What's up, I'm Corey with a story, and these are your headlines from Cincinnati News today. Cincinnati just released its 2025 resident survey, and the results show a big drop in how people feel about the city compared to two years ago. Satisfaction with overall safety fell to 32% from 40%. Neighborhood safety held up a bit better at 50%, down from 58%.
Ratings for quality of life, the city's image and services all took hits too, with overall quality of life now at 48% satisfied, compared to 65% before. The survey came from a Kansas firm called ETC Institute, which polled more than 1,200 randomly selected residents last winter. The group matched the city's makeup in gender, race, income, and neighborhoods. Experts say the declines point to a broad shift in perceptions, not just issues in specific areas.
City council members are paying close attention. Mark Jeffrey said residents do not feel safe or served, and public safety needs the top budget priorities right now. Mika Owens noted that recent high-profile crimes downtown and social media buzz likely shake those views. She added that perception often becomes reality for folks.
Top concerns from the survey include maintaining streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure, followed by police services and code enforcement. Other drops hit hard on value for tax dollars at 31% satisfied, and the city has a place to raise kids at 53%. Leaders plan focus groups this spring to dig deeper, while highlighting bright spots like parks and trash collection. With budget season underway, officials see this as a clear call to tackle solvable problems head-on.
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