The 2023 National Community Survey results are in
Published on November 06, 2023
Residents give North Port high marks for quality of life in 2023 community survey
NORTH PORT, FL – The results of the 2023 National Community Survey are in, offering insights into how City of North Port residents feel about the livability of their community and the services that their local government provides.
The survey, conducted for the City by the National Research Center at Polco earlier this year, gathered opinions from a representative sample of 500 North Port residents. About eight out of every 10 respondents rated North Port as a good or excellent place to live. About the same percentage also planned to remain in the city for the next five years and said they are likely to recommend living in North Port to someone who asks. And seven in 10 participants rate the overall quality of life as excellent or good.
These ratings remained relatively stable from the last time North Port participated in the survey in 2021. The National Community Survey captures residents’ opinions on various aspects of life in a community, including the economy, safety, health and wellness and the natural environment. The results can be compared to local trends over time, as well as national benchmarks from more than 600 other communities around the United States that also participate in the survey.
“We value the opinions of our residents, and the National Community Survey helps us gather them in a meaningful and impactful way,” said City Manager Jerome Fletcher. “Having data from a representative sample of our community allows our leadership team to gauge how we are performing as an organization and to make informed decisions about North Port’s future direction.”
Among City services, public safety received consistently high scores in this year’s survey, with 93% of respondents saying they feel safe in their neighborhood during the day and 89% sharing positive rankings for fire services.
The overall customer service by North Port employees was highly rated by about eight in 10 participants, consistent with the previous survey in 2021. When residents who had interacted with a City employee within the past year were asked to rate their impressions of the most recent contact, about 80 percent praised the employee’s knowledge, responsiveness, and courtesy.
Residents indicated that North Port’s economy should continue to be a top priority, with nearly 90 percent rating it an essential or very important focus area for the next two years. About 6 in 10 respondents gave positive marks to North Port’s overall economic health, a 10% decline since 2021 but in line with pre-pandemic levels.
This year’s survey saw a decline in opinions about well-planned residential growth in North Port (40% excellent or good), down by 20% from the previous survey. Evaluations of shopping opportunities (55%), cost of living (29%) and vibrancy of the city’s downtown/commercial area (39%) also declined from the 2021 survey results but are still similar to the national benchmarks.
The survey responses were gathered from July 10 through Sept. 6, 2023. The response rate was 18%, and the margin of error was 4%. Survey results were weighted so that the demographic profile of respondents was representative of the demographic profile of adults in North Port. Polco also conducted an online survey that was open to everyone.
To view the full survey results, visit NorthPortFL.gov/Survey.