Survey: NWA's quality of life rating dips
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Pretty good, not bad, can't complain — that seems the sentiment of 1,000 NWA residents about their quality of life, per a new Walton Family Foundation survey.
Why it matters: Quality of life can be key in recruiting people and business to continue growing NWA's economy.
- Yes, but: Short-term exponential growth can choke an area's infrastructure, drive up prices and stress its resources. Ask anyone who's moved here from Austin or California.
What they found: 64% of those surveyed from April through October of 2023 rated their overall quality of life as excellent to very good, compared with 67% in 2018.
- Combined, only 37% said their quality of life had "increased" (27%) or "significantly increased" (10%) compared to a year ago. That figure was 49% in 2018.
Reasons cited for a decrease in quality of life included the rising cost of living, an unfavorable political climate and a perceived worsening state of the economy. Transportation and housing need the most improvement, respondents said.
- About half rated housing and transportation options as poor to fair.
- Just 29% considered affordable housing easy to access, and only 39% considered transportation options convenient.
The caveat: Of course, 1,000 people is but a fraction of NWA's nearly 600,000 residents.
What they're saying: "While these results are promising, more work is needed to explore some of the important differences in perspectives among underrepresented populations and communities that have been identified so far," the report states in its conclusion.
Context: The Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey was designed to provide an overview of residents' perceptions of life in the region, with particular attention to the Walton Family Foundation's key strategies, a news release states.
Go deeper: Read the full report; see an interactive dashboard.