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Staunton begins second biennial National Community Survey; results expected in December
Summary
Staunton launched its second National Community Survey (NCS) administration in October. The city sent randomized mailed invitations to 3,000 households, will provide paper packets on request, and will open a non-scientific public link. Final, analyzed data from Polco is expected late December and will be presented to council in early 2026.
City staff told council on Oct. 9 that Staunton has launched the second administration of the National Community Survey (NCS), a scientific community-satisfaction instrument run by Polco. The city used the NCS in 2023–24 and is repeating the instrument to build trend data and compare Staunton responses with a national benchmark of communities.
Assistant City Manager Kaufman said 3,000 households were selected at random for the scientific sample; these households received mail postcards with a link to the online survey and will receive paper packets if they prefer. The scientific portion remains open through Nov. 11. An open survey link for any resident will be launched through the city’s communication channels later in October and will also close Nov. 11; open-survey responses are analyzed separately and are not a substitute for the scientific sample.
Kaufman emphasized that Polco’s standardized instrument permits year-over-year comparisons and national benchmarking, and that the city will use the data to inform decision-making and budgeting. Full data reporting and analysis are expected from Polco in late December, and staff anticipates a council presentation in early 2026. Kaufman recommended using targeted follow-up or subscription tools from Polco if council wishes to dig deeper into specific topics after the main results are available.
