San Franciscans think nearly every aspect of government has stayed stable or improved since 2023, according to newly released survey results from a major survey conducted by the city, showing that residents are coming out of their pandemic-era malaise.

The survey, conducted for the city by pollster EMC Research, asked 2,505 residents to rate their satisfaction with city services on a scale of 1 to 5 and share their views on local issues. Researchers weighted the results to reflect the city’s population. The poll was administered online and by phone in several languages.

The results show that residents feel much better about the city government than they did three years ago, when a hollowed-out downtown, a bruising national reputation and high-profile thefts had brought frustrations to a boiling point. The results echo a Chronicle poll earlier this year, which also found that residents were becoming more optimistic.

The biggest gains in satisfaction were for the government overall as well as for safety, which both hit a two-decade low three years ago.

On average, respondents gave the government in general a grade of 3.4 for providing services, up from just three in 2023 and back to the same level as in 2019. About 57% of respondents gave the city an “excellent” or “good” ranking, roughly the same share as in 2015 and 2017 and slightly higher than in 2019.

Wealthy residents, who were the most pessimistic in the 2023 survey, gave the city its biggest improvement in ratings in 2026. Residents who made between $150,000 and $200,000 increased their scores from 2.8 to 3.4. Those who made more than $200,000 a year increased their score even more, jumping an entire point from 2.5 to 3.5. The increases among wealthy residents reduced the disparity in rankings between income groups.

Residents also reported feeling much safer, both during the day and at night, than three years ago. After dipping to a 3.3 in 2023 – the lowest score since 1996 – the score this year increased to a 3.8, in line with most years 2019 and earlier. The share of residents who gave the city a good or excellent score for safety rose from just 50% in 2023 to 69% in 2026.

As with city government overall, the scores improved across demographic groups that were most pessimistic on the issue in 2023, including women, Asian or Pacific Islanders, white people, and adults over 45.

San Franciscans also reported feeling more satisfied with public transportation, even though the Muni still faces a financial crisis. Muni’s overall score rose only slightly from 3.3 three years ago to 3.5. But it did see a sharp increase in the number of people who rated it as excellent or good: 63% of people gave the transportation system high scores this year. Over the last decade, that hovered around just 50%.

Once again, wealthy residents increased their scores the most. The average score among high income earners went up from 3.1 to 3.5, bringing the score in line with that of low- and middle-income residents.

Street cleanliness rankings also increased slightly compared to the last survey, rising from 3 to 3.3. Like most other areas, that put residents’ feelings in line with where they were before the pandemic. But the share of residents who gave the city high marks for street conditions increased sharply, going from 44% last year to 59%, which was also in line with the pre-pandemic average.

Libraries and parks received the highest scores of any city services, as they have in most surveys over the years. Like with Muni, people who reported visiting libraries and parks more gave them higher marks.

Only one service did not see an increased score between 2023 and 2026: utilities, which includes drinking water, sewer and stormwater services. The overall rating ticked down just a hint, from 4.1 to 4, which the survey described as not statistically significant. Still, though, the relatively high score meant that it was still one of the top ranked services in the city. (The question does not include electric and gas, which are delivered to city residents by PG&E and has been a recent source of ire.)

Residents also reported feeling improvements on key city issues. Compared to 2023, significantly higher shares of residents said that street cleanliness, homelessness, and public safety had improved in the last year.

But one issue is a new sticking point: The share of people who said housing affordability had improved in the last year decreased in 2026, and more residents wrote that it was a top issue for the city.

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This article originally published at San Franciscans think every city service is improving – except one.