Most Brookline residents don’t know much about their town government, but are satisfied with the services they are receiving, according to a recent survey conducted by the polling platform Polco. Two-thirds of respondents expressed satisfaction with Brookline’s ability to meet their needs.
The National Community Survey determines a community’s “livability” based on residents’ responses to 10 criteria, such as the economy, safety, and recreation. In past years, Brookline scored above the national benchmark for quality of life, and the trend continued this year, with 94% of respondents calling Brookline a good or excellent place to live. The highest performing areas included safety, open space and the vibrancy of the commercial sector.
Eighty-one percent of respondents approved Brookline’s town government, while just 45% approved of the federal government. Select Board member John VanScoyoc called the results a silver lining.
“Even though a lot of people express an absence of familiarity with our government, they feel pretty satisfied with the services they’re getting at the local level,” VanScoyoc said.
This year’s results also pointed to several areas where residents expressed concerns, mostly about affordability issues. The availability of quality food, healthcare, childcare, mental health services, and housing have all decreased since the last survey in 2018.
When asked about their top priorities for the next five years, residents chose public safety, schools, planning and community development, and road and sidewalk maintenance.
Residents also identified mobility as an area of concern for Brookline residents. Polco’s analysis found that just 64% said it was in good or excellent quality.
Several aspects of inclusivity and engagement received less favorable reviews compared to 2018. Van Scoyoc said these responses reflect the ongoing national conversation about race and equity.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that people don’t quite feel as good about that right now as they did in 2018,” VanScoyoc said at a Select Board meeting. “2018, comparatively, was a more innocent sort of a time before we started to have these wrenching national conversations.”
When asked to what extent Brookline attracts people from diverse backgrounds, 50% of respondents said “excellent” or “good,” and two-thirds of respondents said Brookline values and respects residents from diverse backgrounds.
Overall, Select Board member Paul Warren called the survey’s results “not very surprising.”
“The areas where we’ve made improvements have been areas we’ve been focused on. We have more protected bike lanes, we’re improving our relationships with our businesses,” Warren said. “The areas with greatest concern had to do with affordability. That’s not surprising. The whole area, the whole region, is having that issue.”