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Survey: 800 Washington County residents report mostly positive quality of life but widespread financial worry; homelessness tops public concerns
Summary
An ARPA-funded DHM Research survey of 800 Washington County residents finds roughly 70% rate quality of life as excellent or good while 65% say they are worried about their personal finances; homelessness was the single most-cited issue residents want county officials to address. A follow-up, ARPA-funded survey is planned for September 2026.
Washington County commissioners reviewed results of an ARPA-funded community opinion survey on county services and economic recovery that DHM Research presented during a work session. Michelle Nies, president of DHM Research, told the commissioners, “We talked to 800 Washington County residents” in a mixed-mode survey conducted in mid-to-late September and available in 11 languages.
The survey found a majority of respondents rate their quality of life as “excellent or good,” but other findings pointed to substantial hardship. “Majority of residents say their quality of life here is excellent or good,” Nies said, while presenters also reported that 65% of respondents said they were worried about their personal financial situation and about one in five were “very worried.” Aster Pitcher, research and evaluation analyst in the Office of Access and Opportunity, said, “about 30% of our community is really struggling.”
Why it matters: the poll was designed as a baseline to measure public awareness of county…
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