Nearly one-third of San Franciscans say the City’s cost of living is their biggest problem today, and another 60 percent included it in their top three problems. The results were part of the first San Francisco Survey, produced for the Committee on Jobs, a local business association focused on long-term economics in the City.
“Though San Francisco residents don’t like the city’s costs, they still feel it’s worth it to live here,” said David Latterman of the San Francisco Survey. Indeed, 90 percent of them either strongly or somewhat agreed that San Francisco is a good place to live; 50 percent strongly or somewhat agreed that the City is a good place to raise families; and 47 percent somewhat or strongly agreed that it’s a good place to run a small business.
They’re also optimistic: 75 percent believe San Francisco’s economic conditions will remain as they are or get moderately better in the next half-year, and nearly half believe that it’s extremely important for the City to focus on creating local jobs. Forty-one percent listed homelessness as one of the City’s top three problems, and just over a quarter of respondents think it’s important or extremely important to curb development downtown.
“As rents have gone up, as parking meters have become more costly, and as city fees have continued to rise, it’s not a surprise that residents are becoming more and more concerned about their costs,” said Ruth Bernstein of the San Francisco Survey.
The survey included a cross section of registered voters in the City and was prepared by EMC Research and Fall Line Analytics. More info on the survey results can be found at www.thesanfranciscosurvey.com.
