The NCS Report - Charlottesville, VA 2022 - Flipbook - Page 2
About The NCS™
The National Community Survey™ (The NCS™) report is about the
“livability” of Charlottesville. A livable community is a place that is not
simply habitable, but that is desirable. It is not only where people do live,
but where they want to live. The survey was developed by the experts from
National Research Center at Polco.
Great communities are partnerships of the government, private sector,
community-based organizations and residents, all geographically
connected. The NCS captures residents’ opinions considering ten central
facets of a community:
• Economy
• Mobility
• Community Design
• Utilities
• Safety
• Natural Environment
• Parks and Recreation
• Health and Wellness
• Education, Arts, and Culture
• Inclusivity and Engagement
The report provides the opinions of a representative sample of 371
residents of the City of Charlottesville collected from November 9th, 2022
to December 22nd, 2022. The margin of error around any reported
percentage is 5.1% for all respondents and the response rate for the 2022
survey was 14%. Survey results were weighted so that the demographic
profile of respondents was representative of the demographic profile of
adults in Charlottesville.
How the results are reported
For the most part, the percentages presented in the following tabs represent the “percent positive.” Most commonly, the
percent positive is the combination of the top two most positive response options (i.e., excellent/good, very safe/somewhat safe,
etc.). On many of the questions in the survey respondents may answer “don’t know.” The proportion of respondents giving this
reply is shown in the full set of responses included in the tab “Complete data.” However, these responses have been removed
from the analyses presented in most of the tabs. In other words, the tables and graphs display the responses from respondents
who had an opinion about a specific item.
Comparisons to benchmarks
NRC’s database of comparative resident opinion is comprised of resident perspectives gathered in surveys from over 600
communities whose residents evaluated the same kinds of topics on The National Community Survey. The comparison
evaluations are from the most recent survey completed in each community in the last five years. NRC adds the latest results
quickly upon survey completion, keeping the benchmark data fresh and relevant. The communities in the database represent a
wide geographic and population range. In each tab, Charlottesville's results are noted as being “higher” than the benchmark,
“lower” than the benchmark, or “similar” to the benchmark, meaning that the average rating given by Charlottesville residents is
statistically similar to or different (greater or lesser) than the benchmark. Being rated as “higher” or “lower” than the benchmark
means that Charlottesville's average rating for a particular item was more than 10 points different than the benchmark. If a
rating was “much higher” or “much lower,” then Charlottesville's average rating was more than 20 points different when
compared to the benchmark.
The survey was administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of challenge for many local governments. While we provide
comparisons to national benchmarks, it is important to note that much of the benchmark data was collected prior to the
pandemic. This may impact how your City's 2022 ratings compare to other communities’ ratings from the past five years.
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Trend data for Charlottesville represent important comparison data and should be examined for improvements or declines*.
Deviations from stable trends over time represent opportunities for understanding how local policies, programs, or public