Results from a recently completed 2023 Community Survey indicate high marks for the Village of Mount Prospect, noting residents have a very positive perception of the Village and experience high levels of satisfaction with Village services. The results also note the Village is trending in a positive direction when compared to the 2020 and 2016 survey results.

What is the 2023 Community Survey?  Why is it conducted?

The survey consists of seven pages with questions ranging from overall quality of life to specific department services. Community surveying allows staff and the Village Board hear resident opinions on service provided by various departments including public works, community development, human services and public safety. It also engages citizens in a meaningful way, as staff can utilize response data to help shape long-range strategic planning and investment decisions.

Who completes the survey? When was it completed?

Questions are drafted by Village staff with review and feedback from the Village Board and a private market research consultant. The Village of Mount Prospect utilizes the services of ETC Institute of Kansas City, MO to conduct the community survey. ETC Institute is a national market research organization and has surveyed more than 900 communities since 2010. Utilizing the expertise of ETC Institute assures equity in representation across the entire Village as well as statistically relevant survey results. Using ETC also allows the responses from Mount Prospect residents to be compared to those on a regional or national level. 

In November 2023, surveys were distributed to over 2400 households, randomly selected so each resident has an equal chance to be selected to participate. In order to have a statistically relevant sample, ETC aims to collect at least 400 survey results. A total of 461 survey responses were received, and the data is analyzed to be sure the responses represent Mount Prospect geographically (meaning all areas of the Village are represented) and demographically (meaning the responses are in line with the Village's demographic statistics). Responses are completely confidential; the Village does not know exactly who has received or completed a survey. 

The results for the random sample of 461 households have a 95% level of confidence with a precision of at least +/- 4.5%. Confidence level is an expression of how confident a researcher can be of the data obtained from a sample. Confidence levels are expressed as a percentage and indicate how frequently that percentage of the target population would give an answer that lies within the confidence interval. The confidence level most commonly used by researchers is 95%. 

The Village also completed a Community Survey in 2020 and 2016, also with ETC. The majority of the questions in the 2023 survey match the 2020 and 2016 survey, so we can compare progress over time. 

What are the survey results?

Results from the November 2023 survey were presented to the Village Board at the April 9, 2024 meeting of the Committee of the Whole.  Links to the ETC Institute reports are below.

View the complete 2023 Survey Report 

 In addition to tabular data provided, a series of GIS maps are created by ETC. These maps help Village staff understand specific issues that may be of concern on a neighborhood level.

View the 2023 Survey Maps (15MB file size)

Highlights of the results:

The Village’s positive perception is evident as 91% of respondents are satisfied with the overall quality of Village services and 89% are satisfied with the overall quality of life in Mount Prospect. Other categories that hold a 90% satisfaction rate or higher include:

• Public Safety/Feeling of Safety: overall feeling of safety in your neighborhood during the day and overall in the Village; friendliness and professionalism of the Fire Department; quality of both fire protection and emergency medical services
• Public Works Services/Village Infrastructure: maintenance of Village buildings and facilities, and the Village's Downtown; snow removal on major Village streets; maintenance of street signs and traffic signals; residential garbage collection, and curbside recycling
• Quality of Life: quality of Village customer service; Overall quality of Library services

Mount Prospect rated significantly higher (5% or more) than the U.S. average in all 52 survey categories. The Village also rated above the regional average in all 52 survey categories, 51 of which were rated significantly higher (5% or more).

The Village of Mount Prospect takes great pride in the services it provides to the community and the manner of which they are delivered. The Village was rated at 91% for quality of customer service and quality of services offered (as noted above), which is significantly higher compared to the national and regional percentages below:

• Satisfaction with Overall Quality of Village Services rated 42% above the U.S. average and 39% above the regional average
• Satisfaction with Customer Service from Village Employees rated 52% above the U.S. average and 49% above the regional average

When compared against itself, ratings show the Village of Mount Prospect is moving in the right direction. Satisfaction ratings have increased or stayed the same in 83 of 102 areas since 2016, and satisfaction ratings have increased or stayed the same in 68 of 112 areas since 2020.

What does the Village do with the survey information?

The survey gives residents the opportunity to share their opinion on community priorities –helping to identify areas of focus for the Village for the coming years. As is commonly seen in communities surveyed by ETC, residents felt “Crime Prevention” and “A Balanced Village Budget” should receive emphasis over the next two years, followed by “Quality of Services”. These are the same top 2 areas of focus that were found in the 2020 and 2016 Surveys.

Prioritization on this list is not necessarily an indicator of dissatisfaction, it is simply to note what areas should receive the most focus by the Village; a policy area can be both a high priority to focus on, while at the same time have a high level of satisfaction. To compare both prioritization and satisfaction, ETC refers to the Importance-Satisfaction (“I-S”) rating - refer to the complete report for more information.  

The analysis showed three top areas of importance: flow of traffic and traffic management; management of Village finances, and crime prevention.

The results from the Community Survey will help guide priorities for the next few years through the Village's annual strategic planning. process.

2020 Community Survey Results

View the complete 2020 Survey Report 

View the 2020 Survey Maps (14MB file size)

2016 Community Survey Results

View the complete 2016 Survey Report 

View the 2016 Survey Maps (20MB file size)

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