Houstonians are worried about inflation, crime, and more, UH study finds

A new survey conducted by the University of Houston shows that Houstonians are worried about inflation and the overall economy.

The Houston Metro Community Survey was conducted by a team at the Hobby School of Public Affairs led by Gail J. Buttorff, associate director at the Center for Public Policy (CPP) and Research in partnership with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). Nearly 10,000 residents across the nine-county metro area were polled during May on what they consider the largest challenges affecting their communities.

The economy is first and foremost in people's minds. More than a third (36 percent) say they are either just making ends meet or are falling short of doing so. Though a majority says they have at least "a little left for extras" or are "living comfortably" (63.9 percent), financial anxiety over inflation and debt remains high across all groups. Even the vast majority of those who report living comfortably (70.1 percent) report being at least somewhat concerned about rising living costs.

"While many households express a sense of financial stability or optimism, a significant portion report economic strain, heightened concerns about the cost of living, and limited confidence in their ability to withstand future shocks," the survey's conclusion notes.

Crime was also a significant concern revealed in the survey. A majority of respondents (56 percent) view crime as a major problem in Houston, with women and City of Houston residents particularly feeling unsafe during the day. The survey does note that respondents are more likely to consider crime a bigger problem in Houston while feeling safer in their own neighborhoods outside the city limits, resulting in some potential divergence between how people feel and reality.

"Crime remains a potent political issue despite falling back to historic lows in most of the country after an uptick during the COVID pandemic," the survey says. "Future research could compare the measured rates of reported crimes with people’s opinions of crime to evaluate if perception is matching the reality."

Buttorff added in a press release statement: “People don't necessarily find their own community unsafe, but they think crime is generally an issue."

Opinions on climate change and natural disasters were also counted. Concern about climate change fell mostly on political lines, with 63.9 percent of Democrats feeling it is a major problem compared to 19.9 percent of Republicans. Typically, the more financially stable a respondent was, the less they were worried about preparedness of natural disasters or climate change. Older generations were more likely to be less concerned about disasters, while Gen Xers and communities of color were more likely to be worried.

Further findings will be released on the SPACE City Panel page in the future, hopefully leading to a greater understanding of what issues Houstonians are worried about.

“Quarterly trend lines will let city, county and state officials see whether programs are reaching the communities that need them — and recalibrate within months, not years,” said Pablo Pinto, director of the CPP and professor at the Hobby School.