2025 Survey Results

OVERALL RATING

Nine hundred residents shared their views through telephone and online opinion surveys conducted in the first half of 2019. Key findings are summarized, including ratings for different aspects of life in Flint. Ratings are based on a scale of one to five, in which five means “very positive” and one means “very negative.” For more information about how the ratings were calculated, see Methodology.

THINGS TO CELEBRATE/
THINGS TO IMPROVE

This section highlights survey results regarding what’s working and what needs improvement. If a section of Focus on Flint does not include information about Things to Celebrate or Things to Improve, it’s because the survey didn’t yield responses to fit the categories.

ALSO HEARD

In addition to results of the opinion survey, Focus on Flint shares information that local nonprofit organizations and agencies have reported hearing from the residents they serve.

SUPPORT FROM MOTT

Support for the organizations and programs presented in bold text includes funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which produced this report. To learn more, visit the Foundation’s website, Mott.org.

FACTS & FIGURES

Each section includes data and statistics that illuminate strengths of the Flint community and highlight challenges. These facts were collected through opinion surveys of Flint residents; from city, state and federal agencies; and from local nonprofit organizations. The Flint surveys were conducted in the first half of 2019. Unless otherwise noted, all remaining data are from 2018.

DID YOU KNOW?

This section highlights organizations and programs working to address issues in the Flint community and provides information about how to connect with them.

THE ISSUE AND THE RESPONSE

Focus on Flint explores nine important issues facing the local community: Arts and Culture, Economy, Education, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Quality of Life, Standard of Living and Water. This section describes why each issue is critical to the community and summarizes work underway.

KEY ISSUES AND OVERALL RATINGS: 2019-2025

Each year, the Mott Foundation’s Focus on Flint initiative asks residents to evaluate quality of life in Flint by responding to a confidential survey.

The independently administered survey asks residents about nine key issues affecting quality of life and the concerns and priorities residents want local leaders to address. Along with community conversations, these survey results help inform the Foundation’s local grantmaking.

2025 is the seventh consecutive year the Mott Foundation has released Focus on Flint survey results. The findings not only highlight residents’ top priorities but also identify areas where Flint has improved over the long term.

The graph below shows residents’ ratings on nine key issues affecting quality of life from 2019 to 2025. Respondents were asked to evaluate Flint on a scale of one to five, with one meaning “very negative” and five meaning “very positive.”

TOP CONCERNS

FOR FLINT RESIDENTS

Each year, the survey asks, “What do you think is the most serious issue facing the residents of Flint that you would like to see community leaders do something about?” Crime/public safety ranked as residents’ biggest concern in 2025, followed by the economy and water safety.

  • 31% CRIME/PUBLIC SAFETY
  • 10% ECONOMY/JOBS
  • 10% ABANDONED HOMES/BLIGHT
  • 10% WATER CONTAMINATION/SAFETY

Crime/public safety has ranked as Flint residents’ top concern in each Focus on Flint survey since 2020.

A FEW THINGS WORTH NOTING

  • Perceptions about the nine key issues remain largely consistent. Evaluations of housing increased slightly for 2025, but ratings for safety, health and education dipped.
  • While most residents (75%) say water service costs are unfair, perceptions about water quality have steadily improved over time. In the 2019 survey, residents evaluated water quality as 1.8 (out of five). In 2025, that rating improved to 2.5.
  • Residents feel better about the overall direction of Flint than the direction of the United States. Only 22% of residents believe the United States is headed in the right direction, while 30% say Flint is headed in the right direction. Forty-nine percent of respondents believe the state of Michigan is headed in the right direction.

2025 RESULTS HIGHLIGHT: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN FLINT

In addition to gathering feedback on the nine quality of life measures, the Focus on Flint survey takes a deeper look at one community issue each year. For 2025, Focus on Flint explored residents’ thoughts about physical activity, especially in local parks and playgrounds.

About one-third of residents (31%) say they use local parks to be physically active, and 44% say that someone in their family visits playgrounds in the city.

  • 68% of residents say there aren’t enough opportunities for children and teenagers to participate in fitness programs, like sports leagues.
  • 80% of residents say they would use a new public space to exercise if one opened nearby.
  • Flint residents recognize the importance of physical activity. Residents say they would use public spaces meant for physical activity if those spaces were convenient and easy to get to, felt safe, and featured clean restrooms and high-quality playground structures.

What’s Missing? Let Us Know!