Community Survey

Survey Report Cover Photo Opens in new windowDuring 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.” 2022 Citizen Survey Executive Summary Web Pic Opens in new window

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:

  1. Safety and security

  2. Quality of public schools

  3. 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… 

  1. Planning and community development
  2. Wastewater and utilities
  3. Street maintenance
  4. 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…

  1. Restaurants and bars
  2. Health and personal care stores
  3. Fitness, dance, martial arts and yoga studios
  4. 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. 

How residents describe De Soto

Word Cloud Three Words Describe De Soto

View the complete results here

Read a news release about the results here

Here is a PowerPoint presentation that ETC presented to City Council about the results.