National Citizen Survey: McKinney on par with national benchmarks; utilities, mobility and water resources flagged for attention

Polco representative Tobin McCarron presented results of the 2025 National Citizen Survey to the McKinney City Council on June 17, summarizing comparisons with national benchmarks and trends since the city's last survey in 2023.

McCarron told the council that the survey uses a two-pronged approach: a probability-based mailed sample and an open, nonprobability online sample. He said the probability sample produced 268 responses (about a 5% response rate), which Polco weighted to the city's demographics using the 2020 Census and the 2023 American Community Survey to produce statistically representative estimates. McCarron said that with 268 responses the survey’s margin of error is about ±6 percentage points at the 95% confidence level; the open-participation sample produced an additional 443 responses that are used for granular analysis but do not add to the probability-based statistical validity.

McCarron summarized five key findings for McKinney: residents generally value government efforts but ratings have declined compared with 2023; residents report strong satisfaction with safety and emergency services; several measures of economic health exceed national benchmarks, including downtown vibrancy and retail offerings; residents highly value the natural environment; and mobility ratings (including public transportation and ease of travel by bus) match national benchmarks but have declined since 2023. McCarron identified specific gaps where importance exceeds perceived quality: for example, 88% of respondents rated utilities as essential or very important while 70% rated utilities’ quality as excellent or good. He also said mobility importance (64%) exceeds its quality rating (34%) and that only 45% rated the city’s water resources excellent or good — a decline relative to prior surveys.

On methodology, McCarron said the survey ran Jan. 31–March 5, 2025. He explained that Polco benchmarks McKinney against a database of roughly 500 communities representing more than 50 million residents and that trends should be interpreted in the context of broader national declines in confidence in government. The presentation included department-level detail intended to help staff and elected officials prioritize resources; McCarron showed examples where quality exceeds importance (possible resource sources) and where importance exceeds quality (areas to target for improvement).

Mayor Fuller asked when the results were collected; McCarron responded that the survey period was Jan. 31 to March 5. Councilmembers did not record formal direction or take action on the presentation during the public meeting.

Polco emphasized there is more detailed Tableau reporting available to city staff and that the open-participation responses can be used for deeper analyses but are not part of the probability-based estimates.