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Boston voters believe the quality of life in the city is ‘good.’ Do you agree?

A new poll shared that 79% of surveyed Boston voters said the quality of life in the city is either 'good' or 'excellent.'

By Kristina DaPonte

May 7, 2024

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When it comes to quality of life in the city, it seems that Boston voters are pretty happy.

A recent poll conducted for the Boston Policy Institute between April 8 and 14 through landlines, cell phones, and text invitations, asked 600 registered voters in Boston about the performance of Boston Public Schools, tax rates, and their views on quality of life and direction of the city.

Overall, 79% of voters said that the quality of life in the city is positive — 14% called it ‘excellent’ while 65% called it ‘good.’ On the other side of the spectrum, 14% of voters said quality of life was ‘not so good,’ and 5% called it ‘poor.’

Most voters surveyed said they were likely to stay in Boston long term, and also said living in Boston is better or the same as five years ago.

Voters gave the city strong performance ratings for public safety, employment opportunities, and social justice and inclusion. However, they gave other high-importance issues, like cost of living, affordable housing opportunities, public transportation, infrastructure, and the public school system low performance ratings.

“There’s clearly work to be done but if I’m sitting in the mayor’s office, I’d feel pretty good with where I am right now,” said John Della Volpe, a national pollster who conducted the survey, to CommonWealth Beacon.

The low performance ratings align with many Boston.com readers’ recent thoughts on the issues.

Last November, readers said that the state’s biggest issue was transportation and infrastructure, attributing the troubles to constant traffic congestion and issues with the MBTA. Owning a home in the city is out of reach for many readers due to an ongoing housing crisis that demands Bostonians make over $124,000 a year to live comfortably, according to a March study. And despite being muddied by controversy last year, Mayor Michelle Wu promised a restructuring of the Boston Public School system during this year’s State of the City address.

Let us know if you agree with the results of the survey. What do you think about the quality of life in Boston? What are the factors making it better or worse? Tell us by filling out the form or e-mailing us at [email protected], and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article.