Survey: Majority of Seattle voters say city is ‘on the wrong track’

SEATTLE — The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has released the latest results of its research project tracking how the city’s voters feel about living in the region.

The chamber says it has been polling registered Seattle voters on a regular basis since August 2021 with the assistance of a local public opinion research firm.

“We all have a stake in improving Seattle’s civic health,” said Rachel Smith, President and CEO of the Chamber. “No one benefits when residents don’t see visible progress on the critical challenges we face.”

The latest polling, which consisted of 700 interviews, was released on Monday and over half of those surveyed have lived in the city for more than 20 years.

“Seattle voters are somewhat less pessimistic about the city and overall quality of life, but most still think the city is on the wrong track and quality of life is worse,” a summary of the latest survey results reads in part. “Despite this broader pessimism, voters are optimistic about the region’s future, and most say they are proud to be a Seattleite.”

According to the survey, 69% of the voters surveyed said the city was “on the wrong track.” For context, 76% and 68% of the surveyed voters felt the same way about the state of the city in March 2022 and August 2021 respectively.

When asked about the top issues facing the city, the most common answer was homelessness, followed by public safety and cost of living.

Respondents’ concerns about homelessness have declined since August 2021, while concerns about public safety have increased since then.

The complete results of all three surveys conducted by the Seattle Metro Chamber are available on its website.

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