National Community Survey

Developed over 20 years ago and continually refined, the NCS is a survey of resident opinion that 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.

Polco is an online community engagement polling platform that is hosting the NCS. Polco launches surveys and analyzes the data, providing local governments and other public sector leaders with important information needed to make decisions informed by the community. Hundreds of organizations nationwide use Polco for strategic planning, budgeting, and empowering resident voices.

• The Sampled Survey is designed to be as representative as possible of the population of the county. Community households are randomly selected from a comprehensive list of residential addresses to reduce bias and get feedback from all areas within the community. The sampled group is mailed a paper invitation and survey packet, 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 our 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 to confirm which area of the community you live in.

• The Sampled Survey is open Feb. 23, 2023, through April 6, 2023, at midnight.
• The Open Participation Survey is open March 23, 2023, through April 6, 2023, at midnight.

• The Sampled Survey is for the randomly selected households only.
• The Open Participation Survey is open to all residents.

It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

• Your responses are confidential and no identifying information will be shared.
• This is a confidential survey conducted by an outside firm, so your identity is completely secure. Learn more: https://info.polco.us/your-privacy

If you received a postcard invitation and paper survey in the mail, then this survey has a unique link for randomly selected households only and should not be shared.

The survey results will be shared with the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners at an upcoming public meeting to inform and identify priorities for use in strategic planning and goal setting. These results will also provide strong benchmarking data that allows for comparison to similar communities across the country.

• 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 Pinellas County community to participate.

Please contact Pinellas County at 727-464-3000 or 727-464-4062 TDD. For other information about Polco, visit https://info.polco.us/.