A recent poll revealed that 64% of residents believe the Bay Area is currently on the "wrong track" — the highest level of dissatisfaction in the 8 year history of the annual survey.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
Furthermore, the region's Bay Area Mood Index - a metric the survey used to determine the region's mood based on a variety of questions measured on a scale from 0 to 10 with zero being the most negative - registered only a 4.5.
The study was conducted by EMC Research on behalf of the Bay Area Council, a group of local business leaders. The company surveyed 1000 randomly sampled registered voters from March 2 to March 9, with a margin of error of 3.1 points.
Surveyors admitted that the timing of the poll may have impacted responses, since it was conducted amid an inflation spike and when Russia first invaded Ukraine.
Twenty-four percent of respondents ranked the Bay Area’s housing crisis as the most important problem, followed by homelesness (21%) and crime and safety (15%).
In addition, 40% of residents believe the economy is doing worse than it was before, with only 29% saying they think it will improve over the next six months.
"I'd like put a big asterisk next to this year's poll to reflect the traumatic circumstances that we’ve experienced over the past 24 months," Bay Area Council CEO Jim Wunderman said. "I firmly believe we will emerge from these doldrums, but it’s imperative that we listen to what residents are saying and focus intensely on addressing their concerns. Housing affordability, safety and economic opportunity must be at the forefront of how we respond as policy makers and leaders."
Overall, 49% said the Bay Area is the best place to live on earth, down from 57% in 2019 — the latest results prior to the pandemic.
You can read the full results of the study here.
LISTEN to KCBS Radio
FAVORITE KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
