About 20,000 Portlanders are receiving an invitation in the mail this week to share feedback about their city government.
The Portland Insights Survey, which takes place every other year, asks Portland residents about a range of civic issues – from the quality of city services to their sense of safety to cost of living. The survey is confidential and voluntary. Aggregated results are shared with city leaders to inform policy and budget decisions.
Understandably, a lot of Portlanders have things to say about city government. But the Insights survey may not be the right channel. To ensure representative input, the City partners with Portland State University to invite a random sampling of residents. Partnerships with community organizations help boost participation from demographic groups that are underrepresented.
Here's what to do if you receive a Portland Insights invitation in the mail:
- Go to the link provided to take the survey online.
- If you don’t take the survey online, a printed copy will be sent to you in late June. Please mail the paper survey back to Portland State University using the provided envelope.
- At the end of the survey, you will have an opportunity to enter your information for a drawing to win one of 50 $100 gift cards. This personal information is kept separate from any survey input you provided.
The survey will conclude this summer, with results coming out by winter – coinciding with voter-approved changes to Portland’s city government.
This November, Portlanders will use ranked-choice voting for the first time to elect 12 city council members from four new geographic districts – plus a mayor and an auditor. In January, new elected officials will take office in a new form of government, where the city council sets policies and an executive mayor runs operations alongside a professional city administrator.
Survey results will be shared with Portland’s new elected leaders in early 2025, elevating community opinions and concerns as a foundation for future decisions.
“Participating in the Portland Insights Survey is more important than ever,” City Administrator Michael Jordan said. “Portlanders have the opportunity to shape the city’s priorities and investments as we transform our government.”