2 in 3 Americans Want Better Infrastructure To Be The Top Priority For Their City

Research from CentralSquare reveals that citizens increasingly expect the same speed and quality of services from their city that they receive from their favorite retailers

Lake Mary, Fla., November 14, 2019 — According to the CentralSquare Voice of the Citizen Survey, which collected responses from over 5,000 Americans spanning all states and backgrounds, CentralSquare found that two thirds of respondents identified infrastructure improvements as their top priority if they ran their city. Among the top-identified focus areas, three in five respondents called out the need for more timely repairs, while half expressed dissatisfaction with permitting services and road conditions. Additionally, one in three cited concerns over the quality of their town’s drinking water.

To address infrastructure issues, all respondents showed interest in using technology to solve these problems. In today’s hyper-connected world, technology has created a desire for engaging and immediate interactions in most aspects of daily life, and citizens are now demanding their local governments keep pace:

• 90% of respondents want a public-facing government portal
• 89% of respondents want high-tech city services
• 38% of respondents want faster turnaround for requested services
• 35% of respondents want easier and more modern ways to access and request services

Even more concerning is how these differing opinions can influence public officials, as 55% of respondents said they would fire a city leader for failing to upgrade their city software to a modern solution.

“The line between what people expect as consumers and as citizens is constantly getting blurred,” said Simon Angove, CEO of CentralSquare. “In a world where consumer interactions with businesses are becoming seamless and efficient, citizens are also expecting local government leaders to bring innovative and amazing experiences to public life.”

Take a more in-depth look at the CentralSquare Voice of the Citizen Survey findings online here.