By Adam Pagnucco.
A survey of residents commissioned by the Montgomery County government has found that most residents give positive ratings to many aspects of the county. However, most of those ratings have declined since earlier surveys conducted in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
Every few years, the county government conducts a survey of residents asking for their perceptions of the county and its services. Since 2017, the National Research Center at Polco has conducted four surveys of the county with the most recent being in 2024. In a memo to Council President Kate Stewart, Chief Administrative Officer Rich Madaleno described the survey’s methodology:
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The National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) administered the survey using two methods. First, a random sample of 6,000 Montgomery County households were mailed the survey on August 19, 2024, and data collection for the survey remained open for six weeks. Selected households were subsequently sent a second reminder mailing, and both mailings gave respondents the option to complete the survey on paper and return it by mail or use a unique code to complete the survey online. The survey was available in the County’s eight most spoken languages. 761 residents completed it, providing an overall response rate of 13% (up from the 11% response rate in 2021).
Second, the County also offered all residents the opportunity to take the survey, providing a supplemental non-random, non-scientific self-selected sample. This “opt-in” web-only survey was open for three weeks starting September 12 and was publicized through a variety of channels, yielding 2,782 responses. This is more in line with the response rate of 2019, which received 3,211 responses, and represents a significant decrease compared to the 12,698 opt-in responses received in 2017 and the 5,246 responses in 2021. This is generally not a concern as the random-sample survey results offer a more valid assessment of public opinion, while the opt-in survey results are considered supplemental data.
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The survey’s margin of error is reported as +/-4 percent.
Madaleno offered this summary of the 2024 results.
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2024 Survey Results
The overall assessment indicates a decrease in ratings from 2021. In 2024, there were 123 standard questions for which comparisons were available to 2021. Of those:
- 46 items were rated similarly (within +/- 5 percentage points)
- 77 items showed a decrease in ratings.
Based on feedback from NRC, there is substantial evidence of a COVID-related surge in national benchmark ratings for all surveys conducted in 2021 and 2022. Overall, NRC has observed a downward national trend in ratings when comparing 2021 to 2024 survey periods.
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It’s worth noting that this survey was conducted before Donald Trump resumed his tenure in the Oval Office. One wonders how residents now feel given the chaos he has brought to the federal government.
Madaleno’s memo contains the table below showing the percentage of positive responses by residents on a variety of issues in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024. Most of these responses have positive majorities. However, most of them have declined over the seven year period.
Here are a few notes of interest.
1. National Research Center/Polco claims to have worked for hundreds of jurisdictions nationwide, giving them a basis on which to compare our responses to those of other localities. In their report, they wrote:
Of the 123 evaluative questions included in the survey, 111 were considered similar to national benchmark averages, 1 was considered much higher*, 9 were considered higher, and 2 were considered lower.
*A rating is considered similar if it is within 10 pts of the benchmark average, higher/lower if it is more than 10 pts different from the average, and much higher/lower if it is more than 20 pts different from the average.
2. 37% of respondents rate Montgomery County as a good place to retire. In earlier surveys, 42-45% answered this question positively. Given the dominance of seniors in Democratic Primary voting, that’s an issue that should capture the attention of local politicians.
3. The availability of affordable housing is a huge problem, with just 18% of respondents rating this positively. That’s down from 24-27% in earlier surveys. Candidates had better have rational things to say about this next year.
A majority thinks that the availability of affordable housing is getting worse.
4. Less than half of respondents (46%) positively rate the value of services for the taxes they pay. That’s below earlier percentages (49-57%). With tax increases coming at the state and (probably) county levels, elected officials should keep this in mind before asking residents for more money.
11% say they are willing to pay more taxes to get more services. 42% feel they pay too much for the services they receive.
5. K-12 education received a 68% positive rating in 2024. That’s below the 81-82% range of the earlier surveys, a precipitous drop. Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s recommended budget increase is so huge that it will probably require a property tax increase to fully fund. If residents’ perceptions of MCPS are indeed declining, are they willing to pay?
6. The overall feeling of safety, now at 68%, is down substantially from earlier percentages of 77-84%. Crime is clearly on the minds of residents.
14% say crime is getting better. 43% say crime is getting worse.
When local elected officials discuss these results, they will no doubt emphasize that most of them are positive. They’re right about that. But positive perceptions are declining, particularly with regards to retirement, housing, education, safety and the value of services compared to taxes. These are all warnings to politicians as the 2026 campaign season gets underway. And these ratings probably won’t improve given the economic afflictions cast by Trump over MoCo and the entire region.
The survey documents can be downloaded below.
Montgomery County Resident Survey Executive Summary CAO to Council President
The NCS Full Report – Montgomery County, MD 2024
The NCS Report – Montgomery County, MD 2024 Council District Comparison (2)