THE RESULTS ARE IN
You like Ipswich.
The strongest results show you rate your city highly, even while you worry about growth and infrastructure.
QUESTION 01 / 16
Where do you call home?
Of the 931 responses, only 27 came from Springfield, Springfield Central or Springfield Lakes. Based on population, we would have expected about 101.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
Only 2.9% of responses came from the three Springfield suburbs, compared with about 10.8% of Ipswich residents.
Those 27 responses were Springfield Lakes (14), Springfield (12) and Springfield Central (1).
Brassall is much closer to its citywide share: 5.9% of responses, compared with about 4.9% of residents.
QUESTION 02 / 16
Which best describes your Ipswich story?
Most of you were not born and raised in Ipswich.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
23.0% of you moved here between two and ten years ago.
18.3% of you were born and raised here.
Among those of you who moved here within the past two years and answered the future question, 81.1% think Ipswich will be better in ten years.
QUESTION 03 / 16
Give Ipswich a score out of 10 as a place to live
You gave Ipswich a strong 8.1 out of 10. The most common score is 8, and almost seven in ten of you chose 8, 9 or 10. Keep in mind: you are arriving at this survey because you subscribe to a local Ipswich newsletter.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
339 of you gave Ipswich an 8.
296 of you gave Ipswich a 9 or 10.
Only 29 of you gave Ipswich a 5 or lower.
QUESTION 04 / 16
What are Ipswich's greatest strengths?
Heritage is the clear winner, followed by parks and bushland. You could choose up to three strengths.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
33.6% of you chose Ipswich's location within South East Queensland.
31.2% of you chose community spirit and friendly people.
29.7% of you chose Ipswich's country-town feel and sense of space.
QUESTION 05 / 16
Is Ipswich growing at the right pace?
Growth is the clearest source of tension in this survey. A slim majority of you think Ipswich is growing too fast, while about one in three think the pace is right.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
‘A little too fast’ is your most common answer at 35.4%.
‘About the right pace’ is only half a percentage point behind.
One in five of you think growth is much too fast.
QUESTION 06 / 16
Which Ipswich projects or problems most need fixing?
A second Bremer River crossing is the clear priority and the only option chosen by more than half of you. You could choose up to three.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
38.5% of you chose the Mt Crosby Road and Warrego Highway interchange, just ahead of the Amberley turn-off at 37.9%.
Your choices lean heavily towards transport, showing your priorities among the projects listed.
QUESTION 07 / 16
If you had to move to another Ipswich suburb tomorrow, where would you choose?
Karalee is your top move-tomorrow choice, followed by Eastern Heights and Brookwater. There is no runaway favourite.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
Eastern Heights (50), Brookwater (46) and Pine Mountain (37) were next.
19 of you named your current suburb, so those responses are not shown.
QUESTION 08 / 16
What's one local Ipswich business you would recommend?
No single business dominates this question. You made 804 meaningful recommendations across 538 different businesses.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
You mentioned Rafter & Rose most often, with 16 recommendations.
You recommended Bunnings 13 times and Clint's Farm Fresh Produce 11 times.
These are the businesses you named most often. This is not a ranking of Ipswich's best businesses.
QUESTION 09 / 16
What would you bring back?
Sizzler is the clear favourite among the 615 classifiable nominations. You mentioned it 122 times, more than Cribb & Foote and Reid's combined.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
122 of you chose Sizzler.
49 of you chose Cribb & Foote, followed by Reid's with 39.
22 of you chose Heisenberg Haus and another 22 chose Warrego Water Park.
QUESTION 10 / 16
What does Ipswich do better than Brisbane?
Heritage is the clearest Ipswich advantage, chosen by 62.3% of you. Parks come second at 41.2%. You could choose up to three answers.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
516 of you chose heritage and 341 chose parks.
299 of you chose local newsletters and 295 chose local events.
Fewer than 14% of you chose coffee, playgrounds or kids activities.
QUESTION 11 / 16
Ipswich gets one of these tomorrow. Which would you choose?
A DFO-style outlet centre is the one thing most of you would add to Ipswich.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
27.1% of you chose a DFO-style outlet centre and 24.5% chose the adventure park.
143 of you chose IKEA.
Only 15 of you chose an Apple Store.
QUESTION 12 / 16
Will Ipswich be better or worse in ten years?
Most of you feel positive about Ipswich's next decade, with 59.9% expecting it to be better. That optimism can sit beside concern about growth: 209 of you think growth is too fast but still expect Ipswich to improve.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
31.2% of you expect Ipswich to be much better and 28.7% expect it to be a little better.
Among the 453 of you who think growth is too fast and answered both questions, 46.1% still expect improvement.
Among those of you who think growth is about right, 76.2% expect Ipswich to improve.
QUESTION 13 / 16
What three words best describe Ipswich?
‘Friendly’ is the most common single word you used, mentioned 175 times. Heritage or history appears in 192 of your responses, showing how strongly your city's past comes through.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
Friendly, heritage and community are your three leading word choices.
76 of you used ‘home’, and 76 used ‘history’ or ‘historic’.
Family, growth and relaxed were also common.
QUESTION 14 / 16
Have you recommended Ipswich Insider?
Nearly three-quarters of you have recommended Ipswich Insider at least once.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
429 of you, or 53.3%, have recommended it more than once.
162 of you, or 20.1%, have recommended it once.
214 of you, or 26.6%, have not recommended it yet.
QUESTION 15 / 16
Do you read either of Ipswich's local newspapers?
You split almost perfectly down the middle: 49.9% read at least one local newspaper and 50.1% read neither. Local Ipswich News reaches far more of you than Ipswich Tribune Today because it is free.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
252 of you read Local Ipswich News only.
122 of you read both newspapers.
Local Ipswich News reaches 374 of you, compared with 150 for Ipswich Tribune Today.
QUESTION 16 / 16
What best describes your housing situation?
Most of you own your home: 78.9% own outright or with a mortgage. Another 17.8% of you rent.
WHAT ELSE STOOD OUT
362 of you own your home outright.
272 of you have a mortgage.
27 of you are in another housing situation.
READ THIS PART TOO
How to read these results
Not a scientific poll.
Still a fascinating snapshot.
This is a fun reader survey, not a scientific or representative poll of everyone in Ipswich. It was shared with Ipswich Insider subscribers, who may already be more engaged with and more positive about Ipswich than the wider population. The chance to win a $949 leaf blower may also have influenced who took part.
Every genuine response was kept. Three known test entries were removed, leaving 943 genuine survey entries. Partial entries were retained, with each answer counted wherever it was provided. One response received after the giveaway deadline is also included, although it was not eligible for the prize.
Each question therefore has its own response count. Where respondents could select more than one answer, percentages may add to more than 100%. Percentages are rounded, so totals can differ slightly from 100%.
Open-text responses were grouped conservatively, combining only obvious spelling, punctuation and naming variants. Throughout the survey, Ipswich means the full Ipswich City Council area, not just central Ipswich.
QUICK ANSWERS
Ipswich survey FAQ
How many people took part?
There were 943 genuine survey entries. Question totals vary because incomplete responses were retained.
Does this represent everyone in Ipswich?
No. This was a self-selected survey shared with Ipswich Insider readers and tied to a giveaway. It represents the people who took part, not everyone in Ipswich.
Where did the suburb population comparisons come from?
The Springfield comparison uses 2021 Census population counts for Springfield, Springfield Central, Springfield Lakes and the City of Ipswich. The Brassall comparison uses the City of Ipswich 2025 estimated resident population. These comparisons are indications based on survey responses, not a census of every Ipswich Insider subscriber.
Can you download the full report?
Yes. Download the free printable PDF with all 16 questions, charts and notes.