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City presents Polco resident survey: trust metrics decline even as cost of living scores well
Summary
Staff presented results of the 2025 Polco community survey showing that most residents rate Wichita a good place to live but flagged declines in government transparency and trust; downtown concerns emphasized visible homelessness, vacant properties and lighting.
City staff presented results from the 2025 Polco resident survey and highlighted where Wichita compares with national and peer benchmarks.
Jim Jonas (speaker 26) summarized headline findings: most residents say Wichita is a good place to live, about two-thirds plan to remain in the city for five years, and cost of living scored above national and custom benchmarks. At the same time, respondents gave lower ratings than the benchmark for several government performance measures: transparency, informing residents and perceived value for taxes. The report showed declines from 2024 on measures of honesty, openness and resident input.
On downtown-specific questions, respondents cited visible homelessness and the presence of unhoused individuals as the top driver of safety concerns; violent crime and other criminal activity were cited second. More than 8 in 10 residents said they would be more likely to visit downtown if visible homelessness were reduced or if more events/attractions were added; roughly 8 in 10 said more police and security or better lighting would encourage visits.
Staff made interactive cross-tab tools available and offered further analysis by demographic and geography on request. Council members asked for follow-up work on trust and communications strategies; staff offered to provide more detailed correlations and targeted breakdowns to help craft outreach and policy responses.
