There’s been an uneasy feeling across the Los Angeles area about the state of housing, and that feeling has become tangible in the answers of a recent area-wide survey.
This past month, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies released its annual Quality of Life Index, which polls a cross-section of Los Angeles County residents on the quality of about 40 aspects of life organized into different categories. Alongside the questions, each survey also addressed what the study called "timely issues," such as the looming presence of homelessness in the area.
For the 2024 index, the overall quality of life for the LA residents polled dipped to the lowest number since the index began in 2016, a 53 out of 100 which also occurred in 2022. Out of the nine categories, "cost of living" was ranked last in a rating of satisfaction amongst residents, with the 38 score also the lowest since the beginning of the index.
The study noted that the "cost of living" category, which includes housing and rental costs, was "clearly the most important issue" for quality of life in the county, and has been the top issue for all nine years of the survey.
As it relates to housing, 58% of survey takers reported that rising housing costs had a "major impact" on quality of life, with 25% reporting a minor impact on their lives. The percentages in the 2023 index were nearly identical, with 58% reporting a major impact and 24% reporting a minor impact, highlighting the ongoing stressors related to the housing issue.
Those renting in the county provided some of the most negative responses when it comes to rising housing costs, with the study stating that renters "are being disproportionately affected by all the economic and inflationary pressures facing the region." Renters rated their satisfaction with the cost of living and the economy lower than nearly every other major demographic in the index’s sample, with a narrow majority of renters (51%) reporting feeling pessimistic about the economic future of LA County, compared to just 39% pessimism amongst homeowners.
Rent figures in Los Angeles increased by 0.5% in March, according to Apartment List, leaving the overall median rent in the city at $2,083. Santa Monica rents grew by 1.5% over the same month, with the city ranking sixth out of 24 LA metro municipalities in median one-bedroom apartment rent ($2,358) and seventh in median two-bedroom apartment rent ($2,827).
A part of the pessimism from renters comes from their lack of hope in being able to afford a home in the county. Of surveyed renters in the index, only 23% believe they will have the ability to buy a LA County home at any point in the future.
Homeowners showed their dissatisfaction with the county’s housing climate in other survey questions, such as the ability of air conditioning within their home. The survey found that 75% of LA County residents have air conditioning at their home, but also found substantial variation of income. About 60% of residents at the lowest end of the income scale surveyed (under $30,000 per year) have air conditioning, as opposed to 89% at the top of the survey’s income scale (over $150,000 per year).
Another major issue is the homelessness crisis, with 60% of survey respondents stating that problems related to homelessness in their area of the county has "gotten worse" over the past year. Homeless encampments specifically have given residents cause for concern, with 37% of survey takers stating that encampments have a major impact on their lives. Residents aren’t feeling much optimism for the future of the issue, either, as 49% of responders stated that they are less hopeful that the crisis in LA County will be improved, compared to just 20% being more hopeful.
