ago and continually refined, The NCS is a survey of resident opinion that provides robust benchmark comparisons among communities across the nation. It has been used in more than 350 jurisdictions across 46 states. Communities using The NCS have reported that the tool improved service delivery, strengthened communications with community stakeholders, and helped leaders identify clear priorities for use in strategic planning and budget setting. It is the only resident survey endorsed by the International City/County Management Association and the National League of Cities.

Background of Polco

• Polco is an online community engagement polling platform that is conducting The NCS. Polco launches surveys and analyzes the data, providing local governments and other public sector leaders with important information needed to make decisions within the community. Hundreds of organizations nationwide use Polco for strategic planning, budgeting, and empowering resident voices.

 Why is The NCS broken down into two surveys?

• The Sampled Survey was designed to be as representative as possible of the population of the county. A sampling of community households are selected to participate and they are randomly selected from a comprehensive list of residential addresses as an effort to reduce bias and get feedback from all areas within the community. The sampled group is mailed a paper invitation and survey packet, though they may opt to fill out the survey online. Their link is unique to their household and should not be shared. This effort is to gather accurate data from the residents who make up our community today.
• The Open Participation Survey is offered to all residents so each voice in the community can be heard. This survey is hosted online only. It is identical to the Sampled Survey except that it asks if you are a resident of the community and to confirm which area of the community you live in.

How long will The NCS be open?

• The Open Participation Survey is open through June 28, 2024 at midnight.

Who can participate in the survey?

• The Sampled Survey is for the randomly selected households only.
• The Open Participation Survey is open to all residents.

How long will the survey take to complete?

• It takes ~ 15-16 minutes to complete.

How can I be assured that my feedback will remain anonymous?

• Your responses are confidential and no identifying information will be shared.
• This is a confidential survey conducted by an outside firm, so your identity is completely secure. https://info.polco.us/your-privacy.

What about leading questions or bias with the way questions are worded?

• Every effort is made to pose questions as neutrally as possible. The team of survey scientists put a tremendous amount of thought into this when developing the main survey. Because all opinions are welcome, the questions need to be a blend of easy to understand, simple to respond to, and neutral in the way they are asked. There are many methods with which this is accomplished, but one of the more noticeable ones are questions with "if at all" contained in the question. For example: "How much of a priority, if at all, should it be for Warrenville to focus on the following initiatives?" is a neutral way of presenting the question, making it as easy to answer positively as it is negatively.

Can I share my survey link with another person?

• If you received a postcard invitation and paper survey in the mail, then this survey has a unique link for randomly selected households only and should not be shared.
• We encourage everyone to share the Open Participation survey link with their neighbors.

What if my URL is not working?

• We find that there are a few reasons why a link may not be working. First, when you are typing the URL into your address bar, make sure that it is typed exactly the same as how it appears on the invitation you received. Even one wrong character can make the URL unsearchable.
• Second, ensure that you are typing the URL into the address bar not the search bar. The survey links are not accessible through most search engines because we only want people from our community to participate.

Who can I contact with additional questions?

• Drew Florence, Assistant City Manager, dflorence@ci.richland.wa.us, 509-942-7317.
• For other information about Polco visit https://info.polco.us/

2024 SURVEY RESULTS

2024 National Community Survey Report 

POLCO Interactive Dashboard

2022 SURVEY RESULTS

2022 Highlights

2022 National Community Survey Report 

2022 National Community Survey PowerPoint Summary of Results