A new survey of Seattle voters shows that public opinion about the city is slightly improving.
The bad news for city leaders is that most people don’t have faith in officials to fix Seattle’s problems, and nearly half say they are actively considering leaving.
Still, 73% say they somewhat or strongly agree that they’re proud to call themselves a Seattleite.
The voter survey, commissioned by the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce and conducted by EMC Research, found:
- More than half, some 55%, of respondents said they have at some point considered moving out of Seattle, a drop from 67% a year ago. Of that group, 46% say they are still actively considering moving out.
- Only 56% are “optimistic about the future” of the region, but that’s up from 50% from last year.
- 62% think the city is going in the wrong direction — which is down from 76% who thought the same in March 2022.
- 31% of those surveyed said they would feel safe visiting downtown at night, up 3%; many more feel better about a daytime visit, at 72% feeling safe.
The data come from a survey of 700 registered Seattle voters contacted from March 28 – April 3. The survey marks the fourth installment of the Seattle Metro Chamber’s public opinion research project.
“The needle continues to move in the right direction,” said Rachel Smith, CEO of the Seattle Metro Chamber.
Not everyone is quite as sanguine. The overall “quality of life” score for the city is also up, but still low at 4.2 (0 is very negative, 10 is very positive).
“You see improvement, but not enough improvement,” said Andrew Thibault, senior principal at EMC Research, which performed the survey.
Part of the chicken-and-egg challenge to revitalizing Seattle’s downtown is the lack of workers coming into the office — but many companies and workers balk at returning to the workplace due in part to concerns about safety and the homelessness crisis.
So far fewer than half of downtown Seattle workers have returned to the office as the COVID pandemic has ebbed, one of the slowest rates of return in the U.S.
But that’s beginning to change. Amazon workers are soon expected to come into work at least three days a week and other companies operating in the region including Redfin and Starbucks are requiring workers to come in multiple times per week.
Downtown businesses should be encouraged that 90% of respondents agreed that a thriving downtown was critical to the region’s recovery economically.
“The economy is front and center for voters,” Smith said, “and it is anchored in downtown Seattle.”
There’s also new public policy that aims to help ameliorate the situation. Last week, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell revealed the first step of his “Downtown Activation Plan” to bring downtown back to life. The plan includes an executive order to address the public health and safety impacts of the fentanyl crisis, and other immediate steps to make downtown more active and welcoming.
Those surveyed named their top concerns for the city — a list that has remained consistent, the surveyors said, and that generally overlaps with Harrell’s focus.
- 56% said homelessness was a concern, down from 61% a year ago.
- 38% pointed to crime, drugs and public safety as problems, which is down from 46% a year ago, but still up from 28% in the initial August 2021 survey.
- A rising number of voters said that cost of living and affordable housing are troubling — 23% cited this issue, an increase from 15% in August 2021.
Almost 8 in 10 voters said that closing homeless encampments would improve the quality of life in the city. Other important actions include addressing violent and property crime, helping businesses deal with public safety concerns, and maintaining bridges and other infrastructure.
But voters don’t have much confidence in the ability of elected leaders to improve the situation. Some 82% disagreed with the idea that the city has an effective plan to fix the problems. Many also don’t believe their taxes dollars are being wisely spent.
Smith cautioned against new taxes, impact fees and regulations that impede business activity and investment, advising that “policy makers should spend their time an energy on things that will generate economic activity.”
In a letter sent last month to Harrell and his executive leadership team, the Chamber and two other organizations invested in the vitality of the city’s urban core recommended a suspension of the city’s business and occupation tax for new businesses and the JumpStart tax for all businesses, with the intention of increasing competitiveness and attracting new companies.
