WASHINGTON — There was a clear divide between what residents liked and disliked about the D.C. metro area.
Koski Research gathered opinions from a thousand people between the ages of 21 and 75 from online sample sources earlier this year. Participants from D.C., Maryland and Virginia shared their perspectives on life in the D.C. metropolitan region.
On the positive side, about 80 percent of respondents said the region’s arts and culture was one of the best things about the area and 75 percent said the same for local food and dining.
On the negative side, 66 percent of respondents said cost of housing was one of the worst things about the Washington region, while 62 percent said cost of living was one of the worst.
In the middle area of aspects about local life, residents felt more positively about the region’s quality of life, employment rate, quality of education, public transportation and quality of housing.
Respondents were less positive about roads and highways, effectiveness of local politicians, crime rate and tax rates. It should be noted that half of those surveyed said each of these aspects was neither among the best nor the worst aspects of living in or around Washington.
Participants were then given a list of statements and asked whether they agreed with them or not.
Around 80 percent of respondents said they were happy with their quality of life and felt that children could get a good education in the area. They agreed on the plentiful job opportunities in the Washington region. About seven in 10 people felt good about their property values. Two-thirds said the quality of public transportation is high.
However, two-thirds of respondents said crime is hurting the D.C. area. Three-fifths disagreed with the statement that the overall cost of living is reasonable. Local tax rates drew a split opinion from respondents.
And for a town built on politics, six in 10 did not believe politicians do a good job making the economy stronger. Seven in 10 didn’t “like Washington more during an election year.”
