CLOSUP poll on frequency of data-driven decision-making appears in Michigan news

The results of a Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) poll of local government leaders on the incidence of data-driven decision-making within their administrations appeared in several Michigan news sources, including CBS Detroit and Detroit City and Press, as well as several science news sources, including MyScience and PhysOrg.

The CLOSUP poll found that 68 percent of local governments say they make administrative decisions about budgets, policies, and management using data to a significant extent—that is, information on their operations and costs, such as emergency response times, employee wages, and trash collection figures. Of these, 36 percent say they began doing so in the last five years. 29 percent say they do not make significant use of data.

The survey also found that 70 percent of jurisdictions that use data do so on a purely ad-hoc basis, rather than a systematic one. 88 percent said that using data was effective in making budget decisions, and 83 percent said it was effective in identifying ways to save money. Most governments not using data say they are not doing so because they expect related costs to be restrictive.

[Read more about the survey]