Community Survey
During the fall of 2022, the City of De Soto partnered with ETC Institute to conduct the first community survey. The purpose of the survey was to gauge citizen satisfaction with the quality of our services and understand the community's priorities for the future. These results provide a valuable source of information and direction as the City “Designs De Soto” and revamps the Strategic Plan.
The survey was sent to every household in De Soto. Residents had the option to mail back results or take the survey online. Residents could also take the survey in Spanish or have questions read to them over the phone.
Overall, the results were positive with 85 percent of respondents saying they would recommend De Soto as a place to live. In addition, the City rated significantly above the national average in 23 of the 34 service areas assessed.
Some 507 surveys were returned, well over double the goal of 250 needed to ensure statistical validity. The results reflect the geographic and demographic diversity of the City with a precision of at least +/- 4.6% at the 95% level of confidence.
Key Findings
Note: percentages are based on responses of “very satisfied” or “satisfied.”
Feeling of safety
Eighty-six (86%) say they feel safe in De Soto, which is the City's highest score.
Quality of services provided by the City
Seventy-four (74%) responded positively to the quality of services provided by the City. In addition, 75% are satisfied with the quality of customer service from the City.
Top three reasons for living in De Soto:
Safety and security
Quality of public schools
Small-town feel
City’s priorities for the future
The four existing City service areas that residents think should receive the most emphasis over the next two years are…
- Planning and community development
- Wastewater and utilities
- Street maintenance
- Communications
In addition, residents identified De Soto’s downtown area as a top priority for improvement.
Retail priorities for residents
The top four retail priorities residents selected from the list provided include…
- Restaurants and bars
- Health and personal care stores
- Fitness, dance, martial arts and yoga studios
- Specialty grocers and food services
“Hardware store” received the highest number of write-in votes.
Defining small town
When asked how residents define the small-town De Soto feeling, the top three words were: friendly, people, neighbors.