Akron Launches Community Survey And Engagement Platform To Gather And Assess Resident Feedback

Akron, Ohio, February 23, 2023 — Akron is launching a new public survey to better understand local priorities and concerns on a wide range of city services and the local quality of life. The survey will enable Akron to more holistically understand local neighborhood issues and enhance responsiveness to community priorities. The survey asks residents to rate their experience with different aspects of life in Akron including affordable housing, education, transportation, and public safety. The survey is distributed through digital ads to Akron residents to gather statistically relevant feedback. The City is also launching an engagement platform to further gather feedback and educate residents on a variety of projects and initiatives.

Click here to take the survey. Check out the FAQs here.

“Our Racial Equity and Social Justice Taskforce strongly recommended that we look at utilizing data as part of the city’s communications and outreach efforts,” said Mayor Horrigan. “This community survey and the Engage platform will help us be more proactive in gathering community feedback and receiving meaningful analytics as well as taking part in more equitable engagement with our residents. This is a big step towards gathering a deeper understanding of the needs and concerns of our communities so we can make the best decisions for the future of our city.”

The launch of the new community survey is in partnership with Zencity, the community input platform used by local governments to hear from more residents and get measurable and actionable insights. Zencity works with hundreds of municipalities across the U.S. including Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, and San Diego on issues ranging from public safety to American Rescue Plan Act implementation.

In addition to the survey, the city is also launching an engagement platform at akron-oh.civilspace.io/ to get additional feedback on a variety of topics and also provide information on upcoming initiatives. The projects and programs currently available on the Engage platform include: Glass Recycling Program, Police Community Relations, E. Exchange St. Corridor Project, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Car Share Program, and City Flag. The projects will be updated and added to over time. Some projects include short surveys or other engagement opportunities while others simply provide further details about the upcoming projects.

Survey Methodology

Zencity’s community survey incorporates voices from every corner of the community. To do so, Zencity sets response targets based on U.S. Census data about the municipality. Zencity ensures the security and privacy of its data and survey respondents. Survey responses are anonymous unless a respondent chooses to share their email address for follow-up purposes. Regardless, survey responses are kept confidential. Zencity does not collect a respondent’s name, address, or any other personally-identifying information. Zencity’s weighting accounts for the responses of every single person who answered a question. The responses give a proportional voice to all demographics (e.g., by age, sex, race, education level, and income level) based on the makeup of the municipality.