A new study from the University of California, Los Angeles shows that resident satisfaction levels are at an all-time low, driven by renters who are pessimistic about their future.
The quality of life index, conducted by UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, shows that despite the perfect living scenario, surrounded by beaches, delicious food and lots of nature, people living in Los Angeles experience higher levels of dissatisfaction than ever before.
The cost of living in the area remains one of the most pressing issues for Angelenos, with the survey showing many people are concerned about losing their homes and putting food on the table. Of those surveyed, 90% say homelessness in their areas has only gotten worse in the past year, and only 20% were more hopeful than last year about LA County’s ever-urgent homelessness crisis.
The survey uses nine categories to analyze resident satisfaction, and this year’s overall rating dropped two points from last year’s 53 on a scale of 10 to 100.
This is the second time in the past three years that it has fallen below the midpoint since the school launched the index in 2016. The highest ever satisfaction scores came in 2016 and 2017, when the total score was 59.
The cost of living fell by three points, making this the lowest satisfaction score ever seen for a single category in the survey. This comes at a time when gas, food and rent prices appear to be skyrocketing across the country.
While all major demographic subgroups rated the cost of living negatively, the lowest scores came from women, Latinas and renters.
Zev Yaroslavsky, the director of the UCLA study, said renters are disproportionately affected by the economic pressures and inflation facing the area. Nearly 60% said housing was the most important factor in their assessment.
“Housing costs have increased,” Yaroslavsky said. “And incomes haven’t risen nearly relative to what’s happened to housing.”
The research shows a big difference between two different housing demographics: more than 60% of homeowners claim to be optimistic about their economic future and more than 50% of renters say they are pessimistic.
Furthermore, only 23% of renters believe that they will be able to purchase a home they would like to live in at some point in the future.
“We found very little optimism about whether current programs and efforts to eradicate homelessness will work,” Yaroslavsky said.
People were also asked if they were concerned about experiencing homelessness itself, with the highest levels of anxiety expressed by people living in households earning less than $60,000, renters and Black residents.
“Despite the efforts of state and local officials, the public is more negative and less hopeful about solving homelessness,” Yaroslavsky said.
The survey showed only minor changes from last year’s index for most other categories. Satisfaction levels with education fell by three points to 48, which is the second lowest score after cost of living, while transport/traffic remained among the lowest three categories in the survey.
Remote working remained very popular, with more than two-thirds of respondents wishing they could do this at least some of the time.
Just under 1,690 people were interviewed for the quality of life survey, which was conducted for 30 days from February 22. They say the margin of error is plus or minus 3%.
In addition to quality of life, the survey also examines the approval ratings of local elected officials such as Mayor Karen Bass. Her levels showed a favorable rating of 42% among respondents, the highest percentage of all government officials. However, the figures were a decrease from last year, when it was considered 46% favorable and 23% unfavorable.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna received a rating of 34% favorable and 26% unfavorable. Los Angeles City Council members in respondents’ respective cities were moderately positive with 37% favorable and 32% unfavorable, while the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was viewed more negatively with 35% unfavorable and only 27% favorable.
Jeff Nguyen
