Examining city–resident relationships: linking community relations, relationship building activities, and satisfaction evaluations

Abstract On average, housing is the single largest expenditure in American household budgets. Although housing commands a large percentage of many budgets, very little research has been conducted to examine the ways in which public/community relations activities may affect resident evaluations of living in a municipality. The current investigation examines city–resident relationships, evaluations of housing satisfaction, and evaluations of city services to determine the ways in which each of these variables may affect resident perceptions of whether the city has fallen short, met, or exceeded the expectations of the respondent. The results show that the city–resident relationship is an important influencer, and suggest that public relations managers should be aware of the ways in which relationship building activity can affect positively resident attitudes, evaluations, and intended behaviors. The findings are discussed and implications for the study and practice of public relations are considered.