What do Cincinnatians think of their city? A new survey tells us
Scroll to the bottom to take part of the survey yourself.
It may not always sound like it, but Cincinnatians actually love their city.
A new survey found that most residents not only feel better about the city than they did two years ago, they are far more satisfied than residents of other similar-sized cities – as a place to live, work and raise children.
The city, as part of the budget process, hired ETC Institute to conduct the survey to determine satisfaction and help determine priorities.
Compared to 50 other cities of 250,000 residents or more, the survey released earlier this week found Cincinnati rated above the U.S. average in 22 areas.
And 81% of Cincinnatians rated the city highly as a place to live, compared to the U.S. average of 49%.
One warning sign: Only 40% of Cincinnati residents said they feel safe in the city, slightly fewer than in 2021, according to a city survey unveiled Monday.
ETC, an Olathe Kansas-based market research company for local governments, mailed and sent online surveys, ending up with 1,235 completed responses from all areas of the city.
The survey cost $28,750, according to city records.
“I can’t overstate how significant it is that we’ve updated and aligned our strategic goals and created new ways of identifying and tracking performance measures and volume measures for each department," City Manager Sheryl Long said. "This survey provides the city with statistically significant data to help inform decision-making."
Here are some highlights:
Where Cincinnati excels, based on surveys of cities nationwide
Comparative advantages included: parks and recreation centers, curbside recycling, trash collection, response to emergencies and overall image.
Where Cincinnati needs improvement, based on surveys of cities nationwide
Comparative weaknesses included: sidewalk condition, overall feeling of safety, street maintenance, on-street bike infrastructure, property upkeep and crime prevention.
Areas in which residents felt the city had improved in the last two years
Of eight categories, residents had increased satisfaction in four areas. People were more satisfied with the overall image of the city, the quality of service the city provides, the value of tax dollars and the quality of transportation.
Areas in which residents felt the city had gotten worse in the last two years
Decreases were found in how safe people felt in their neighborhood, their overall feeling of safety in the city and the physical appearance of neighborhoods.
Overall, Cincinnatians feel better about their city
Cincinnati improved in all five broad categories. Here are the percent answering "excellent" or "good" when asked about Cincinnati:
As a place to live:
2021: 79%
2023: 81%
As a place to work:
2021: 75%
2023: 77%
As a place I feel welcome:
2021: 67%
2023: 74%
As a place to raise children:
2021: 67%
2023: 70%
As a place to retire:
2021: 47%
2023: 51%
Take part of the survey yourself:
Here's what responses from our unscientific online survey show as of Friday morning:
How would you rate Cincinnati as a place to live? 77% gave it either a 4 or a 5, the highest ratings.
How would you rate Cincinnati as a place to work? 73% gave it either a 4 or a 5, the highest ratings.
How would you rate Cincinnati as a place to raise children? 73% gave it either a 4 or a 5, the highest ratings.
How would you rate Cincinnati as a place to retire? 54% gave it either a 4 or a 5, the highest ratings.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati survey says city better than others, but problems persist
