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Austinites Optimistic About City's Future: Results from the Inaugural Zandan Poll

Despite worries over the city’s growth, traffic issues, and affordability, a new poll shows majority of Austinites feel their city is headed in the “right direction.�

The comes from , the , , and the poll’s founder and namesake, .

Zandan commissioned and sponsored the “Voices of the Austin Community� poll with the hope that it would provide an objective and scientifically-based look at the city’s key issues.

On the issue of the city’s future, the poll showed a small majority -- 55% -- feel Austin is headed in the “right direction.� But when those results are broken down by age, you get a slightly different picture.

Austin "Millennials," residents ages 18 to 34, are much more optimistic about the city’s future than their older counterparts. 67% of Millennials think the city is on a good path, while less than half of respondents 35 and older agree.

What issues are making the future of this city seem less bright to some? Not surprisingly, 80% of respondents named traffic as the city’s top concern. Population growth and affordable housing came in second and third.

Here’s a look at some of the other highlights:

  • A majority of Austin-area residents say Austin is the “Top Cityâ€� in the U.S. (77% somewhat/strongly describes), they would recommend it to others (74% probably/definitely would), and that they are proud of Austin (68% agree). Almost two-thirds say they are unlikely to move away.
  • Overall job satisfaction is very high (87%), with 44% saying they are "somewhat satisfied" and 43% saying they are "very satisfied" with their current job.
  • Those who are most likely to recommend the city are: Highly active community members, people who've been in the city less than 5 years, and young people (18-34).
  • Most Austinites (89%) believe â€œAustin is weird.â€� More than half (51%) say it's unique but becoming more similar to other major U.S. cities. 

​The Zandan Poll surveyed 804 Austin residents through an online questionnaire. Survey questions targeted specific city issues as well as residents� general attitude toward the city.

The full questionnaire and results are available for download on the .

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