Chicagoans Rank Economy & Crime Among Top Priorities & Oppose National Guard Policing
ChicagoSpeaks is the only probability-based panel built exclusively for Chicago, giving decision-makers reliable evidence on residents’ opinions and priorities.
Q3 2025
Chicagoans have clear priorities and serious concerns, according to a ChicagoSpeaks® survey. Residents rank immigration, crime, the economy, and jobs among top issues for government action. Large majorities also oppose the federal use of the military and the National Guard for policing.
When it comes to immigration policy, Chicagoans’ support for a pathway to citizenship has grown. Six in 10 Chicago residents believe immigrants living in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to become citizens—a share that has remained steady throughout 2025 and is higher than in summer 2024. Another 20 percent want a pathway for permanent resident status, and 18 percent think immigrants living in the country illegally should be deported, down 10 percentage points from summer 2024.
Many Chicagoans view crime as a serious issue both in their neighborhoods and across the city, with 42 percent identifying it as a major problem locally and 70 percent expressing the same concern citywide. Compared with the national public, Chicago residents are more likely to perceive crime in their communities as a pressing issue. Clear racial divides emerge in these views: Black residents and Hispanic residents consistently report higher levels of concern than white residents, particularly regarding crime in their own neighborhoods and elsewhere.
Views on public safety also extend to attitudes about the federal government’s role in policing. Attitudes toward the federal government’s use of the military or National Guard for policing vary widely. Most Chicagoans oppose such measures, especially when it comes to controlling local police departments or assisting with deportations. Compared with the national public, Chicagoans are less supportive of federal intervention in local policing.
However, views are sharply split along partisan lines—Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to support these actions. Additionally, concern about crime correlates with greater support for federal policing measures: those who see crime as a major problem in their community are more likely to approve of using the National Guard or military to assist police or deportation efforts.
Financial strain is another major concern. Most Chicagoans lack much confidence in their personal finances. Four in 10 feel very or extremely confident they could cover an unexpected $1,000 expense. A third believe they can keep up with the regular bills, and just a quarter feel prepared for an unexpected medical cost.
Fewer still, only a fifth of Chicagoans are confident they could find a good job or will have enough savings for retirement. Chicago residents express similar levels of confidence as U.S. adults overall when it comes to paying unexpected medical bills, finding a good job, and having sufficient savings for retirement.
“Despite these financial pressures, Chicagoans continue to place value on local events and cultural traditions.”
Six in 10 Chicagoans say the cost of groceries and housing is a major source of stress, while about half cite their pay, savings, and health care costs. Roughly a third report credit card debt as a significant stressor, and about a fifth point to student debt or child care costs.
Most Chicagoans remain engaged with local culture and believe local events enhance their quality of life, though opinions vary by event. Seven in 10 Chicagoans think Taste of Chicago and the Chicago Jazz Festival have a positive impact on Chicago residents’ quality of life, while 6 in 10 say the same about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Chicago Air and Water Show, the Wells Street Art Festival, the Pride Parade, and Fiesta del Sol. Opinion is divided on the impact of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, with about a third saying it either has a positive impact, no impact, or a negative impact.
Methodology
The Chicago poll was conducted September 16-29, 2025 using ChicagoSpeaks®, NORC at the University of Chicago’s probability-based panel of Chicago residents. Overall, 1,361 Chicago residents completed the survey. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.7 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, including the design effect.
NORC conducted the survey using two probability-based sample sources: (1) AmeriSpeak® panelists residing in Chicago and (2) ChicagoSpeaks panelists. Final survey estimates were calibrated to account for the two sample sources. This research supports a scientifically rigorous, community-driven resource that informs policymakers and the public about the experiences and opinions of Chicago residents.
Interviews were conducted online in English and Spanish with Chicago residents ages 18 and older. AmeriSpeak panelists were invited through the password-protected AmeriSpeak Mobile App and received email and SMS reminders, while ChicagoSpeaks panelists received email and SMS invitations. Respondents received a small monetary incentive for completing the survey.
Quality assurance checks were conducted to ensure data quality. In total, 24 interviews were removed for nonresponse to at least 50 percent of the questions asked of them or for completing the survey in less than one-third the median interview time for the full sample. These interviews were excluded from the data file prior to weighting.
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About ChicagoSpeaks
Funded and operated by NORC at the University of Chicago, ChicagoSpeaks® is a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the Chicago household population.
For more information, email ChicagoSpeaks-BD@norc.org.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please email press@norc.org or call (877) 832-0392.
