Goodyear survey shows resident satisfaction and areas for improvement

By Mary Goldmeer
Mail

A recent community survey shows strong satisfaction among Goodyear residents in areas such as quality of life, governance and economic vitality.

The results also identify areas where residents would like to see additional focus, particularly in mobility, education and community design.

The 2025 Community Survey was conducted by the National Research Center at Polco using the National Community Survey, a tool designed for local governments that allows Goodyear to compare results with more than 500 communities across the country. 

This year’s survey was administered to a random sample of households and generated 415 responses. Online open participation responses were also collected and weighted to reflect the city’s demographics, though those responses are reported separately.

When asked about the importance of focus areas for the next two years, respondents most frequently identified safety and utilities (both at 93%), followed by the economy (91%), the natural environment (88%) and community design (87%).

Positive ratings for quality of life

About 90% of residents rated Goodyear as a good or excellent place to live and expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of life. Nearly as many said they would recommend the city to others (89%) and expected to remain in Goodyear for the next five years (88%).

Confidence in city governance rose from 60% in 2023 to 70% in 2025. The percentage of respondents who said the city acts in the best interest of the community increased from 58% to 71%. Ratings for treating residents with respect (79%) and treating all residents fairly (78%) also exceeded national averages.

“The resident confidence in the quality of life and leadership are significant marks,” said Councilmember Laura Kaino. “I think this is really telling, (there was a comment made) about cities with growing pains (being) in development, and I think that that is where we are.”

Economic ratings trend upward

Respondents gave improved ratings for several aspects of the local economy:

• Quality of business and service establishments increased from 65% to 71%.
  
  
• Goodyear as a place to visit rose from 59% to 65%.
  
  
• Variety of business and service establishments went from 50% to 60%.
  
  
• Vibrancy of the downtown and commercial area increased from 40% to 58%.
  
  

Goodyear was also rated favorably as a place to retire (86%) and raise children (87%). Ratings related to diversity and inclusion were high, with 75% of respondents saying the city attracts people from diverse backgrounds and 83% saying it values and respects all residents. Sixty-seven percent gave positive ratings for how Goodyear supports vulnerable residents.

Resident input highlights areas for additional focus

Ratings declined in several aspects of community design. Positive responses for well-planned residential growth dropped from 56% in 2023 to 48% in 2025. The variety of housing options decreased from 68% to 58%, and land use, planning and zoning fell from 52% to 45%. About half of respondents gave favorable ratings for preserving the community’s historical or cultural character, which was below the national average.

Education ratings also declined. K–12 education fell from 70% to 62%, and adult educational opportunities dropped from 65% to 49%.

Mobility received lower ratings overall. While 80% of respondents said transportation is an essential or very important area for the city to address, only 43% rated the quality of mobility services as good or excellent. Traffic flow on major streets (45%), ease of travel by bicycle (46%) and traffic signal timing (47%) received mixed reviews. Ratings for ease of travel by public transportation (26%) and bus or transit services (41%) remained relatively low, though the latter improved from 2023.

Changes since 2023

Of the 121 questions asked in both the 2023 and 2025 surveys, 11 showed statistically significant increases and six showed decreases. Among the largest changes:

• Vibrancy of the downtown and commercial area increased by 18 percentage points.
  
  
• Code enforcement rose by 14 points.
  
  
• Perceptions that the city acts in the best interest of the community increased by 13 points.
  
  
• Bus or transit services rose by 11 points.
  
  
• Goodyear as a place to retire improved by 10 points.
  
  

Items with declining ratings included:

• Adult educational opportunities, down 16 points.
  
  
• Variety of housing options, down 10 points.
  
  
• Well-planned residential growth, down 8 points.
  
  
• K–12 education, down 8 points.
  
  
• Traffic signal timing, down 8 points.
  
  

The 2025 survey results will be used to help guide updates to the city’s strategic plan and department-level direction later this year. City leaders have historically used survey data to evaluate city services, consider new programs and adjust priorities based on resident feedback.