Arlingtonians’ views of the county government performance and overall quality of life have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, a new survey confirms.
While improving from the last resident-satisfaction survey conducted in 2022, overall grades on six key metrics remain down from 2018, according to data presented June 17 to County Board members.
The survey of 1,600 county respondents revealed “concerns related to affordability, growth, housing costs, taxes, traffic and other factors affecting residents’ day-to-day experiences,” said Milena Zilo, founder/CEO of Zilo International Group.
That firm conducted the survey under contract to the county government. It is the seventh survey conducted by various analytics firms since 2004.
With general improvement from 2022, the new data represents “a positive rebound” from the pandemic era, County Manager Mark Schwartz told Board members.
On six key questions, the 2026 results showed some improvements from 2022, but satisfaction rates were down in each from the 2018 survey:
- Quality of services provided by the county government: 82% satisfaction in 2026, 78% in 2022, 88% in 2018
- Value for county taxes: 52% in 2026, 53% in 2022, 59% in 2018
- County’s ability to manage growth: 41% in 2026, 45% in 2022, 48% in 2018
- Quality of schools: 72% in 2026, 65% in 2022, 78% in 2018
- Overall quality of life in Arlington: 78% in 2026, 85% in 2022, 86% in 2018
- Overall image of Arlington: 79% in 2026, 79% in 2022, 88% in 2019
Schwartz said some of the declines may be attributable to a more critical civic environment.
“Trust in government has been decreasing,” he said. “That’s part of a pattern you see across the nation for all forms of government.”
The survey was conducted in English and Spanish. Participants could complete it by mail, online, phone or in person. Given the sample size, the margin of error was +/-2.4%, Zilo said.
County Board member Takis Karantonis focused on improvements since 2022 in delivering his verdict on the results.
“This is a good, good report — no question,” he said, adding that “it is important for us to look at the details.”
In their own summation of the 199-page report, county officials noted a higher mark in 2026 for fire and emergency services, up 5 percentage points to 89% although down from 93% in 2018.
Satisfaction with the library system was 89% in 2026, up from 83% in 2022 but down from 91% in 2018, while police services earned a satisfaction rating of 78%, up from 70% in 2022 though down from 85% in 2018.
Two areas that scored below 50% approval were snow removal (a satisfaction rate of 45.9%) and the cost of public parking (37.1%).
In what might be a blow to those advocating for changes to the county’s governance structure, only 21% expressed dissatisfaction with the current structure, with 43.2% supporting the status quo. The rest were neutral.
Asked whether Arlington’s elected officials could be trusted, just under half of respondents — 49.5% — said yes, with 22.4% saying no and the rest neutral.
Erika Moore, the county government’s director of communications, said questions asked in the 2026 survey were generally in line with those asked previously.
She said county communications staff would “develop an after-action plan we can use for future surveys.”
The next survey is likely to be conducted in 2030 to retain the four-year cycle of recent years.
