Accurate and reliable survey methods
There are plenty of surveys available online, but most of them do not hold up to the scientific rigor necessary for local government decision-making. Polco's benchmark comparison surveys are analyzed by data scientists and compare local results with hundreds of other jurisdictions nationwide. Our methods ensure your data accurately represent your entire community.
Get a detailed analysis of results
Clearly see your organization's performance
Put results into an action
Local government decision-makers use Polco surveys for strategic plans, budgeting, and performance measurement
Choose from a selection of scientific surveys created by experts
The National Community Survey (The NCS)
Feel confident in decision-making with a comprehensive and accurate picture of community livability based on resident opinions.
Community Assessment for Older Adults (CASOA)
Learn directly from older adults themselves how to best accommodate the needs of aging residents in your community.
The National Employee Survey (The NES)
Take action with a clear picture of your government workplace based on employee feedback to ensure job satisfaction and attract and retain high-quality staff members.
The National Law Enforcement Survey (The NLES)
Ask residents for their feedback on police and sheriff services to strengthen community relationships, align community and law enforcement priorities, and increase safety.
The National Business Survey (The NBS)
Understand the local business climate for more effective budgeting, policy-making, and planning for the future.
The National Employee Survey for Law Enforcement (The NES - LE)
Understand workplace climate and achieve employee satisfaction by understanding how staff members feel about their job and pinpointing areas of improvement.
Polco's Assess survey tools include:
Statistically valid and representative results
Ability to verify real residents
Accurate and reliable methods
Local government and data science expertise
Unbiased survey questions
Results compared with national averages
Performance trends tracked over time
Sharable PDF reports
Stakeholder presentations
And much more!
National Research Center (NRC) is the proprietary in-house data-science laboratory at Polco that designs all the benchmark surveys and analyzes your results. NRC researchers have conducted surveys with hundreds of jurisdictions nationwide. Through 30 years of research, NRC amassed a database that holds hundreds of thousands of resident opinions–the largest of its kind in the United States. The database represents the perspectives of more than 50 million residents all around the country.
Someone would come to a council meeting and would be the loudest person in the room. We would make a decision based on that. We wanted to make more data-driven decisions and hear more from our community.
Andy Conyers
Asst. City Manager of Administration, Edmond, Okla.
We asked ourselves, do we have the courage to step forward and see how we’re doing? And then do we have the courage to take on this information and pique the interest of the community to do something different than we’ve done in the past?
Joel Young
City Clerk, Chatfield, Minn.
This is very useful. I can’t tell you how many times we reflect on the community survey results to help guide our policy decisions over the next four years.
Ashley Stolzmann
Mayor, Louisville, Colo.
A lot of communities, especially small ones, have ever-growing demands and never-growing staff. It’s hard to prioritize. The data helps us to evaluate those things, set priorities, and make sure we use our limited resources to get to where we need to go.
Kate Rusch
Public Information Officer, Estes Park, Colo.