Press Release

Public safety emerges as the No. 1 challenge in Seattle, surpassing homelessness

Voters say now is the time to focus on delivering good government, addressing public safety, especially drugs, and seizing the opportunities in front of us.

SEATTLE – Today the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce released findings from The Index, which show that overall, quality of life in Seattle has increased to its highest since 2021, while at the same time, voters are looking for more urgent action from leaders on public safety.

The seventh installment of the research shows Seattle voters are recognizing progress made on the homelessness crisis, but that public safety especially open-air drug use is harming businesses and is the sticking point to the Index quality-of-life rating climbing more quickly.

“Our spring installment of The Index led me to coin the phrase ‘incremental optimism,’ and today I’ll amend that to say the headline is simply: optimism!” said Rachel Smith, president and CEO of the Seattle Metro Chamber. “The Index shows voters believe we are turning the corner, and that we have sustained the gain when it comes to our quality-of-life rating. This fall’s results mark the largest Index rating increase we’ve seen, and I believe this means our path forward is getting the basics right and managing the city budget, helping businesses and our community thrive by addressing public safety and drug use, and seizing opportunities that would benefit the city and region.”

Key data points from the latest Index results:

  • The Index quality-of-life rating has jumped to 4.66 – the highest it has been since research began – up from 3.89 in fall 2021.
  • Public safety has surpassed homelessness as voters’ top concern.
  • Sixty-nine percent of voters believe city policies that have increased business costs and the failure to adequately address public safety make it hard to start or grow a business in Seattle and three-quarters say “making Seattle a good place to do business” would improve quality of life.
  • Two-fifths of Seattle voters agree the city has made meaningful progress on reducing the number of homeless encampments.
  • Three-quarters of voters say shutting down open-air drug markets would have a significant impact on the quality of life in the city and half give this the highest possible rating – a 7 on a 7-point scale.
  • Nearly 7 in 10 voters say the city should work to offset any budget deficit by prioritizing government basics, supporting our city’s most vulnerable residents, and reducing non-critical spending before considering tax increases, versus 31% of voters who say we should maintain the spending levels and programs in place today and raise new taxes to cover this estimated deficit.
  • A majority of voters support getting light rail completed from West Seattle to Ballard, bringing back the Sonics, helping businesses take advantage of FIFA World Cup opportunities, and lidding I-5.

“The Chamber does this kind of voter research because quality of life underlies attracting and retaining employees – to move here or to stay here,” Smith said. “It also impacts the decisions of business owners to stay or locate here. And it helps us have our finger on the pulse as we advocate for the things that are most important to the business community. The Chamber’s mission is to help businesses and our community, and these Index results show voters are aligned on solutions.”

Polling was conducted by EMC Research, which interviewed 700 Seattle voters across each council district from Sept. 5-15. In-depth data and cross tabs can be found at www.seattlechamber.com/theindex.

About the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce

The Seattle Metropolitan (Seattle Metro) Chamber of Commerce is the regional business advocacy organization that engages the innovation and entrepreneurship of its 2,500 members to promote inclusive economic prosperity. Founded in 1882 by local business leaders, the Chamber today is an independent organization representing a regional workforce of approximately 750,000. For more information, visit www.seattlechamber.com.

Media contact: Jillian Henze, APR
Cell: 425-785-6731
jillianh@www.seattlechamber.com