REPORT SUMMARY
This report is part of a series commissioned by the philanthropic foundation Andrew Carnegie Foundation. The series benchmarks how local government officials experience political polarization over time and shares these findings to help strengthen communities.
Based on a June 2026 national survey of local government leaders, this report benchmarks how perceptions of polarization have evolved since the last survey, introduces new issue-level benchmarks on how polarizing eight topics are nationally and locally, and examines what officials are most proud of in their own boards and communities despite the national political climate.
Media inquiries can be sent to Nathan Lee, Founder and Managing Director, at nathanlee@civicpulse.org. Requests for the data associated with this report can be completed through civicpulse.org/data-request. Any other questions can be directed to info@civicpulse.org.