A majority of Houstonians rate the city’s quality of life as good, but they also see plenty of room for improvement, with long-standing issues — poorly maintained streets, crime and traffic congestion — topping the list.
Key Findings
- Houstonians say the top three issues facing the city are streets in poor condition (49%), crime (41%) and traffic congestion (37%)
- 59% of Houstonians approve of the job John Whitmire is doing as mayor of Houston.
- 58% of Houstonians rate the city’s quality of life as good (42%), very good (14%) or excellent (2%)
- Satisfaction with Houston city services ranges from a high of 81% for fire/EMS to a low of 28% for public works
- Residents split on a potential proposition that would allow the city to exceed the revenue cap by as much as $40 million a year to fund public safety, with 39% in favor and 38% against
The latest survey from the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston asked registered voters in Houston to rate topics ranging from neighborhood issues to satisfaction with local leaders. Despite overall satisfaction with the city’s quality of life, clear concerns emerged about city services, infrastructure and crime.
“While 58% of the people we surveyed gave high marks to the city’s quality of life, about the same percentage said the city is headed in the wrong direction,” said Renée Cross, researcher and senior executive director of the Hobby School. “They cited familiar concerns such as streets, traffic and crime, but also newer issues such as the cost of housing.”
Taken together, she said, “our findings suggest the city has its work cut out for it.”
Almost half of likely voters, 49%, ranked the poor condition of city streets as a top three issue, followed by crime, at 41%, and traffic congestion, 37%. Almost one-third, 31%, cited the high cost of housing as a top concern, followed by homelessness, 28%, and rising property taxes, 28%.
“... Our findings suggest the city has its work cut out for it.”
— Renée Cross, researcher and senior executive director of the Hobby School, University of Houston
While some issues drew consistent support across socioeconomic and even partisan lines, others highlighted divergent perceptions among racial and ethnic groups.
Mark P. Jones, senior research fellow at the Hobby School and a political scientist at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said that was especially apparent when people were asked about quality of life and issues within their own neighborhoods.
“Overall, almost 60% of voters say the quality of life in the city is good, very good or excellent,” Jones said. “But while 67% of white registered voters agreed, that dropped to 56% of Black and just 47% of Latino registered voters.”
Researchers found similar splits at the neighborhood level, with 60% of Black voters saying the condition of streets had a negative impact on their neighborhoods, compared to 55% of Latinos and 44% of white voters.
“The disparity held across a dozen issues, including violent crime, the homeless population and abandoned or poorly maintained buildings and lots,” Jones said. “For example, 52% of Black respondents and 39% of Latinos said violent crime has a major negative impact on the quality of life in their neighborhood. Just 24% of white respondents said the same.”
Among the report’s other findings:
- Residents are split on a proposal that would allow the city to exceed the revenue cap by between $30 million and $40 million a year to fund public safety, with 39% in support and 38% opposing. 23% said they are unsure or would not vote on the issue.
- 77% support doubling the city’s allocation to BARC, the city-run animal shelter, to $32 million a year. Support cut across all demographic and partisan lines; support was lowest among Republicans, but even there, 68% of GOP voters backed the proposal.
- Opinions about city services are mixed, ranging from a high of 81% who rank fire/EMS services favorably to just 28% who say the same about public works. Police protection (49%), trash collection (49%) and city services overall (47%) fell in between.
- 59% of respondents said the city is headed in the wrong direction. That compares to 57% who said the same about Harris County, 71% who said that about the state of Texas and 74% who said the United States is headed in the wrong direction.
- Despite that, 59% approve of the job Houston Mayor John Whitmire is doing, and 55% said the same about Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
The full report is available on the Hobby School website. The survey was conducted between March 29 and April 4, 2025, in English and Spanish. The representative sample population included 1,400 registered voters in Houston, with a margin of error of +/-2.62%. Upcoming reports will examine attitudes about potential candidates in the 18th Congressional District and the city’s arts, entertainment and sports scene.
Story by Jeannie Kever