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City survey: 70% overall satisfaction but affordable housing and transit remain priorities
Summary
A semiannual community survey of 400 respondents showed 70% overall satisfaction with life in Oak Ridge (down slightly), identified affordable housing availability and public-transit ease as priority issues, and flagged communication and outreach as an area for improvement; staff plans follow-up analyses and more targeted engagement.
Communications staff Lauren Gray presented semiannual survey findings based on 400 responses collected July–September 2025, showing an overall 70% satisfaction with quality of life and highlighting priority issues such as affordable housing, transit, and public communication.
Gray said the survey was weighted and benchmarked against comparable communities; Oak Ridge ranked about five points higher than the cohort on overall quality-of-life measures. “Our quality of life is still at 70%,” she said, noting a small decline from earlier cycles and demographic differences in the change.
The survey’s priority matrix ranked access to health care, education and cleanliness as high-satisfaction, high-impact strengths, while affordable housing and transit ease-of-use appeared as focus areas. Open-text responses frequently cited city services, public safety, and recreation as common topics.
Council members pressed for more detail about demographic subgroups and about how residents get their news; Gray said staff will provide summaries and that a future rotating question will probe how people prefer to receive city information. She also noted staff have begun targeted outreach (including a new TikTok channel) and will export open-ended responses for council review.
The presentation prompted discussion about misinformation on social platforms; one council member said false Nextdoor posts had circulated about Greenway development and urged better corrective communication. Staff said they will increase cross-posting, press notices and utility-flyer outreach ahead of any substantive changes to policy or fees.
Gray said staff will continue semiannual surveying and deliver additional summaries on request.
