POSITIVE EVALUATIONS OF HOUSTON (2001-2014) “How would you rate the Houston area in general as a place to live?” Fair/Poor
100
Excellent/Good
PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS
90 80 70
78
77
76
71
71
70
77
60 50 40
30
29
29
28
23
23
22
22
20 10 0
2001
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
“Compared to most other metropolitan areas in the country, is Houston a better place or a worse place in which to live?” Much/Slightly Worse
110 100 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS
90
90
89
86
85
78
80
Much/Slightly Better
70 60 50 40 30 20
17
10 0
2005
9
8 2007
7 2009
6 2011
2013
YEAR OF SURVEY
HOUSTONIANS ARE PLEASED WITH THE REGION’S IMPROVING QUALITY OF PLACE, AND FULLY ONE-HALF OF ALL HARRIS COUNTY RESIDENTS NOW ASSERT THAT THEY WOULD PREFER TO LIVE IN MORE URBANIZED, LESS CAR-CENTERED DEVELOPMENTS.
Area residents are clearly feeling better about life in the Houston region. The percent of survey participants who said they were “somewhat” or “very” worried that they or a member of their family will be the victim of a crime dropped from 69 percent in last year’s survey to 62 percent today. Fully 36 percent in 2014 said that the control of air pollution in the Houston area was “excellent” or “good,” an increase from 32 percent in 2012 and from just 19 percent in 2010. Another 36 percent in this year’s survey said that the quality of living conditions in the Houston area has been getting better over the past few years, up from 33 percent in 2013 and from 27 percent in 2012. More broadly, when asked how they would rate the Houston area in general as a place to live, decisively and increasingly (from 70 percent in 2001 to 77 percent in 2014), the respondents have given ratings of “excellent” or “good.” In alternating years, the survey participants were asked to compare Houston to most other metropolitan areas in the country: 78 percent in 2005 thought this region was a “slightly better” or a “much better” place in which to live; the positive evaluations grew to 90 percent in the 2013 survey.