Most Residents Happy With New Canaan's 'Value,' New Survey Says

NEW CANAAN, CT — More than 70 percent of New Canaan residents are generally happy with the "value for the taxes I pay and services I receive" in the community, according to the results of a new survey commissioned by town officials.

The "2020 Residential Satisfaction Study," conducted in January by the Glastonbury-based firm GreatBlue Research, Inc., received more than 2,100 responses online and by phone. The survey's margin of error was +/- 1.9 percent, with a confidence level of 95 percent, officials said. More than 400 randomly selected residents responded to the phone survey, and more than 1,700 answered the survey online.

According to the results, more than seven-out-of-ten, or 73.1 percent, reported they “strongly agree” (22.3 percent) or “somewhat agree” (50.8 percent) with the following statement: “Living in New Canaan is a good value for the taxes I pay and services I receive.” Additionally, a strong majority, 89.5 percent, reported they would be “very likely” (55.8 percent) or “somewhat likely” (33.7 percent) to recommend New Canaan as a place to live.

View the full survey.

Also, more than half of the town's residents (or 52.3 percent) reported their current perception of New Canaan “meets expectations” they had prior to moving to the town. One-quarter of residents (25.8 percent) reported New Canaan “exceeds expectations,” while 18.5 percent reported the town “falls short of expectations.”

“This survey will be important in helping the town government gain a better understanding of the priorities of its residents and will act as a guide in making decisions that best reflect the goals and needs of its population,” officials said in a statement at the time of its launch.

Again, more than 70 percent of residents (71.8 percent) reported that primary reason — or one of the primary reasons — they chose to live in New Canaan was “quality of schools.” That was followed by “downtown village” (42.1 percent) and “family friendliness/strength of the community” (35.0 percent). “Quality of schools” (50.0 percent), “family friendliness/strength of the community” (37.5 percent) and “downtown village” (33.2 percent) were also the top three reasons why residents have decided to continue living in New Canaan.

From the town's announcement on survey's results:

Over two-fifths of residents reported “affordability of living” (45.9 percent), “state income taxes” (43.5 percent), “state taxes” (42.2 percent) and “local property taxes/mill rate” (40.9 percent) would cause them to move from New Canaan to another town or state.

While the highest frequency of residents reported they believe New Canaan’s taxes are
“about the same” as “Darien” (69.5 percent), “Westport” (60.5 percent), “Wilton” (41.9 percent) and “Greenwich” (37.7 percent), three quarters of respondents (75.2 percent) reported they believe New Canaan’s taxes are “lower” than taxes in “Westchester County.” Further, over one-third of residents reported they believe New Canaan’s taxes are “higher” than “Greenwich” (37.0 percent) and “Wilton” (34.2 percent).

The highest frequency of residents reported the “library annual operating budget” (29.0 percent),
“public works (road maintenance, snow plowing, sidewalks, etc.)” (28.2 percent), and “schools” (27.9 percent) as the areas New Canaan should “increase” spending for now or in the near future. In addition, the highest frequency of respondents (23.1 percent) reported they believe New Canaan should “decrease” spending for “open space.”

The GreatBlue report may be viewed at NewCanaan.info/2020CommunitySurvey.