A majority of local government officials in Michigan say the state is on the wrong track, according to a new University of Michigan survey that reverses a three-year trend in improving attitudes about the state's overall direction.
To be sure, the findings are layered with a healthy dose of political partisanship, as the Michigan Public Policy Survey consistently finds attitudes strongly linked to the respondents' political identification in relation to the party controlling the governor's office. Yet, optimism has declined among all partisan groups.
The survey doesn't define "track" or "direction," but serves as a "vibe check" common in many opinion polls or other surveys. Here are some key takeaways:
- Statewide, 60% of local government officials say the state is currently off on the wrong track-a 9 percentage point increase in pessimistic ratings.
- Only about a quarter (26%) of local officials believe the state is generally going in the right direction, a 6-point drop from 2025.
- Overall, 14% are unsure about the direction the state is headed, consistent with past survey waves.
- Around two-thirds of self-identified Democrats (65%) think Michigan is headed in the right direction, down sharply from the peak of 85% saying the same in 2023.
- A third (33%) of local officials who self-identify as Independents say the state is headed in the right direction, down slightly from last year.
- Finally, only 15% of Republican local officials say the state is going in the right direction, also down from the 20% who said the same in 2025.
The survey also asks local officials to rate the performance of the governor and state legislature.
In the case of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer-now in the final year of her second term-26% rated her performance as "excellent or good," down three points from the consistent ratings she's received since 2021. Meanwhile, 41% rate her performance as "poor," up slightly from 38% who said so in 2023 and 2025.
The study finds a more significant drop in assessments of the legislature: Ratings of "poor" for lawmakers' performance jumped from 28% in 2025 to 40% this year. Those who view the legislature's performance as either "excellent" or "good" dropped from 18% in 2025 to just 11% currently-the lowest level since tracking began in 2011.
The survey offers some context related to the partisanship factor: 65% of this year's respondents self-identify as Republicans, 21% identify as Democrats and 14% say they are independents. Two thirds of Michigan's local governments are townships, most of which are rural and led by Republicans.
"Michigan local leaders' increased pessimism about the state's direction this year seems to be more tied to statewide economic and political concerns, especially with the state legislature, rather than local ones," said Debra Horner, the survey's senior program manager. "When asked about the direction of their own communities, 87% statewide say they're on the right track."
The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at U-M's Ford School of Public Policy conducts the survey each spring. The 2026 edition gathered information between March and June, through its census survey of 1,856 general purpose local governments statewide.
Respondents include city, township, village and county officials from 1,328 jurisdictions, representing a 72% response rate by unit.
