2022 Public Survey: Community Satisfaction

Results:

The survey is now closed! Thanks for much for participating. Our independent polling partner, Polco, delivered a presentation of results to City Council and the public at the meeting on January 3rd, 2023 (watch the meeting here). You can watch the video to the right, download the full report below, skim Polco's selected highlights, or click through the presentation of highlights at your own pace.

We plan to repeat this survey annually to help us measure change over time. Results are shared with the public, our boards and commissions, neighborhood associations, and elected officials to help set goals and track progress. To sign up for notification of future surveys, click here. City Council and staff welcome feedback at citycouncil@westlinnoregon.gov and webmaster@westlinnoregon.gov.

Thanks for your interest in improving life in West Linn!
 

polco's selected highlights:

West Linn is a great place to live, especially for families, with a strong sense of safety.
About 9 out of 10 respondents gave favorable ratings to West Linn as a place to live and to the overall quality of life in the city. A
similar proportion of residents also indicated that they would both recommend living in West Linn and planned to remain in West
Linn for the next five years. Each of these was on par with comparison communities across the nation. Most respondents (91%)
considered the city an excellent or good place to raise children, exceeding the national average. In addition, the scores for K-12
education in West Linn were higher than in benchmark communities, with 84% of respondents rating it favorably.

Strong overall feelings of safety, along with safety-related services, contribute to the high quality of life experienced in West
Linn. An overwhelming majority of respondents reported feeling safe in their neighborhood during the day (96% very or
somewhat safe), in West Linn’s downtown area during the day (95%), and from violent crime (92%). Nearly 90% of the survey
respondents positively rated the overall feeling of safety in West Linn. More than 9 out of 10 residents gave high marks to the
City’s fire services and ambulance or emergency medical services, and at least three-quarters did the same for fire prevention
and education services, crime prevention, and police/sheriff services. All ratings pertaining to safety in West Linn were similar to
the scores seen in counterpart communities across the nation.

Residents appreciate many aspects of the city’s economy and highlight some potential areas for growth.
When asked to rate the overall economic health of West Linn, almost 8 out of 10 respondents considered it to be excellent or
good. A similar proportion of residents also identified the city’s economic health as an essential or very important area of focus
for the next two years. Over half of the residents viewed West Linn as an excellent or good place to visit and work, on par with
national averages. Similarly, about half positively rated both the vibrancy of West Linn’s downtown areas and the city’s
economic development. These ratings were also consistent with those observed in other communities across the nation.
However, a few survey items fell below national benchmark comparisons, indicating an opportunity for further focus. Fewer
positive ratings were given to the variety of business and service establishments (45% excellent or good), employment
opportunities (27%), shopping opportunities (27%), and cost of living (24%) in West Linn. In addition, when asked about the
impact the economy would likely have on their family income in the next six months, only 14% of survey respondents anticipated
the impact to be positive. All of these ratings were lower than in comparison communities.

While car travel is a strength for West Linn, alternate modes of transportation may present an opportunity for growth.
Residents positively rated the ease of travel by car (72% excellent or good), ease of public parking (61%), and ease of walking
(59%) in West Linn. Traffic flow on major streets received excellent or good reviews from about 4 in 10. Services such as street
lighting (68% excellent or good), traffic signal timing (63%), and street cleaning (62%) were also rated positively. All of these
were on par with benchmark comparison communities nationwide. While most survey items pertaining to car travel were strong
and scored similar to national benchmarks, street repair services received less favorable evaluations (32% excellent or good,
lower than the benchmarks).

Alternate modes of transportation may also be an area of potential growth for the City. When asked whether they had walked or
biked instead of driving in the last 12 months, at least two-thirds of the survey respondents responded affirmatively; this rate of
participation was higher than the national average. In contrast, residents gave lower-than-average ratings to the ease of travel
by bicycle (29% excellent or good) in West Linn. In addition, ratings for the city’s bus or transit services (27%) and the ease of
travel by public transportation (18%) were both lower than the national benchmarks.

Residents value West Linn’s utility infrastructure and related services.
Almost three-quarters of survey respondents positively rated the overall quality of West Linn’s utility infrastructure.
Additionally, when asked about focus areas for the city in the next two years, 87% of residents identified the overall utility
infrastructure as a priority. Reviews for sewer services (91% excellent or good), garbage collection (89%), drinking water (87%),
power utility (86%), and stormwater management (84%) were all strong. At least three-quarters felt favorably about the city’s
utility billing services, and half were pleased with affordable high-speed internet access. These ratings were all similar to
national averages with the exception of drinking water and stormwater management, which were both rated higher than the
benchmark comparison communities.
 

Background:

In the fall of 2022, the City of West Linn retained independent national polling firm, Polco, to obtain a statistically accurate community survey that can be benchmarked against more than 500 other cities throughout the United States. The completed survey includes responses from 684 randomly selected West Linn residents and has a margin of error of 4%. The City intends to use the results of this survey in goal-setting, budget development, and project management.