Nearly all Needham residents love their town, but fewer trust the people running it.

That's the central tension in the 2026 Polco National Community Survey, which found 97% of respondents rate Needham positively as a place to live. At the same time, overall confidence in Needham government fell 10 percentage points, from 67% in 2024 to 57% in 2026.

The belief that town government "generally acts in the best interest of the community" dropped by the same margin, from 72% to 62%.

The survey collected responses from 562 randomly selected residents between April 20 and June 15, drawn from 3,000 households that received mailed invitations. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

Services still score high

Public safety departments dominated the top marks: fire services earned a 97% positive rating, police 94%, ambulance and EMS 95%, and crime prevention 96%. K-12 education scored 91%, well above the national benchmark, and 98% of respondents said they feel safe in Needham.

Overall quality of town services drew an 81% positive rating, and 89% praised customer service from town employees.

Government confidence slides

The 10-point drops in government confidence and perceived good faith were among the survey's largest declines. Satisfaction with "the overall direction Needham is taking" fell 8 points, and "well-planned commercial growth" slid 8 points to 41%.

Town Manager Katie King told the Needham Observer on Wednesday, Aug. 19, that the findings didn't surprise her.

"I don't think I needed the survey to tell me that people have a level of distrust in government writ large, and I think local government has always had the highest level of confidence because it is seen and felt and heard so directly," King said.

She added that what residents see happening at the state and national level affects how they feel about town hall. The survey backs that up: satisfaction with federal government services cratered 30 points, from 57% in 2024 to 27% in 2026.

Housing affordability remains a sore spot

Only 17% of respondents rated the availability of affordable quality housing positively, and just 29% were satisfied with the variety of housing options. Cost of living fared little better at 18%. With Needham's average single-home value at $1.54 million, the numbers track with what residents experience at the closing table.

Land use planning and zoning drew a 44% positive rating; well-planned residential growth, 46%.

King said the cost findings have her attention. "I think our role is to figure out which of those are actually town levers that we have control over," she said.

The town is already adding nearly 200 rental units under the MBTA Communities Act at the former Carter building in the Heights, though those will not be starter homes.

Bright spots

Not all trends pointed down. Satisfaction with affordable quality mental health care rose 14 points, stormwater management climbed 12 points, health services gained 10 points, and affordable quality childcare and preschool rose 9 points.

The full survey report is available on the town's document center. Residents with questions can contact Amy Haelsen, director of communications and community engagement, at [email protected].