Pleasanton Residents Happy With City, But Less Than They Used To Be

PLEASANTON, CA — Pleasanton residents are happy with their city, though not as happy as they used to be, according to a survey from FM3 Opinion Research & Strategy.

The firm interviewed 711 Pleasanton residents ages 18 and older from May 24 through June 7, via the telephone and online responses. The most recent survey found that 91 percent of respondents consider Pleasanton an “excellent” or “good” place to live. In a survey conducted in September/October 2021, 94 percent replied excellent or good, and in 2015, 97 percent did.

The most pronounced difference is how many people consider Pleasanton “excellent.” In 2023, 43 percent replied “excellent,” while 48 percent replied “good.” In 2021, the ratio was 52/42. In 2017, it was 67/29. In 2015, the ratio was 72/25, which had remained relatively constant since the survey was first conducted in March 2007.

In 2023, eight percent of respondents called life “fair”, up from five percent in 2021, and three-four percent in prior years.

Despite the drop, Pleasanton is one of the most content cities in the Bay Area. In Dublin, 87 percent of respondents in 2023 said that their city is an excellent/good place to live. In Oakland, the number is just 54 percent, while 15 percent said it is a “poor” place to live. In Hayward, 62 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with life in their city, and 31 percent said they were not.

Numbers remained high, but declining, in other categories. 89 percent of respondents said Pleasanton is a good place to raise children in 2023, down from 94 percent in 2015 and 97 percent in 2007. The share of people who see it as “excellent” has declined from 73 percent in 2007 (and 71 percent in 2017) to 46 percent in 2023.

93 percent of respondents in 2023 said they felt safe in Pleasanton, down from 99 percent in 2015 and before. In 2017, 82 percent of respondents said they felt “very safe,” which dropped to 63 percent in 2021, and 47 percent in 2023.

On that note, 21 percent of respondents ranked crime as the most serious issue facing Pleasanton, up from 13 percent in 2021. Fifteen percent said housing costs were the most serious issue, followed by education/public schools (9 percent) and traffic on city streets (9 percent.)

78 percent of respondents rated city services as excellent or good, though just 45 percent said the same about budget management. This is again a decline from past years: In 2013, 88 percent said the city provides excellent or good services.

Just 42 percent said infrastructure planning was excellent or good, with just seven percent calling it excellent. This is about the same as 2021, though down from a high of 57 percent in 2013.

Large majorities of residents consider the following to be most extremely or very important:

• Ensuring the city’s ability to provide police, parks and good streets (89%)
• Protecting the natural environment (83%)
• Avoiding traffic congestion and noise (79%)
• Keeping consistent with Pleasanton’s small-town character (71%)

Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown seemed encouraged by the results. “Our residents confirmed in our latest community survey, Pleasanton is a great place to live and to raise children,” she said in a statement. “The high levels of satisfaction and public opinion are a testament to the commitment of City leaders to make Pleasanton an outstanding place for all.”

See here for the full survey.