Metro Atlanta Speaks Survey

The Metro Atlanta Speaks (MAS) survey, which began in 2013, is the largest of its kind in the Atlanta region. 2024 marks the 11th year of MAS implementation (there were data collected in 2022). The survey offers a snapshot of residents’ views on a range of critical issues such as transportation, the economy, housing, neighborhood quality of life, and changes in technology. In 2024, Metro Atlanta Speaks covers a 11-county region and is statistically significant to the county level, as well as for the City of Atlanta.

An “executive summary” slide deck is below and here . Please scroll down the page for more “in-depth” summary resources and findings.

“The Economy” Tops List of Respondents’ Concerns

The economy is the Atlanta region’s top concern, according to the 2024 Metro Atlanta Speaks public opinion survey, released today by the Atlanta Regional Commission. When asked about the biggest problem facing metro Atlanta, 32% of the respondents said the economy, followed by crime at 20%, and human services at 12%,

The results represent a change from the 2023 survey, which showed crime as the region’s top concern (at 27%), followed by the economy (24%).

Highlights

The 2024 Metro Atlanta Speaks survey included several new questions related to housing affordability, automation/ artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and climate change. It also revisited transportation priorities and land use preferences of residents.

Housing affordability remains a challenge for many: Nearly two of three respondents (64%) said they could not afford to move to another house or apartment in their current neighborhood, about the same as last year.
Transportation takes a “back seat” to other regional issues: Prior to the pandemic, transportation consistently ranked as the region’s top challenge. This year, transportation came in fourth, with 11% of respondents choosing it as the region’s biggest problem. That’s the same as last year’s survey.
Strong support for public transit: More than nine in ten of respondents said improved public transit was “very important” (64%) or “somewhat important” (27%) to the region’s future. That’s about the same as last year’s survey.
Majority are concerned about climate change: More than half of respondents (53%) said climate change is a “major global threat” in the next 10 years. That compares to 59% a year ago, the first year ARC asked this question.
Emergency health care access challenges: In a new question this year, nearly one in four respondents said they “strongly disagreed” or “agreed” that an ambulance would arrive in a timely fashion in case of a medical emergency.
Concerns over AI: In another new question, 42% of respondents said they felt that artificial intelligence would have a “mostly negative” effect on society, while 30% said it would be “more balanced” and 22% said “mostly positive.”
Mixed on Financial Situation: A new question this year asked how people felt about their financial situation compared to a year ago. 39% said they felt about the same, 31% said they were worse off, and 28% said they were better off.

Reaction

Andre Dickens, ARC Chair and Mayor of the City of Atlanta : “The Metro Atlanta Speaks survey is an invaluable tool that helps guide our efforts to build a better region for all metro Atlanta residents. This year’s survey shows that people remain concerned about the economy and other pocketbook issues like housing costs. Addressing housing affordability remains a priority for ARC and our local partners. We’re committed to driving meaningful change.”

Survey Resources and Summaries of Results

Summary Slide Deck
Full Report
Survey Questions
Regional Data by Questions with Demographic Crosstabs
Interactive MAS Data Dashboard

About the 2024 Survey

The 2024 survey, conducted by Kennesaw State University’s A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research, was a hybrid phone and online instrument. It asked questions of 4,081 people across 11 counties about key quality-of-life issues in August 2024.

Survey results are statistically significant –at the top line– for each of the 11 counties in the ARC Region and for the city of Atlanta. The margins of error are plus or minus 1.5% for the 11-county region as a whole, and plus or minus 3.8% to 5.7% for the individual jurisdictions.

See the survey resources above for more details