From April 16th to June 1st, 2026, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (OVBC) conducted a regional survey of Portland. This third annual survey – conducted in partnership with the North Star Civic Foundation – sought to explore the actions Portlanders want to prioritize in addressing the city’s most pressing challenges.
The citywide survey consisted of 1,252 Portland residents aged 18 and older.
The question numbers in this document correspond with the accompanying Questionnaire Totals and Crosstabs data files. For survey full question wording, all statistically significant subgroup findings, and respondent quotes, readers are encouraged to refer to the accompanying documents located at the bottom of this post under “For More Information”: (1) questionnaire totals, (2) crosstabulations, and (3) verbatim written responses spreadsheet (upon request).
Due to rounding, the percentages reported below may not add up to 100% or compare exactly to the percentages for the same question in the Questionnaire Totals or Crosstabs. Included below are noteworthy subgroup variations for age, gender, area of the state, BIPOC/white, etc, for selected questions. The accompanying set of tabs notes subgroup variations for each question.
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, each statement summarizing noticeable differences captures a comparison within an identification category. For example, if respondents aged 75 and older show higher support for a particular statement, this refers to a comparison with other age groups.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Portlanders are nearly evenly divided among those who feel represented by the City Council, those who do not, and those who are unsure.
- Feelings of representation on the Multnomah County Commission are consistently low across all demographic groups.
- When it comes to doing what is right for Portland, more Portlanders place their trust in community leaders than in government leaders.
- Residents report the highest levels of satisfaction with Portland’s outdoor and natural areas, while the city’s cost of living generates the highest levels of dissatisfaction.
- For city services, Portlanders place the greatest importance on streets, sidewalks, and transportation, as well as emergency fire, paramedic, and mental health services.
- In 2026, more Portlanders rate the quality of city services as either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ than in 2024 and 2025.
- Once again, houselessness is top of mind for many Portlanders.
Below is the report created from the 2026 Portland: Your City, Your Choice survey. Click the download button to view the report, and look below for more data files:
METHODOLOGY
This regional online survey was conducted from April 16th to June 1st, 2026. The survey included 1,252 Portland residents aged 18+ and took approximately 15 minutes to complete. This is a sufficient sample size to assess Portlanders’ opinions generally and to review findings by multiple subgroups.
Respondents were contacted using professionally maintained online panels and via in-person community outreach efforts. Various quality-control measures were employed to ensure response quality, including questionnaire pre-testing, validation, and real-time monitoring. To ensure a representative sample, demographic quotas were set, and the raw data was weighted by city district, gender, age, race/ethnicity, political party registration, and education.
OVBC surveys currently use aggregated data to analyze the opinions of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) residents in comparison to the opinions of residents who identify as White and not another race. BIPOC residents are not a homogeneous population; instead, they represent a wide diversity of races and ethnicities. The findings included in this memo should not be construed as implying that all people of color are believed to share the same opinions. Disaggregated race data will be provided when sample sizes permit reliability.
Statement of Limitations: Any sampling of opinions or attitudes is subject to a margin of error. The margin of error is a standard statistical calculation that represents differences between the sample and total population at a confidence interval, or probability, calculated to be 95%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the sample taken for this study would fall within the stated margin of error if compared with the results achieved from surveying the entire population. This survey’s margin of error for the full sample is ±2.77%
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (OVBC): This research was completed by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center as a community service. OVBC is an independent and non-partisan organization and an Oregon charitable nonprofit corporation. Representative OVBC projects include a series of in-depth business interviews for the Columbia County Economic Team, as well as an extensive opinion research study about Oregonian’s values and beliefs, in partnership with over 20 organizations (Learn more about the 2023 Typology Study).
North Star Civic Foundation is a Portland-based foundation that fosters collaborative spaces for civic leaders to develop visionary solutions to complex public interest problems. Their generous support is instrumental to this annual research project from thoughtful input on our questionnaire and assistance with civic engagement data collection. North Star’s contribution ensures organizations, officials, and all Portlanders have access to high-quality, valid, and statistically reliable data, building a strong foundation for a better future.