The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is inviting residents across the state to help shape future public health decisions by participating in the 2026 Community Health Equity Survey. The anonymous survey will help inform policies, programs, and services by gathering information about residents’ experiences, needs, and priorities.
Building on findings from the 2020 and 2023 survey cycles, the 2026 Community Health Equity Survey (CHES) will continue to assess and address social and structural factors that affect health among Massachusetts residents aged 12 years and older, with a focus on communities disproportionately impacted by structural racism and other drivers of health inequity.
The survey is part of DPH’s Community Health Equity Initiative (CHEI), which uses community engagement and data to better understand the health of Massachusetts residents and the barriers that affect it.
The survey launched July 31 and will remain open through November 2026. Co-designed with residents and community partners across Massachusetts, the survey builds on findings from the previous cycles while examining residents’ priorities, experiences, and needs in today’s environment.
Both the 2020 and 2023 surveys generated invaluable data that continue to inform where investments are allocated, programs are developed, and services are provided. Findings are available on the mass.gov/chei webpage in various formats, including dashboards, data tables, and reports. So far, more than 150 organizations across the state have accessed CHEI data to advance their work, including to secure grant funding, inform programming, and advocate for policies that improve the well-being of their communities.
New topics in the 2026 survey include residents’ immigration experiences and the mental health impacts of recent immigration policies and practices, alongside questions about access to healthcare, housing, transportation, education, employment, and other factors that influence health.
The Community Health Equity Survey is voluntary, anonymous, does not ask for identifying information, such as immigration status, and cannot be connected back to residents in any way.
DPH wants to hear from a broad range of Massachusetts residents, including people and communities often disproportionately impacted by health inequities and that are often underrepresented in traditional health data systems. These communities include older adults (aged 60+), parents and caregivers of children and youth with special healthcare needs, youth and young adults (aged 12 to 24), people identifying as LGBTQ+, people of color, people with disabilities, people whose primary language is not English, people with immigration experience, pregnant people and parents of young children, rural residents, and veterans.
Massachusetts residents aged 12 and older can take the survey. It takes approximately 15 to 30 minutes to complete and is available in the following languages: Arabic, American Sign Language (ASL), Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), English, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
CHES 2026 results and resources will be made available online to the public starting in 2027.
To participate in the Community Health Equity Survey, visit mass.gov/HealthSurvey.