County Launches 2017 Online Resident Survey

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett announced that starting today, the County will launch an online survey to gauge residents’ assessment of their local government, its services and their quality of life. The 2017 Resident Survey was mailed to 5,000 randomly selected County households in October, and residents who did not receive the questionnaire in the mail are encouraged to participate online at http://bit.ly/MCMD2017. The survey link will be open from November 1st to 15th and can be taken in English, Spanish, or Chinese.

“To give everyone a seat at the table, my administration wants to make sure we know what residents think about their local government and their quality of life,” said Leggett. “Our residents’ opinions are very important to us. With the 2017 Resident Survey, we’ll get a rating of County services and find out more about what is working well and what needs improvement. Though the County is dynamic in growth and diversity, we’ll be able to compare with the results of past surveys. The results will be especially helpful for the budget process, in deciding how to most effectively allocate our resources to meet our residents’ needs – even more important at a time when County resources are limited, and hard choices have to be made.”

To generate an unbiased sample, the survey was sent to 5,000 randomly selected households with instructions in English, Spanish and Chinese, plus abbreviated guidance in French, Amharic, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Persian and Russian. Should a recipient wish to take the survey online, she or he may do so in English, Spanish, or Chinese. Opening up an “opt-in” survey to all County residents provides an opportunity for everyone to voice their opinions and produces additional data for separate analysis.

The 35-question survey asks residents age 18 or older to rate how they feel about the quality of life; County services; use of existing amenities and facilities; whether they take advantage of County programs; their impression of County employees; how well the County communicates with its residents; and various household practices such as recycling. This type of survey was last conducted by the County in 2009.

The survey is again being conducted by the National Research Center (NRC), based in Boulder, Colorado. The County conducted surveys, with NRC, in 2007 and 2009 but discontinued the practice afterward due to budget considerations.

Release ID: 17-439
Media Contact: Office of Public Information 240-777-6507