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Trust and Transparency in Community Associations

The Foundation for Community Association Research is exploring trust in community leadership, management, professional expertise, and decision-making, including the roles of transparency, communication, misinformation, and AI. We welcome perspectives from homeowners, volunteer leaders, managers, management company executives, and business partners. Your responses will help identify practical ways to strengthen trust and confidence in community governance.

Survey instruction: Please answer based on your own community or the communities you know through your work. There are no right or wrong answers. Findings will be reported in aggregate; optional written comments may be quoted without identifying you. Estimated completion time: 7–9 minutes.
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1.What is your primary role in the community association industry?
Select one. If you have multiple roles, choose the perspective you will use for this survey.
2.What is the primary basis for your answers?
3.In which state or territory is your experience primarily based?
Trust today

For homeowners and resident volunteers, answer based on your own experience. For other respondents, answer based on what you have observed among homeowners and residents in the communities you serve.
4.Overall, how much trust do homeowners and residents have in the board’s leadership and decision-making abillity?
A great deal
Quite a bit
Some
Very little
None at all
Don't know
5.How much trust is placed in the following sources to provide accurate information about community association matters?
A great deal
Quite a bit
Some
Very little
None at all
Don’t know
Not applicable
Board of directors
Community manager or management company
Association attorney
Other professional advisers, such as reserve specialists, accountants, insurance professionals, or engineers
Other homeowners or residents
Unofficial community social media groups
6.To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the community or communities on which you are basing your answers?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know
Not applicable
Board decisions serve the community’s best interests.
Residents receive clear explanations of important decisions.
Residents can readily access understandable financial information.
Rules are applied consistently and fairly.
Residents have meaningful opportunities to provide input before important decisions.
Residents receive timely responses to their questions and concerns.
Board members disclose potential conflicts of interest.
Changes in Trust and Sources of Risk

For homeowners and resident volunteers, answer based on your own experience. For other respondents, answer based on what you have observed among homeowners and residents in the communities you serve.
7.Compared with five years ago, how has homeowner and resident trust in each of the following changed?
Increased a great deal
Increased somewhat
Stayed about the same
Decreased somewhat
Decreased a great deal
Not enough experience to compare
Don’t know
Not applicable
Board leadership
Community managers or management companies
Business Partners/Professional advisers
Official association communications
Information from other homeowners or residents
Information shared in unofficial community social media groups
8.Based on your experience, how much of a priority is strengthening trust between residents, community leadership, and professional advisers in the community association(s) you know or serve over the next 12 months?
9.Which factors currently pose the greatest risks to trust in the community or communities on which you are basing your answers? Select up to three.
Misinformation and Rebuilding Trust
10.In the past 12 months, how often has inaccurate or misleading information from any source—including association communications, residents, social media, or other online sources—caused confusion or conflict in the community or communities on which you are basing your answers?
11.In your experience, which actions have been most effective in maintaining or rebuilding trust during a difficult or controversial community issue? Select up to three actions you have seen used effectively.
AI Practices and Community Outcomes
12.AI-generated information includes text created or summarized using tools such as ChatGPT—for example, resident notices, meeting summaries, or answers to questions about association rules.
Overall, what effect do you expect the use of AI-generated information to have on trust in community association information over the next two years?
13.Which practices are most important for maintaining trust when community associations or their advisers use AI? Select up to three.
14.In the past 12 months, have you observed situations in which low trust between residents and the board or management appeared to contribute to community challenges?
15.If yes: Which challenges did low trust appear to contribute to? Select up to three.
Open-ended Response
16.What is one practical step community association leaders, managers, or professional advisers could take to strengthen trust in community decisions or professional advice?
Thank you for sharing your perspective. Your responses will help inform the Foundation’s research on trust and transparency in community associations.