The economy replaced crime as the top concern facing metro Atlanta residents, according to a new survey released Friday by the Atlanta Regional Commission.
This year also marks the first time since in a decade that residents living in the 11-county region ranked the economy as their No. 1 concern.
When asked about the biggest problem facing metro Atlanta, 32% of the 4,000 respondents said the economy, according to the ARC’s Metro Atlanta Speaks survey, a recurring survey that touches on a range of quality-of-life issues.
Crime, ranked the top concern for several years, dropped to No. 2 this year with 20%. In the 2023 survey, for example, crime was named the region’s top concern at 27%, followed by the economy at 24%.
A new question this year asked how people felt about their financial situation compared to a year ago — 39% said they felt about the same, 31% said they were worse off, and 28% said they were better off.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who also chairs the ARC board, said the Metro Atlanta Speaks survey is an “invaluable tool.”
“This year’s survey shows that people remain concerned about the economy and other pocketbook issues like housing costs,” Dickens said. “Addressing housing affordability remains a priority for ARC and our local partners. We’re committed to driving meaningful change.”
Other key insights from the survey:
- Housing affordability remains a challenge for many: Nearly two of three respondents (64%) said they could not afford to move to another house or apartment in their current neighborhood, about the same as last year.
- Transportation takes a “back seat” to other regional issues: Prior to the pandemic, transportation consistently ranked as the region’s top challenge. This year, transportation came in fourth, with 11% of respondents choosing it as the region’s biggest problem. That’s the same as last year’s survey.
- Strong support for public transit: More than nine in ten of respondents said improved public transit was “very important” (64%) or “somewhat important” (27%) to the region’s future. That’s about the same as last year’s survey.
- Majority are concerned about climate change: More than half of respondents (53%) said climate change is a “major global threat” in the next 10 years. That compares to 59% a year ago, the first year ARC asked this question.
- Concerns over AI: In a new question this year, 42% of respondents said they felt that artificial intelligence would have a “mostly negative” effect on society, while 30% said it would be “more balanced” and 22% said “mostly positive.”
- Emergency health care access challenges: In another new question this year, nearly one in four respondents said they “strongly disagreed” or “disagreed” that an ambulance would arrive in a timely fashion in case of a medical emergency.
The 2024 survey was conducted in August by Kennesaw State University’s A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research. The Metro Atlanta Speaks survey covers Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, and the city of Atlanta.
For additional information about the 2024 survey, including county level results, visit atlantaregional.org/metroATLspeaks.
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