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Hanford presents 2026 resident and business survey results; staff notes limits of open sample
Summary
City staff presented results from a 2026 open National Community Survey (272 responses) and the inaugural National Business Survey (103 responses), noting the open, self-selected method is not statistically representative and that the city purchased a Polco package negotiated to roughly $18,000.
City staff reviewed the results of the 2026 National Community Survey (NCS) and the National Business Survey (NBS) at the July 21 study session, saying the NCS received 272 responses and the NBS received 103 business responses.
"We received 272 responses," staff said, noting that the survey was open participation (not probability-based) and thus is not statistically representative of the full Hanford population. Staff described outreach used for the NCS (social media, city newsletter, flyers) and a $200 Meta ad campaign that increased page views and completions. For businesses, staff said the city used targeted distribution through business-license renewals and local partners.
Staff also noted the city purchased a package from the survey vendor that included both the NCS and NBS results, interactive dashboards and additional tools (staff said the negotiated price was about $18,000). Councilmembers questioned whether the city could obtain comparable information more cheaply, suggesting targeted inserts in utility bills, QR codes at events, or in-house micro-surveys to increase participation or reduce cost.
Councilmembers emphasized the NCS findings should be interpreted cautiously because the sample was self-selected; staff said the full interactive results and underlying data are posted on the city website.
Next steps: staff will post full results online and consider alternatives (probability-based polling or targeted in-house approaches) for future cycles.
