2016 Menino Survey of Mayors
On January 10, 2017, the Boston University Initiative on Cities released its third annual Menino Survey of Mayors, the only scientifically valid and representative survey of American mayors. The 2016 Menino Survey was built on interviews with 102 mayors from 41 states. Researchers spoke with mayors about a range of topics including immigration, inclusion, poverty, and intergovernmental relations. While previous years have delved more deeply into infrastructure and municipal finance, the 2016 Menino Survey was largely focused on mayors’ “people priorities.”
Initiated in June 2014 and named in honor of the Initiative’s late Co-Founder Mayor Tom Menino, the project was designed to gain insight into the priorities and challenges facing America’s mayors. A team of Boston University researchers, including Katherine Levine Einstein and David Glick, both Assistant Professors of Political Science, Katharine Lusk, the Executive Director of the Initiative on Cities, and Conor LeBlanc, Acting Executive Director, interviewed mayors one-on-one throughout the summer of 2016.
While the interviews took place in the heat of the often-divisive 2016 presidential election, the findings indicate that mayors from both “red” and “blue” states agree more than they disagree. Poverty emerged as a top economic concern, and mayors throughout the country touted the benefits of diversity. Mayors also called on the new presidential administration to act as an “urban champion.”
View the full report via the following link:
A key findings document highlighting the major themes of the Menino Survey can be accessed here:
Key Findings of Menino Survey of Mayors 2016
The 2016 Menino Survey of Mayors was made possible by the support of Citi.
News
- February 28, 2017 – Los Angeles Daily News: Too many in Greater L.A. miss out on benefits of tax season – Thousands of Angelenos are in position to build a stronger financial future through one of the nation’s most successful — yet most severely underutilized — anti-poverty measures, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Leaders across the country recognize the dire need to lift families out of poverty.
- February 2, 2017 – The Bay State Banner: Menino Survey of Mayors shows poverty, inclusion of minorities high concerns for many mayors – Last week, researchers from Boston University’s Initiative on Cities, co-founded by late Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, discussed their latest research on the priorities and concerns of America’s mayors with a small group gathered at their BU headquarters.
- January 27, 2017 – The American Prospect: It’s the Poverty, Stupid, Not Trump’s Imagined Carnage – While President Donald Trump continues his jeremiad against urban life, the nation’s mayors see poverty as their number one economic problem.
- January 25, 2017 – BU Today: IOC 2016 Survey of Mayors Finds Poverty a Top Issue – The nation’s mayors say that poverty is the most pressing economic issue facing their communities—more so than either the shrinking middle class or income inequality. That finding is the key takeaway from the 2016 Menino Survey of Mayors, released earlier this month by Boston University’s Initiative on Cities (IoC).
- January 10, 2017 – Next City: Majority of U.S. Mayors Say Poverty Is Their Top Concern – While the growing divide between “coastal elites” and Middle America has been a hot topic in recent months, many mayors from red and blue states have strikingly similar policy priorities, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Boston University Initiative on Cities.
- January 10, 2017 – ABCNews: Survey: Mayors Unified on Battling Poverty, Other Key Issues – U.S. mayors from blue and red states and regardless of party affiliation share many common concerns about poverty, racial and income inequality and immigration, according to a new survey.
- January 10, 2017 – Boston Globe: Poverty, Economic Inequality are Big Concerns for US Mayors – Mayors across the United States are increasingly focused on poverty and economic inequality and less preoccupied with city finances, according to Boston University’s annual survey of more than 100 sitting mayors.
- January 10, 2017 – WBUR: “Menino Survey” Across Nation Reveals Poverty Among Consistent Concerns – Graham Wilson, director of the Boston University Initiative on Cities, joined Morning Edition to discuss the findings of the 2016 Menino Survey of Mayors.
- January 10, 2017 – CityLab: Majority of Mayors Say Poverty is Their Top Concern – While the growing divide between “coastal elites” and Middle America has been a hot topic in recent months, many mayors from red and blue states have strikingly similar policy priorities, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Boston University Initiative on Cities.
- January 10, 2017 – BusinessWire: New Menino Survey of Mayors, from Boston University Initiative on Cities, Reveals Poverty as Top Issue for Cities across the Country – Three central issues of the 2016 presidential election – income inequality, the shrinking middle class and immigration – are also of deep concern to mayors of cities throughout the country. These findings are part of the 2016 Menino Survey of Mayors, which details the most pressing needs and policy priorities of America’s mayors.
- January 10, 2017 – The New York Times: Survey: Mayors Unified on Battling Poverty, Other Key Issues – U.S. mayors from blue and red states and regardless of party affiliation share many common concerns about poverty, racial and income inequality and immigration, according to a new survey.