National Community Survey™ (NCS)

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The National Community Survey™ (NCS) is a collaborative effort between National Research Center and the International City/County Management Association. The NCS was developed to provide a statistically valid survey of resident opinions about community and services provided by local government. In Livermore, the NCS is taken every two years, and the results are used by staff and elected officials for community planning, resource allocation, program improvement, and policy making.

2025 NCS

Livermore participated in the 2025 National Community Survey, which resulted in 95% of residents rating Livermore as an excellent or good place to live. The City’s overall quality of life, safety and natural environment all received top marks, with Livermore ranking higher than national and custom benchmarks across multiple categories.

View the results:

Online on Tableau
As a PDF (note- the PDF version of the results excludes the demographic and geographic comparisons because of the interactive nature of those findings. They are more easily viewed online on Tableau.)

2022 NCS results

View the results:

Online on Tableau
As a PDF (note - the PDF version of the results excludes the demographic and geographic comparisons because of the interactive nature of those findings. They are more easily viewed online on Tableau.)

2020 NCS results

View the results:

Online on Tableau
As a PDF (note - the PDF version of the results excludes the demographic and geographic comparisons because of the interactive nature of those findings. They are more easily viewed online on Tableau.)

Survey Respondent FAQs

What is The National Community Survey (The NCS)®?

The NCS was among the first scientific surveys developed to gather resident opinion on a range of community issues. It provides robust benchmark comparisons among communities across the nation. It has been used in more than 350 jurisdictions across 46 states. Communities using The NCS have reported that the tool improved service delivery, strengthened communications with community stakeholders, and helped leaders identify clear priorities for use in strategic planning and budget setting. It is the only resident survey endorsed by the International City/County Management Association and the National League of Cities.

Background of Polco

Why is The NCS broken down into two surveys?

The Sampled Survey was designed to be as representative as possible of the population of the jurisdiction. A sampling of community households is randomly selected from a comprehensive list of residential addresses as an effort to reduce bias and get feedback from all areas within the community. The sampled group receives a paper invitation and survey packet in the mail, though they may opt to fill out the survey online. Their link is unique to their household and should not be shared. This effort is to gather accurate data from the residents who make up the community today.
The Open Participation Survey is offered to all residents so each voice in the community can be heard. This survey is hosted online only. It is identical to the Sampled Survey except that it asks if you are a resident of the community and which area of the community you live in.

Who can participate in the survey?

How long will the survey take to complete?

How can I be assured that my feedback will remain anonymous?

What about leading questions or bias with the way questions are worded?

Every effort is made to pose questions as neutrally as possible. The team of survey scientists put a tremendous amount of thought into this when developing the main survey. Because all opinions are welcome, the questions need to be a blend of easy to understand, simple to respond to, and neutral in the way they are asked. There are many methods with which this is accomplished, but one of the more noticeable ones are questions with "if at all" contained in the question.

For example: "How much of a priority, if at all, should it be for Warrenville to focus on the following initiatives?" is a neutral way of presenting the question, making it as easy to answer positively as it is negatively.

Can I share my survey link with another person?

How will the survey results be used?

What if my URL is not working?

We find that there are a few reasons why a link may not be working. First, when you are typing the URL into your address bar, make sure that it is typed exactly the same as how it appears on the invitation you received. Even one wrong character can make the URL unsearchable.
Second, ensure that you are typing the URL into the address bar, not the search bar. The survey links are not accessible through most search engines because we only want people from the community to participate.

Who can I contact with additional questions?

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