CARRBORO, N.C. -- Carrboro ranks as a high performing city with nearly all (97%) residents rating the Town of Carrboro as excellent or good as a place to live, as a place to raise children (91%), and as a place that is welcoming and inclusive to all (89%), according to results from the Carrboro Community Survey.
The Carrboro Town Council received the survey results at its June 4, 2024 meeting. Complete survey reports are available at https://townofcarrboro.org/1096/Citizen-Survey-Reports
“This is certainly a great validation of the high-quality services that Town employees provide to the Carrboro community,” said Town Manager Patrice Toney. “When reviewing the results, the Town Council expressed a sense of pride because the survey results reflect well on our employees and the services they provide. Of course, we are also noting areas of concern and will be looking for opportunities for improvement.”
Perceptions of the Community
The overall perceptions of the Town of Carrboro that had the highest levels of satisfaction are for festivals and community events (85%), availability of cultural activities and the arts (82%), and access to parks and green space (80%).
Major Town Services
The major categories of Town services that had the highest levels of satisfaction were:
- fire services (95%)
- public works (trash/yard waste collection) (91%)
- recreation and cultural programs (84%)
- police services (83%)
The major categories of Town services that residents thought were most important were:
- parks and recreation facilities
- housing and community services
- transportation infrastructure
Benchmarking
When Carrboro is compared to cities across the region and the United States, it scores significantly above the U.S. average in all 33 areas that were questioned. Satisfaction with customer services rated 39% above the U.S. average.
Methodology
Conducted by ETC Institute, the six-page survey was mailed to a random sample of 2,000 households in Carrboro between February and April 2024. A total of 407 respondents completed the survey. The mailing was followed up by emails and phone calls inviting responses. Language translation in Spanish and Chinese was offered to residents through interpreters of ETC Institute. The Town also contracted with CHICLE to provide language translation in additional languages (Burmese, Karen, Korean and Arabic) upon request.
Qualified Census Tract
In an effort to hear voices from residents who are underserved, a second survey of residents who live in the town’s Qualified Census Tract was conducted at the request of the Town of Carrboro. These tracts have 50 percent of households with incomes below 60 percent of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI) or have a poverty rate of 25 percent or more.
QCT survey respondents are more likely to …
- identify as renters (65% of respondents in the QCT survey as compared to 45% in the communitywide survey)
- identify as younger (42% of respondents in the QCT survey are ages 18-34 as compared to 20% from this age group in the communitywide survey)
- ride a bicycle to commute to work or school (67% compared to 39%)
- ride Chapel Hill Transit (63% compared to 46%)
- report that their monthly housing costs (rent or mortgage) exceed 30% of monthly income (50% compared to 33%)
- use outdoor information kiosks (and by contrast, less likely to use Nextdoor, community groups and blogs, and neighborhood associations for news sources.
Learn more about Town Services
Visit the A-Z Guide to Services at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2759/A-Z-Services
