What do Los Angeles County residents think in 2023?
Inflation, the homelessness crisis, the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising housing costs are among the top concerns for residents of the nation’s most populous county, according to a new survey by the UCLA. .
The latest Quality of Life Index from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs was released Wednesday. Respondents showed near-record levels of dissatisfaction with their quality of life, but noted some improvements over the past year.
Los Angeles is one of the most polluted cities in the United States, according to a new report from the American Lung Association (ALA).
Inflation is firmly at the top of the list of issues affecting quality of life.
“Last year’s negativity record appears to have bottomed out and taken a slight upward turn,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative, which monitors the index. “But inflation has taken its toll, especially among low- and middle-income residents.”
Key Takeaways About Quality of Living in Los Angeles County
These are some of the main causes for concern, according to the survey.
Inflation
- Respondents expressed concern about losing their homes or feeding their families. 94% of respondents say they are affected by inflation and rising costs of basic necessities.
- 71% said it had a big impact.
- Rising housing costs were identified as an issue by 82% of respondents, with 58% saying it is a major concern.
Homeless
- Many residents said their quality of life had been affected by a private homeless encampment.
- More than a quarter, or 28%, of those surveyed feared losing their home and becoming homeless, while 25% feared their family would go hungry because they could not afford to eat .
- Almost half of people living in households earning less than $60,000 feared becoming homeless.
- Almost three-quarters of residents, 73%, said their quality of life had been affected in the past year by a private homeless encampment.
- 43% of respondents said encampments had a big impact, with 50% of San Fernando Valley and Westside residents and 28% of San Gabriel Valley residents.
Pandemic
- Many respondents said they believed the impacts of the pandemic in the region would be long-lasting.
- The majority of respondents, 75%, said the COVID-19 pandemic had dramatically changed their lives.
- Only 23% expect life to go back to how it was.
- Many respondents said their income had changed during the pandemic: 27% said it had decreased and 30% said it had increased.
- More than a third, or 35%, of those with household incomes below $60,000 said it had decreased.
- Almost half, or 45%, of those surveyed with household income over $120,000 said it had increased.
How the survey was conducted
The survey measures satisfaction levels of county residents in nine categories. The overall score rose two points to 55, but it was still the second-lowest score in the project’s eight years. The highest rating of 59 was recorded in 2016 and 2017.
This year’s Quality of Life Survey was based on interviews with 1,429 county residents over 30 days beginning Feb. 24. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6%.
Ratings rose slightly in all nine categories, with the exception of health care, which remained the same as in 2022.
This story first appeared on Telemundo 52’s sister station NBCLA. Click on here to read this story in English.