SEATTLE – Today the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce released the findings from The Index, which shows a strong majority of voters believe the city should prioritize the basics when it comes to city services, while also indicating incremental optimism on various quality-of-life measures.
Nine out of 10 voters think focusing on fundamentals such as filling potholes, maintaining parks, and addressing public safety would improve the quality of life in Seattle.
“These results show that voters are feeling what I’m calling an incremental optimism, and they also show voters want a focus on the fundamentals and for leaders to make visible progress on the issues,” said Rachel Smith, president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. “The best way for leaders to make that optimism grow more quickly is to get basics right: filling potholes and maintaining parks, implementing policies to make housing more affordable, and spending tax dollars responsibly.”
As homelessness and public safety remain paramount among voter concerns, affordability concerns are on the rise. One in four voters now list affordability as their top concern, and Index data shows a nearly 10-point jump in people actively considering moving out of Seattle since last measured in fall 2023, with 33% citing cost of living/housing as the driver. Nearly two-thirds of voters continue to be concerned about their personal financial situation in the current economy.
The back-to-basics approach was also popular when asking voters about the city budget. A majority of voters say the city should work to offset the budget deficit by prioritizing basics and supporting vulnerable residents, with 76% of voters preferring that approach to raising taxes. While most voters continue to lack trust in the city government’s ability to create an effective plan to address the critical issues facing our city (82%), trust in the Seattle City Council to reform the Seattle Police Department without endangering public safety is up 10 points since fall 2023.
“People want to see more of a return on investment from the city for the revenue it collects,” Smith said. “We would encourage city leaders to keep that in mind throughout the budget process this year.”
Polling was conducted by EMC Research, which interviewed 700 Seattle voters across each council district from March 5-14, 2024. In-depth data and crosstabs can be found at www.seattlechamber.com/theindex.
About the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
The Seattle Metropolitan (Seattle Metro) Chamber of Commerce is the regional business advocacy organization that engages the innovation and entrepreneurship of its 2,500 members to promote inclusive economic prosperity. Founded in 1882 by local business leaders, the Chamber today is an independent organization representing a regional workforce of approximately 750,000. For more information, visit www.seattlechamber.com.
Media contact: Jillian Henze, APR
Cell: 425-785-6731
jillianh@www.seattlechamber.com