Report · Money and Finance

Most Americans don't attend local government meetings

Reading

Local government meetings are unfamiliar territory for most: 76% of Americans say they have not attended one in the last two years, according to a Verasight survey conducted March 6-16, 2026.

The remaining 24% have been to at least one in that time, with 11% reporting two to five meetings, 10% a single meeting, and just 2% more than five.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Most Americans don't attend local government meetings.

In the last two years, have you attended any local government meetings in your community (such as school board, planning commission, or city council)? If so, how many?

  • No, I have not attended any local government meetings 76.3%
  • 2-5 meetings 11.3%
  • 1 meeting 10.2%
  • More than 5 meetings 2.2%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.5%

Module 2: Economics, Work, & Policy

View source

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-03-06 → 2026-03-16
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.5%
Module
Module 2: Economics, Work, & Policy

Source

Citation

Verasight Client Omnibus Survey #2026-044, fielded March 6-16, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044#q-2-29

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.