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Town staff preview 2026 biennial citizen survey: 400-person telephone sample planned
Summary
Cary staff said the 2026 biennial citizen survey will be conducted by BKL Research using a representative random telephone sample of approximately 400 residents, with data collection beginning Jan. 12 and a final report expected in spring; the instrument will mix repeat and new questions for trend analysis.
Carrie Harville, a town staff member, briefed the council on Dec. 11 about the Town of Cary's 2026 biennial citizen survey. The town will again work with vendor BKL Research and Consulting to conduct a statistically representative telephone survey of about 400 residents, with data collection slated to start on Jan. 12 and results expected in spring.
Harville said the survey instrument typically divides questions into three categories: approximately one-third new questions, one-third repeat questions to track trends over time and one-third demographic items. Repeat questions allow the town to compare responses against prior surveys — some trends stretch back to 1998 — and are especially used for services such as police, fire and parks and recreation.
The town will publish a draft instrument to council and asked for feedback; Harville said the draft will be emailed to council and she requested comments within a week so staff can finalize the instrument with the vendor. She also outlined outreach channels (utility newsletter, TV carry matters, open-data portal) and noted the final report will be presented to council in the summer.
Council members had no substantive objections and expressed appreciation for the methodology; Harville confirmed BKL will make multiple callback attempts to reach sampled residents to preserve representativeness. No votes were required for this informational briefing.
