Town of Atherton
Resident Survey
Results Presentation
May 2025
Opinion Research on
Elections and Public Policy
PROBOLSKY RESEARCH
100 Pine Street, Suite 1250 San Francisco CA 94111
Newport Beach
(949) 855-6400
San Francisco
(415) 870-8150
Washington DC
(202) 559-0270
1 Town of Atherton – Resident Survey
Survey Methodology*
Survey Details
Mode
Mail
Online
Telephone
Language English and Spanish
Length 13 minutes
Target Respondents Town of Atherton residents
Survey Fielding April 7 – 29, 2025
Margin of Error +/-4.5%
Survey Participants 424
Sample
The resident sample was compiled from consumer data. We sent mail, called, emailed, and texted residents. We matched the demographics of the Town of Atherton residents.
Data Collection Explained
Interviews were conducted with live U.S.-based interviewers by phone (24%) and online survey methods (76%). Phone
participants were interviewed through landline (20%) and mobile (80%) calls. Online participants were invited by email (21%), text message (11%), and mail (68%) to access the survey by computer, tablet, or smart phone.
Respondents in all modes chose their preferred language, English (99%) and Spanish (1%).
Security measures precluded individuals from completing the survey more than once.
Probolsky Research is a Latina- and woman-owned market and opinion research firm with corporate, election, government, and non-profit clients. *Due to rounding, totals shown may not add up to 100% 2 18% say public safety is the top-of-mind most
important issues facing Atherton
Question 1: In your own words, what do you feel is the most important issue facing Atherton today? [OPEN-ENDED QUESTION]
17.9%
17.0%
15.1%
13.2%
6.4%
6.4%
3.5%
2.4%
2.1%
2.1%
0.7%
0.5%
0.5%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
9.7%
1.7%
Public safety/Drugs/Crime
Housing affordability
State mandate for housing/Low income housing requirement/ADU Transportation/Traffic/Roads
Over population/Controlling growth/Development
Lack of community/Preserving the culture of the Town
Government
Security/Terrorism
Taxes
Too much construction/Ongoing construction complaints
Education/Schools/Higher Education
Moral issues
Homelessness
Water/Drought
Jobs/Economy
Environmental issues
Immigration/Illegal immigration
Other
Unsure
3 98% rate the overall quality of life in Atherton as
good/excellent
Question 2: How would you rate the overall quality of life in Atherton?
97.6%
2.1% 0.2%
Good Poor Unsure
4 91% are satisfied with the overall services provided
by the Town of Atherton
Question 3: In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the overall services provided by the Town of Atherton?
91.0%
5.9% 3.1%
Satisfied Dissatisfied Unsure
5 Among those who said dissatisfied, 24% cite bad roads and infrastructure
Question 4: Why are you dissatisfied with the overall services provided by the Town of Atherton? [OPEN-ENDED QUESTION]
[AMONG THOSE WHO SAID ‘DISSATISFIED’ IN Q3]
24.0%
12.0%
8.0%
8.0%
8.0%
4.0%
4.0%
4.0%
4.0%
4.0%
4.0%
4.0%
4.0%
8.0%
Bad roads/Speed bumps/Infrastructure
Ineffective services/Don’t really do much
Increase in crime/Need for public safety
Residents blocked from tennis courts
Laws are too invasive
Pollution/Dirty city
Too many permits for building
Lack of public transportation
No accountability
Power outages
Very little code enforcement
Poorly managed public works
Unnecessary meetings
Other
91.0%
5.9% 3.1%
Question asked of
respondents who
expressed dissatisfaction
with Town services,
representing 5.9% of the
total sample or 25
individuals.
6 93% are satisfied with the police services provided by the Town of Atherton
Question 5: Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the police services provided by the Town of Atherton?
93.4%
5.0% 1.7%
Satisfied Dissatisfied Unsure
7 Among those who said dissatisfied, 19% mentioned
property crimes and theft
Question 6: Why are you dissatisfied with the police services? [OPEN-ENDED QUESTION]
[AMONG THOSE WHO SAID ‘DISSATISFIED’ IN Q5]
19.0%
9.5%
9.5%
9.5%
9.5%
4.8%
4.8%
4.8%
4.8%
4.8%
4.8%
4.8%
9.5%
Property crime/Theft/Burglaries
Too many police officers
Enforce speeding/Traffic laws
General negative/Ineffective
Lack of police officers/Need for more police
The police have a lack of knowledge
Rude/Bad personalities
The police do not take reports seriously
Stopping drivers without probable cause
Corruption
Slow response time
Too many tickets
Other
93.4%
5.0% 1.7%
Question asked of
respondents who
expressed dissatisfaction
with police services,
representing 5% of the total
sample or 21 individuals.
8 57% get their news about Atherton from print
media
Question 7: Please indicate which of the following outlets, if any, you regularly use to get news about Atherton. Select all that apply.
56.8%
50.7%
50.5%
23.1%
20.3%
5.9%
3.3%
3.1%
2.1%
1.4%
17.0%
3.3%
0.2%
Print media
Word of mouth
Town website
Electronic media
Nextdoor
Television
X
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram
Other
None of these
Unsure
9 Providing effective public safety and maintain streets and traffic operations are most important services
Question 8: Now we have a list of services provided by the Town of Atherton, please indicate which services you think are very important to you personally. Select all that apply.
81.8%
79.7%
58.7%
57.5%
57.1%
48.8%
47.2%
43.2%
30.2%
29.0%
28.1%
25.5%
24.3%
6.8%
Provide effective public safety
Maintain streets and traffic operations
Manage land use, planning and development
Drainage maintenance
Prepare the Town for emergencies
Enforce zoning and building codes
Maintain Holbrook Palmer Park
Communicate about Town services, projects and events
Street sweeping program
Maintenance and amenities of the Atherton Town Center
Support engagement by and between community members
Provide special events like summer concerts and community… Environment, climate, and sustainability efforts
Other
10 Providing effective public safety and maintain Holbrook Palmer Park are the services with the highest satisfaction Question 9: Thinking of the same list of services provided by the Town of Atherton, please indicate which services you are personally satisfied with. Select all that apply.
59.9%
56.4%
39.2%
38.2%
36.6%
36.1%
26.4%
25.0%
23.6%
23.1%
21.7%
17.7%
14.2%
1.4%
2.8%
6.4%
Provide effective public safety
Maintain Holbrook Palmer Park
Maintenance and amenities of the Atherton Town Center
Maintain streets and traffic operations
Communicate about Town services, projects and events
Prepare the Town for emergencies
Enforce zoning and building codes
Drainage maintenance
Provide special events like summer concerts and community… Street sweeping program
Manage land use, planning and development
Environment, climate, and sustainability efforts
Support engagement by and between community members
Other
None of these
Unsure
Question 8: Now we have a list of services provided by the Town of Atherton, please indicate which services you think are very important to you personally.
Question 9: Thinking of the same list of services provided by the Town of Atherton, please indicate which services you are personally satisfied with. 11 Largest gap in maintaining streets and traffic operations suggests that it should be an area of focus by the Town 42%
37%
33%
22%
22%
21%
14%
10%
9%
7%
7%
7%
2%
Delta
79.7%
58.7%
57.5%
48.8%
81.8%
57.1%
28.1%
29.0%
47.2%
30.2%
43.2%
24.3%
25.5%
38.2%
21.7%
25.0%
26.4%
59.9%
36.1%
14.2%
39.2%
56.4%
23.1%
36.6%
17.7%
23.6%
Maintain streets and traffic operations
Manage land use, planning and development
Drainage maintenance
Enforce zoning and building codes
Provide effective public safety
Prepare the Town for emergencies
Support engagement by and between community members
Maintenance and amenities of the Atherton Town Center
Maintain H olbrook Palmer Park
Street sweeping program
Communicate about Town services, projects and events
Environment, climate, and sustainability efforts
Provide special events like summer concerts and community events Importance Satisfaction
Question 8: Now we have a list of services provided by the Town of Atherton, please indicate which services you think are very important to you personally.
Question 9: Thinking of the same list of services provided by the Town of Atherton, please indicate which services you are personally satisfied with. 12 Providing effective public safety ranks the highest both in importance and satisfaction
Provide effective public safety
Maintain Holbrook Palmer Park
Maintenance and amenities of the
Atherton Town Center
Maintain streets and traffic operations
Communicate about Town services,
projects and events
Prepare the Town for emergencies
Enforce zoning and building codes
Drainage maintenance
Provide special events like summer concerts and
community events
Street sweeping program
Environment, climate, and sustainability efforts Manage land use, planning and development Support engagement by and between community
members
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00% Satisfaction
Importance
13 76% rate the level of trust in the Town as high
Question 10: Overall, how would you rate your level of trust in the Town of Atherton?
76.4%
15.8%
6.1%
1.7%
High Neither high nor low Low Unsure
14 83% rate the Town’s ability to address graffiti, litter, illegal construction, and illegal dumping as good
Question 11: How would you rate the Town’s ability to address graffiti, litter, illegal construction, and illegal dumping?
82.5%
3.8%
13.7%
Good Poor Unsure
15 68% have been in contact with a Town employee in
the past 12 months
Question 12: In the past 12 months, have you been in contact with any Town of Atherton employees?
68.2%
30.0%
1.9%
Yes No Unsure
16 Among those who had contact with a Town employee,
95% rated the interaction as good
Question 13: How would you rate your interaction with that Town of Atherton employee? [AMONG THOSE WHO SAID ‘YES’ IN Q12]
94.8%
4.8%
0.3%
Good Poor Unsure
68.1%
30.0%
1.9%
Among those who said “yes” to Q12
17 Among those who rated their interaction as poor,
29% cited inconsistent response times
Question 14: Why do you rate your interaction with that Town of Atherton employee as poor? [OPEN-ENDED QUESTION]
[AMONG THOSE WHO SAID ‘POOR’ IN Q13]
28.6%
21.4%
14.3%
7.1%
7.1%
14.3%
7.1%
Nonresponsive/Inconsistent response times
Poor service/Not addressing concerns
Lack of zoning knowledge
Vehicle registration issues
General negative/Ineffective
Other
Unsure
94.8%
4.8%
0.3%
Question asked of
respondents who rate their
interaction with town
employees as poor,
representing 4.8% of the
total sample or 20
individuals.
18 68% rate the Town’s engagement with the community
on addressing housing needs as good
Question 15: The Town is required by the state to address regional housing needs. How do you rate the Town's engagement with the community on this issue?
68.2%
20.0%
11.8%
Good Poor Unsure
19 More mailers is the top way that the Town could improve its engagement with the community on housing needs
Question 16: What ways could the Town improve its engagement with the community on this issue? Select all that apply.
36.3%
26.4%
26.2%
13.4%
16.5%
11.8%
More mailers (newsletters, flyers, etc.)
More community meetings
More neighborhood meetings
No improvement needed
Unsure
Other
20 Preserve small town character and quality of life is the top goal and objective for the coming years
Question 17: The Town of Atherton has set various goals and objectives to meet in the coming years. Indicate which goals or objectives are important to you. Select all that apply.
66.5%
62.7%
59.0%
53.5%
51.2%
50.9%
47.2%
39.4%
30.9%
23.3%
0.9%
Preserve small town character and quality of life
Provide a safe walkable environment
Manage traffic flow and improving traffic safety
Mitigate wildfire risk and increase community beautification by undergrounding utility lines
Maintain fiscal transparency
Emergency preparedness
Be forward thinking, well planned and well managed
Provide a safe bikeable environment
Protect and expands its tree canopy
Promote environmental sustainability and climate action Unsure
21 Among those who selected ‘mitigate wildfire risk’, 65% would be willing to pay for utility underground projects to help mitigate wildfire risk, respondents aged 65 or older are more willing to vote yes, Asian respondents are less willing than other ethnic groups
Question 18: Would you be willing to pay for utility underground projects to help in mitigating wildfire risk through some kind of revenue mechanism like a bond, tax, or fee? [AMONG THOSE WHO SELECTED ‘MITIGATE WILDFIRE RISK…’ IN Q17]
65.2%
16.3% 18.5%
Yes No Unsure
Powerlines in Atherton are mostly above ground. Above ground powerlines are known to contribute to fires. Above ground power lines also make the Town susceptible to more outages during storms and natural disasters. Other communities work to move their powerlines underground which some see as more aesthetically pleasing and safer.
64.3%
55.6%
68.0%
55.7%
74.0%
57.1%
66.2%
61.7%
71.4%
14.3%
33.3%
24.0%
21.4%
7.8%
9.5%
14.2%
27.7%
21.4%
21.4%
11.1%
8.0%
22.9%
18.2%
33.3%
19.6%
10.6%
7.1%
18-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Latino/Hispanic
White/Caucasian
Asian/Pacific Islander
Other
Yes
No
Unsure
53.5%
46.5%
Among those who chose “mitigate
wildfire risk” on Q17
22 67% say it's important that the Town works to prevent flooding during severe weather through some kind of revenue mechanism; there are significant differences in opinion between males and females
Question 19: How important is it to you that the Town works to prevent flooding during severe weather through some kind of revenue mechanism like a bond, tax, or fee?
67.0%
25.5%
7.5%
Important Unimportant Unsure
Parts of Atherton experience flooding during periods of heavy rain and will likely continue to experience flooding unless something is done to prevent it.
62.0%
72.8%
31.7%
18.8%
6.3%
8.5%
Male
Female
Important
Unimportant
Unsure
Important Unimportant
23 Among those who said flood mitigation is important,
53% would be willing to pay for flood mitigation
projects to protect Atherton from flooding
Question 20: Would you be willing to pay for flood mitigation projects to protect Atherton from flooding during severe weather? [AMONG THOSE WHO SAID “IMPORTANT” IN Q19]
53.2%
19.4%
27.5%
Yes No Unsure
67.0%
25.5%
7.5%
Among those who said it was
important on Q19
24 74% say the Town’s efforts to solicit public input
and engage residents as good
Question 21: How would you rate the Town’s efforts to solicit public input and engage residents on policy and programs?
73.8%
15.8%
10.4%
Good Poor Unsure
25 70% prefer the Town to contact them via text message in case of an emergency
Question 22: How would you prefer the Town of Atherton to contact you in the case of an emergency that requires you to take immediate action?
70.3%
13.7%
8.3%
2.8%
1.4%
0.9%
0.7%
0.5%
0.5%
0.9%
Text message
Automated phone calls
Emails
ADAPT Website (Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team) YouTube videos
Social media posts
Some other way
Website posts
Nextdoor
Unsure
26 26% would like to see activity space improved at
Holbrook Palmer Park
Question 23: What features would you like to see improved at Holbrook Palmer Park? Select all that apply.
25.9%
18.9%
15.6%
14.6%
13.9%
13.4%
11.8%
8.3%
7.8%
45.5%
Activity space
Open space
Picnic areas
Playground
Multi-generational Play and Recreation Area
Facilities (Main House, Pavilion, Carriage House)
Meeting spaces
Par course and exercise equipment
Art studio/Foundation
Unsure
27 Waste disposal and recycling is residents’ top
priority for Environmental Program Committee
Question 24: The Town has an Environmental Programs Committee that assists the Town in addressing the goals in the Climate Action Plan in response to state mandates. Of the following, which are your top priorities for addressing environmental issues? Please select all that apply.
56.6%
36.3%
35.4%
33.5%
29.0%
16.5%
10.6%
9.2%
12.0%
Waste disposal and recycling
Air quality
Electric readiness
Water conservation
Transportation
Sea level rise
Environmental education
Biodiversity
Unsure
28 71% were aware of the ADAPT program
Question 25: The Town of Atherton has a disaster and preparedness team that can assist residents during emergencies. They have also identified local assembly points to gather in the event of an emergency. The program is called Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team (ADAPT). Were you aware of this program?
70.5%
25.7%
3.8%
Was aware Was not aware Unsure
29 54% say they are ‘not so prepared’ at home to
respond to a local disaster
Question 26: In the event of an emergency residents may be on your own for the first 4-7 days while governmental resources address larger issues. How prepared are you at home to respond to a local disaster such as an earthquake?
36.8%
53.8%
6.1% 3.3%
Well prepared Not so prepared Not prepared at all Unsure 30 58% say refreshing their plans or supplies most impacts their preparedness for a local disaster
Question 27: Which of the following most impacted your ability to be prepared? Select all that apply. [AMONG THOSE WHO SAID ‘NOT SO PREPARED’ OR ‘NOT PREPARED AT ALL’ IN Q26]
57.5%
45.7%
23.6%
20.5%
13.0%
11.8%
5.5%
Refreshing my preparedness plans or supplies
Finding the time to do what is needed to be prepared
Finding relevant information
Knowing how to prepare for a special needs situation
The cost involved in getting prepared
Getting others in my household engaged
Unsure
36.8%
53.8%
6.1%
3.3%
Among those who said they are not
so prepared / not prepared at all for
disaster response on Q26
31 Demographics
32 48.3%
50.2%
1.7%
Man
Woman
Prefer not to answer
92.7%
3.5%
1.2%
2.6%
Own home
Rent home
Other
Prefer not to answer
17.5%
80.0%
2.6%
Yes
No
Prefer not to answer
Respondent demographics
by gender, home type, children in home, age group, and ethnicity Gender Home type Children in home
Age Group Ethnicity
23.3%
5.2%
10.1%
27.1%
30.9%
3.3%
18-29
30-39
40-49
50-64
65+
Prefer not to answer
11.1%
63.9%
0.5%
16.3%
2.4%
1.4%
0.2%
1.2%
5.0%
Hispanic/Latino
White or Caucasian
Black or African American
Asian
South Asian
Middle Eastern or North African
American Indian or Alaska Native
Other
Prefer not to answer
Questions?
Adam Probolsky, President
O: 949-855-6400 | M: 949-697-6726
E: [email protected]
Joshua Emeneger, Principal Researcher
E: [email protected]
Opinion Research on
Elections and Public Policy
PROBOLSKY RESEARCH
100 Pine Street, Suite 1250 San Francisco CA 94111
Newport Beach
(949) 855-6400
San Francisco
(415) 870-8150
Washington DC
(202) 559-0270