Our Community Survey: Nearly 60% of Respondents Say Troy is Headed in the Wrong Direction

Survey continues to show lack of confidence in local leadership and lack of confidence in the future

Here in Troy, the sentiments of our community towards the nation, state, and local governance provide a revealing glimpse into the collective mind of our tight-knit community. A recent survey conducted at different intervals over the past six months presents a nuanced picture of civic engagement, awareness, and optimism within our community.

Where are we headed?

As of this survey, a growing number of residents believe the nation is on the right track, with 31% expressing positive sentiments, up from 11% in July. This contrasts sharply with those who think the nation is heading in the wrong direction, which has decreased from 77% to 51% over the same period. The percentage of individuals uncertain about the nation’s direction remains relatively stable, hovering around 11% to 18%.

State-level perceptions tell a different story. While optimism peaked in September with 33% of respondents feeling the state was on the right track, this number plummeted to 14% by January. Conversely, the perception of the state heading in the wrong direction spiked to 65% from 53%. The fluctuating levels of uncertainty, which reached a high of 28% in November, indicate a volatile state of public opinion at the state level.

Local community sentiment has also seen dramatic shifts. The proportion of respondents who feel the community is on the right track has decreased from 45% in July to 20% in January, while those who view the community’s direction negatively have increased from 34% to 58%. The gap between those who stated that the community is on the wrong track against those who believe the community is headed in the wrong direction stood at 38%, the largest gap we have seen in this survey. The rate of those unsure about the community’s trajectory has remained relatively steady.

Civic Awareness and Hope for the Future

Awareness levels about civic issues show a significant decline in those who are extremely aware, dropping from 35% to 18%, suggesting a possible trend towards disengagement or a shift in focus towards more pressing personal concerns. Meanwhile, the number of respondents who are very aware has increased, indicating a more concentrated awareness among a certain segment of the population.

Confidence in positive changes within the hometown shows a nuanced picture, with a slight increase in those somewhat confident, balancing out the stark decrease in extreme confidence. The majority of residents do not anticipate significant changes within the next year, though there’s a notable increase in pessimism regarding future improvements.

The survey also asked about the respondents’ emotional connection to the community and the answers continue to reveal a mixed sentiment. While a majority still express love or like for their community, there's a noticeable decline in these positive feelings over the past six months, accompanied by an increase in those with no emotional attachment. 45% of respondents stated that they love their community; this is the lowest figure our survey has revealed.

Open Ended Questions and Answers

The survey also asked residents to provide answers to open ended questions on what they believed to the most positive attributes in the community and some of the biggest challenges facing the community. The responses were pooled into word clouds which shows the relative strength of the answers provided.

Attributes

Challenges

For the January survey, 52 respondents participated and the survey has a 14% margin of error at a 95% confidence level.

A Note About Piqua

For the first time, our survey actually received a few responses from Piqua, but it was only seven responses; any data that would be reported would not have much value. However, for those that participated in our survey from Piqua, don’t feel alone. Every response from Piqua was the same and generally showed a less than positive attitude towards government and not much hope for the future.

As our communities navigate these challenging times, the shifts in sentiment underscore the need for transparent, responsive governance, and the critical role of civic engagement in shaping our path forward. The data not only reflects our current state but also serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to foster a more informed, engaged, and optimistic community.

Thank you for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter. Your continued readership and support of this effort is greatly appreciated! Please continue to share this information with your friends and neighbors. As always, your insights and ideas are welcome in the comment section.