Seattle voters are in a 'back-to-basics' mood, according to latest poll

"Back-to-basics." "Focus on the fundamentals." However you put it, that is the message from Seattle's Chamber of Commerce, which says its latest polling of city voters indicates a strong shift in perceptions.

"I rarely say this, but there is a lot of clarity here in terms of what Seattle voters think," said Andrew Thibault with EMC Research, which conducted polling for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. "We tend to be a group who disagrees quite a bit over small differences ... the electorate is in a back-to-basics mood."

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"Back to basics" is a term the Chamber is using a lot when describing the results of its latest Index. This is the Chamber's status check on Seattle voters' perceptions and feelings about quality of life in the city. It conducts this poll twice a year. With help from EMC Research, 700 voters were polled in March 2024.

Still, just as its fall 2023 poll stated, Seattle residents' top concern was public safety and the homelessness crisis. Thibault's statement that voters offered "clarity" in this poll is based on a result stating that 90% of voters feel focusing on fundamentals would improve Seattle's quality of life. Such basics include public safety, road maintenance, and park upkeep.

At a press event Tuesday, Chamber CEO and President Rachel Smith said the poll questions are drawn from "competing conversations" happening in the Seattle community.

"As you look at this data, I don't think we need to have some of the ideological conversations that we've had," Smith said. "We really need to focus in on how we are going to drive results, and get the outcomes we are looking for on the fundamentals — safe streets, less potholes, responsible spending. That to me is the real big takeaway"

Since March 2022, the "quality of life" score presented in the Index has continued to rise. On a scale of 1-10, Seattle had a 3.47 quality of life score in 2022. As of March 2024, the score is 4.24.

Top 10 concerns of Seattle voters

1. Homelessness (50% of those polled)
2. Crime/drugs/public safety (46%)
3. Cost of living/affordable housing (26%)
4. Taxes (5%)
5. Racial issues/policing/ police brutality (4%)
6. Government/public leaders (4%)
7. Traffic/congestion (4%)
8. Mental health/healthcare (4%)
9. Public transportation (3%)
10. Cleanliness of Seattle (3%)

Poll highlights

• 17% of voters agree that the city has an effective plan to address homelessness, affordability, and public safety.
• Affordable housing and the cost of living in Seattle are becoming more of a concern — 63%of those polled say they are concerned about their personal financial situation, and a quarter of voters are concerned about affordability in general; 60% feel taxes are too high.
• Downtown Seattle: 80% are worried about the condition of downtown; 14% are optimistic abut its future, with safety being the main factor. A third of those polled said they feel safe visiting downtown at night.
• 80% of polled voters said the city has enough money to handle its priorities, and that leaders should spend it more effectively. In August 2021, 73% of voters agreed with this sentiment. A total of 31% of voters said they feel Seattle is spending its tax dollars responsibly.
• Voters showed more faith in the new City Council, whose newest members joined the dais at the start of 2024. There was a 10% jump in the number of people who said they trust that the council can reform the police department with out endangering public safety. The last poll was in fall 2023.
• More than 80% of voters said that helping small businesses with public safety issues would improve the city.
• Increasing density is gaining popularity with 60% favoring more retail and commercial spaces in their neighborhood.
• Six out of 10 Seattle voters describe themselves as Democrats.
• The Chamber notes there has been a 10% jump in the number of people "actively considering" moving out of the city since the fall 2023 poll — 33% of those people say cost of living/housing is the main reason; a year ago it was 24% (it's worth noting that this statistic was 35% in March 2022). At Thursday's press event, Thibault admitted that this does not mean these people are actually moving out of town (some might, and some won't). He argued this is a way to express dissatisfaction/frustration with the direction of the city. According to the latest census data (as of 2023), Seattle's population has continued to trend up.

See the Chamber's full report here.