Economic Assessments |
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The Economic Upheavals of the Past Quarter-Century
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In May 1982, Houston’s 80-year oil boom collapsed. By the end of 1983, the Houston region recorded a net loss of nearly 100,000 jobs.
By 1990, the Houston region emerged from the recession to find itself in a new kind of economy -- now no longer “countercyclical,” but more closely tied than ever before to the broader national and global economic trends. » |
The Wisdom of Crowds
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The public’s overall impression of job opportunities corresponds remarkably closely with the official unemployment rates in Harris County as reported by the Texas Workforce Commission for February in each of the survey years. »
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The Restructured Economy
There were good blue-collar jobs in the vigorous, resource-based, largely national economy of the post-war quarter-century, when the “rising tide” did indeed lift all boats. In the last quarter-century, virtually all the benefits of economic growth have gone to the richest 20% of all Americans, while most families have barely kept up with inflation. »
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The Biggest Problem Facing People in the Area Today
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When asked in the open-ended question that begins each survey to name the biggest problem facing people in the Houston area today, the preoccupations have alternated among three dominating concerns: the economy, traffic, and crime. »
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Poverty Issues |
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Attitudes Toward Efforts to Reduce the Inequalities
The public’s support both for federal health insurance and for more spending on poverty programs in general has been growing steadily since the 1990s. »
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Crime and Public Safety |
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The Fear of Crime Has Continued to Grow since 2003
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The fear of crime may be less “salient” than traffic in people’s spontaneous concerns in 2008 compared to 2006 or 2007 (see Figure 8), but the fears have nevertheless continued to grow. »
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Urban Visions |
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The Consensus on the Need to Guide Houston's Growth
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Houstonians expect an improved quality of life even as the population expands, and they are virtually unanimous in their conviction that some kind of general plan for the region will be required. »
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Support for Mass Transit, with a Rail Component
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The surveys reveal consistently growing support over the years for mass transit as a solution to the area’s traffic problems, and an even more dramatic increase in the proportion calling for that transit system to include a rail component. »
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Environmental Attitudes |
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Concerns about Air Pollution
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The proportion of area residents who support “requiring emissions tests on all vehicles in Houston” grew dramatically, from 36% in 1995 to 79% in 2002 and 74% in 2005. »
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Environmental Tradeoffs
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Several questions in the 2007 survey asked about environmental initiatives while drawing explicit attention to the inherent tradeoffs. On every question, area residents were clear in their willingness to pay the associated costs. »
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