Poll: 64% Say Bay Area Heading In Wrong Direction; Housing, Homelessness Top Concerns

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – As the Bay Area faces continuous challenges regarding housing and homelessness while also emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, a new poll of residents finds more than 6 in 10 saying the region is headed in the wrong direction.

According to the Bay Area Council's 2022 Poll, a record 64% are dissatisfied with the direction of the region, up 14% from a year ago. Only 21% said the region is headed in the right direction.

The organization said it is the highest level of discontent since polling began in 2014, when more than half of respondents said the region was headed in the right direction, 57%.

Pollsters also found that nearly half of those surveyed, 48%, said they were considering leaving the Bay Area, a similar amount compared to last year.

The region's ongoing housing crisis was top of mind among respondents. When asked what the most important problem facing the Bay Area right now, 24% listed homelessness as their first response, while another 21% listed housing and another 10% listed cost of living.

Other concerns included crime (15%) and transportation (5%). Only 2% listed COVID-19 as their top concern.

"I'd like put a big asterisk next to this year's poll to reflect the traumatic circumstances that we've experienced over the past 24 months," Bay Area Council CEO Jim Wunderman said in a statement. "I firmly believe we will emerge from these doldrums, but it's imperative that we listen to what residents are saying and focus intensely on addressing their concerns."

Despite the sentiment among many respondents, nearly 8 in 10 said the region is a "center of innovation" and more than 7 in 10 said the Bay Area offers good educational and job opportunities. More than half also said the Bay Area is a good place to raise a family and a good place to do business.

The poll of 1,000 respondents was conducted by EMC Research between March 2-9 and has a margin of error of plus/minus 3.1%.