Metro Atlantans cite economy as biggest concern: ARC survey
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The economy is the No. 1 issue keeping metro Atlantans up at night, according to a wide-ranging annual public opinion survey of more than 4,000 residents.
Why it matters: The Atlanta Regional Commission's Metro Atlanta Speaks survey is closely read by political, civic and business leaders for insights into our sprawling home's mindset.
Driving the news: The metropolitan planning organization and data powerhouse will release the survey Friday at the organization's annual state of the region event.
Zoom in: 32% of the 4,081 respondents across 11 counties said the economy is the biggest concern, followed by crime (20%) and "human services" (12%).
Other key findings, according to ARC officials:
😊 Quality of life: 59% of respondents said they would stay put in their current neighborhood if given the option of moving.
🏡 Housing: 64% say they can't afford a new home or apartment in their current community.
🛣️ Transportation: The ability to move around the region remains a concern, but less so than before the pandemic, when more people worked outside the home.
🚇 Public transit: More than 90% said improved bus and rail service was "very important" or "somewhat important" to the region's future.
🥵 Climate change: 53% said climate change is a "major global threat" in the next 10 years, roughly six percentage points below the 2023 survey.
🤖 AI: Roughly 4 in 10 respondents said they felt that artificial intelligence would have a "mostly negative" effect on society.
- More than half said the technology would be "more balanced" or "mostly positive," the ARC said.
Caveat: Metro Atlanta unemployment is low, inflation is dropping and the U.S. economy is outrunning every other major democracy's, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- In addition, violent crime levels are dropping across the country. So is Atlanta's homicide rate, according to the AJC.
Yes, but: Government stats are no match for higher grocery prices and stagnant paychecks. Perception becomes reality when it comes to crime.
How it works: Kennesaw State University's A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research conducted the hybrid phone and online survey.
- The survey has margin of error of plus or minus 1.5% for the 11-county region and plus or minus 3.8% to 5.7% for individual jurisdictions.
Read more details about the 2024 survey, including county level results