CINCINNATI — Months after a citywide survey showed Cincinnati residents were increasingly dissatisfied with everything from public safety to quality of life, a new city analysis offers a closer look at what may be driving those perceptions.
The answer, according to residents who participated in follow-up focus groups, often starts with what they see outside their front doors: potholes, broken sidewalks, litter, vacant properties and other visible signs of neglect.
A Sept. 10 memo from City Manager Sheryl Long provides the city's follow-up analysis of the 2025 Community Perceptions Survey, which showed notable declines in satisfaction compared with previous years. The city conducted four focus groups with 41 residents, commissioned additional comparisons with peer cities and analyzed survey results across geographic and demographic groups.
The findings point to four areas where residents believe the city has the most room for improvement: streets and infrastructure, police services, code enforcement and communication.
The follow-up comes after the original survey of more than 1,200 randomly selected residents found satisfaction had fallen across nearly every major category compared with 2023. Overall satisfaction with Cincinnati's quality of life dropped from 65% to 48%, while satisfaction with the city's overall image fell from 65% to 42%. Just 32% of respondents were satisfied with the overall feeling of safety in Cincinnati, down from 40% two years earlier.
At the time, city leaders said they planned to conduct focus groups to better understand what was behind the numbers.
The new memo provides some of those answers.
What residents see shapes how they feel
One of the clearest findings is the importance residents place on the physical condition of their neighborhoods.
Residents repeatedly identified road and sidewalk conditions, lighting, litter and property maintenance as factors shaping their perception of the city. They also described uneven conditions between neighborhoods as a sign of inequitable investment.
The focus-group report describes visible environmental conditions as the "single most consistent driver" of how residents feel about Cincinnati. Participants pointed to litter, illegal dumping and abandoned buildings as chronic problems that can erode neighborhood pride.
Some residents said they have stepped in themselves when they believe city services have fallen short — purchasing a neighborhood trash can, cleaning up litter or hauling away debris.
Residents also repeatedly compared conditions across Cincinnati neighborhoods.
"Every community should have the same things, the same benefits. There should never be one community that is less kept than another," one participant told the city.
West Side residents reported lower satisfaction
The city's analysis found the dissatisfaction was not being driven by any one demographic group. Instead, the declines were broadly distributed.
Geography, however, revealed some notable differences.
Survey Zone 1, which includes East Price Hill, West Price Hill, Lower Price Hill, Riverside, Sedamsville, Sayler Park and Queensgate, showed lower satisfaction across several of the city's priority service areas. Differences were generally between 10 and 20 percentage points compared with other zones.
West Side focus-group participants also expressed deeper skepticism about city services. Residents described 311 cases being closed without visible action, infrastructure deteriorating without permanent repairs and a perception that some neighborhoods receive more city attention than others.
Public safety also emerged differently in those conversations.
While participants elsewhere often discussed safety in terms of perception and neighborhood conditions, some West Side residents described changing their routines because of violence and disorder. Participants reported hearing gunfire and street racing and avoiding going outside late at night.
Safety isn't just about crime
The city's findings also complicate one of the starkest results from the original survey.
While just 32% of respondents were satisfied with the overall feeling of safety citywide, that number rose to 50% when residents were asked about safety in their own neighborhoods.
The new analysis found Cincinnati's 50% neighborhood-safety satisfaction rate was higher than the 28% reported in a similarly sized Midwest peer city. Cincinnati also performed better on satisfaction with police response times, 38% to 30%.
Focus-group participants said their sense of safety extends beyond reported crime.
Poor lighting, vacant storefronts, reckless driving, visible mental health crises and unpredictable behavior in public spaces all contributed to whether residents felt comfortable in an area. Some participants also acknowledged that news reports and social media influence their perceptions of places such as Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and The Banks.
Residents also expressed different opinions about police presence depending on where they lived. Some participants around Downtown, OTR and Walnut Hills said heavy police presence could make them feel uncomfortable, while West Side residents described frustration with response times and a lack of follow-through. Across those perspectives, participants frequently called for more community-oriented policing.
Mental health services, youth programming and family support also repeatedly surfaced as ways residents believe the city could address problems before they require a police response.
Residents want follow-through
Communication emerged as another consistent frustration.
Residents said they often do not know about available city programs, what happens after they file a complaint or why a project is happening in their neighborhood. Participants said they want information before problems escalate and through multiple channels — not simply after a decision has already been made.
Experiences with 311 and code enforcement varied significantly. Some residents praised the system for producing quick results. Others said cases were closed without visible action or that properties remained in violation for long periods.
The city's memo found Cincinnati's struggles with code enforcement are not unique. Satisfaction generally falls in the mid-20% to mid-30% range in Cincinnati and its peer cities.
Residents also pointed to progress
The findings were not universally negative.
Residents repeatedly highlighted snow removal as an example of a city service they believe has improved. Participants credited GPS-based truck coordination, better preparation and stronger communication for noticeable improvements during recent winter weather.
The focus groups also found that despite their frustrations, many residents remain deeply attached to Cincinnati.
Participants described the city as home and expressed a desire to stay and see it improve. The city's analysis characterized much of the criticism as a reflection of residents' high expectations rather than disengagement.
City outlines next steps
City officials say the findings are already informing the fiscal year 2027 budget and departmental performance goals.
Among the initiatives outlined in the memo, Cincinnati plans to increase the number of lane miles resurfaced by 20% this year and improve its pothole response. The city also cited efforts to increase police recruit classes, expand its drone program and alternative crisis-response programs, strengthen code enforcement staffing and improve communication with residents.
The city said it has also expanded CincyAlerts and launched a monthly public newsletter as part of its response to communication concerns.
Another measure will soon assess whether residents believe those efforts are making a difference.
The city plans to administer its Community Perceptions Survey again in fall 2026.
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