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Carrboro Community Survey 2026 Results
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the results of the Carrboro Community Survey.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Communication & Engagement
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity ____ Climate ____ Comprehensive Plan _X_Other
Council Direction Statement
This item is to provide the results of the 2026 Carrboro Community Survey.
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Information
INFORMATION: The Carrboro Resident Survey, conducted in early spring 2026, serves as a consumer report card for the Town of Carrboro. Residents rate their quality of life, their satisfaction with services, and perceptions of local government. Surveys to gather resident opinions and feedback in order to evaluate and improve Town services and determine needs of residents have been conducted since 2016.
Highlights from Overall Survey Results
Quality of Life in the Town -- Nearly all (96%) of the residents surveyed, who had an opinion, rated the Town of Carrboro as “excellent” or “good” as a place to live. Other areas in which residents rated the Town as “excellent” or “good” include: overall quality of life (93%), as a place to raise children (92%), and as a place that is welcoming and inclusive to all (91%).
Perceptions of the Community -- The overall perceptions of the Town of Carrboro that had the highest levels of satisfaction, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: availability of festivals and community events (89%), availability of cultural activities and the arts (86%), and access to parks and green space (82%).
Major Town Services -- The major categories of Town services that had the highest levels of satisfaction, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: fire services (94%), public works (trash/yard waste collection) (89%), recreation and cultural programs (85%), and police services (85%).
Based on the sum of their top three choices, the major categories of Town services that residents thought were most important were: 1) transportation infrastructure, 2) parks and recreation facilities, and 3) housing and community services.
Town of Carrboro survey results from 2016 to 2026 are posted at <https://www.carrboronc.gov/1096/Biennial-Community-Survey-Reports>
Regional and National Comparisons
Carrboro outperforms regional and national averages significantly, with 32-33 areas rated above the Atlantic Region and U.S. averages.
o Carrboro exceeds regional averages by 5% or more in all assessed areas.
o The largest differences include service quality (+39.4%), quality of life (+37.1%), and customer service (+36.7%).
o In national comparison, Carrboro surpasses averages by 42.7% in service quality and 41.7% in quality of life.
Qualified Census Tract
In an effort to hear voices from residents who are underserved, Town staff requested a second survey conducted as part of the Carrboro Community Survey, reaching residents who live in the Qualified Census Tract. These tracts must have 50 percent of households with incomes below 60 percent of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI) or have a poverty rate of 25 percent or more. QCTs are a common, readily accessible, and geographically granular method of identifying communities with a large proportion of low-income residents. Responses are analyzed separately as a comparison to the overall survey results.
Methodology
The Town’s survey consultant is ETC Institute, a professional market research firm that has administered surveys in more than 300 cities and counties across the United States. ETC Institute has administered community surveys in our area for the Town of Chapel Hill, the Town of Hillsborough, and the City of Durham.
ETC Institute administered the survey to residents of Carrboro between February and April 2026. This is the third community survey ETC Institute has administered for Carrboro; the first was conducted in late 2021 with results reported in 2022.
The six-page survey, cover letter and postage-paid return envelope were mailed to a random sample of households in Carrboro. The cover letter explained the purpose of the survey and encouraged residents to either return their survey by mail or complete the survey online. Ten days after the surveys were mailed, ETC Institute sent follow-up text messages to the households that received the survey to encourage participation. The texts contained a link to the online version of the survey to make it easy for residents to complete the survey.
The goal was to obtain completed surveys from at least 400 residents. This goal was met, with a total of 440 residents completing the survey. The overall results for the sample of households have a precision of at least +/-4.6% at the 95% level of confidence.
Language translation was offered to residents through interpreters of ETC Institute while making follow-up phone calls to residents who received the mailed survey.
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: The Carrboro Resident Survey is budgeted on a biennial basis in the amount of $22,000.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: The Town Council is requested to receive the results of 2026 Carrboro Community Survey.
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