decline and recovery in assessments of the local€¦ · 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 favor: “federal...

61%

68%

64% 63% 67%

36% 36%

31% 29%

35%

37% 38% 38% 36%

40%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Decline and Recovery in Assessments of the Local

Economy (2014-2018)

Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2014-18).

3

Job opportunities in the Houston area are “excellent” or “good.”

The quality of living conditions in the Houston area has been “getting better.”

During the last few years, personal financial situation has been “getting better.”

The Biggest Problem in the Houston Area, in Three

Counties (2018)

Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2018).

4

17%

20%

14% 14%

12%

22%

Montgomery

14%

34%

11%

11%

14%

16%

Fort Bend

15%

26%

16%

14%

13%

17%

Harris

Party Differences in Beliefs about the American Future

(2010-2018)


5

The country is headed for “better times.”

26%

64%

71%

47%

23% 21%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Republicans Democrats

The Educational Prerequisites for Jobs in America

(1973-2020)

32

10 11 12

40

34 30 24

19 17

18

12

8 10

12

9

19 21 24

7 10 11 11

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1973 (91 million) 1992 (129 million) 2010 (143 million) 2020 (164 million)

Year and Number of Available Jobs

Master's degree or better

Bachelor's degree

Associate's degree

Some college

High school diploma

Less than high school

By 2020, 65% of all

American jobs will require

education beyond high

school.

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2014. “Recovery: Job Growth and Education Requirements through 2020.”

(http://cew.georgetown.edu/recovery2020). 7

The Perceived Necessity for Education Beyond High

School, in Four Communities (2013-2018)

61%

48%

78%

39%

71%

47%

88%

64%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2013 2015 2016 2017 2018

US-born Anglos US-born Blacks US-born Hispanics Foreign-born Hispanics

“To be successful in today’s world, is it necessary to get an education beyond high school, or are

there many ways to succeed with no more than a high school diploma?”

“Education beyond high school is necessary.”


8

The Requirements for a Good Job, the Need for More

School Funding, and the Importance of Preschool

46%

54%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Disagree Agree

30%

67%

Oppose Favor

45%

49%

Have enough money Need much more

(February 2009)

40%

56%

Have enough money Need much more

(February 2018)

Which comes closer to your opinion about the public schools in the

Houston area: “The schools have enough money, if it were used wisely,

to provide a quality education”; or: “In order for the schools to provide a

quality education, significantly more money will be needed.”

Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2009 and 2018).

“In order to get a job that pays more

than $35,000 a year, you need to have

at least one or two years of education

beyond high school.”

“What about increasing local taxes in order

to provide universal preschool education

for all children in Houston?”

Support for Government Programs to Reduce the

Inequalities in America (2010-2018)

10

68%

72%

45%

65%

31%

47%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

Favor: “Federal health insurance to cover

the medical costs of all Americans.”

Percent saying, “Most people who receive welfare benefits are really

in need of help,” rather than “taking advantage of the system.”


Agree: “The government should take action to reduce income

differences between rich and poor in America.”

The Demographics of Harris County by Decade

Source: U.S. Census data. Classifications based on Texas State Data Center Conventions. 12

8

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2012-2016

Po

pu

latio

n (

in m

illio

ns)

Non-Hispanic Whites Blacks Hispanics Asians/Others

7

33

18

42

10

20

69

16

20

63

23

19

54

(1,243,158) (1,741,912) (2,409,547) (2,818,199) (3,400,578) (4,092,459) (4,434,257)

8

18

41

33

20

74

42

19

31

8

.03

6

.08

2

4

Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Refugees Among Harris

County Residents (2014-2018)

13

75%

59% 64%

73% 63%

75% 77%

63%

81% 82%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018


Favor: Granting illegal immigrants a

path to legal citizenship if speak

English and no criminal record.

Immigrants to the U.S. generally

contribute more to the American

economy than they take.

Agree: Refugees who are in danger in

their home countries because of their

beliefs or their ethnicity should always

be welcome in Houston.

Favorable Feelings Toward “Other” Groups (2010-2018)

14

43%

50%

35%

48%

24%

47%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

Ratings of 7-10, describing feelings about “gays and lesbians”


Ratings of 7-10, describing feelings

about “undocumented immigrants”

Ratings of 7-10. describing feelings

about “Muslims or followers of Islam”

We’d like to get your feelings about different groups in the Houston area,

using a 10-point scale, with “10” being the most favorable feelings and “1”

being least favorable:

Some “Wake-Up Calls” That Have Recently Gotten the

Attention of Houston’s Business Community

16

(1) October 1999. Houston surpassed Los Angeles in the number of dangerously

polluted days: “Houston, cough, cough … We’ve got a problem, cough, cough!”

(2) January 2004. Houston campaigned to be the American city to host the 2012

Olympics, but it did not receive a single vote: “Houston is Ugly!”

(3) August 2017. Will the after-effects of Hurricane Harvey turn out to be a wake-

up call of equivalent consequence in shaping today’s “progrowth” agenda?

The key insight. “It is not a question of alternatives to growth,

but of alternative ways of growing” (John McHale).

The Spread of Harvey’s Impact: FEMA Applications for

Help from the 41 Counties Affected by the Storm

17 Source: Map created by Episcopal Health Foundation. Data from Federal Emergency Management Agency, “Individual Assistance Open Disaster Statistics.”

County Differences in Measures of the Impact of

Hurricane Harvey on Homes and Vehicles (2018)

18

19% 20%

12%

11% 9%

4%

2% 0%

1%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County

Minor damage Major damage Home destroyed

16%

11%

8%

Personal vehicle damaged


32%

29%

17%

Support for Government Initiatives to Mitigate Local

Flooding, by the Degree of Home Damage (2018)

19

90%

72% 73%

54%

68%

94%

73% 70%

58% 60%

87%

69% 65%

55%

71%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

No home damage Minor home damage Major home damage


Requiring all property owners to

notify potential buyers or renters if

the property they are considering

has flooded in recent years.

Using public money to protect

the industries along the

Houston Ship Channel from

hurricane surge flooding.

Prohibiting any additional

construction in areas that

have repeatedly flooded.

Increasing local taxes to enable

government agencies to buy

out more of the homes that

have repeatedly flooded.

If local government had imposed

more stringent regulations on

development, this would have

significantly reduced the damage

caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Changes Over Time in Beliefs about Climate Change

(2010-2018)

20

48%

54%

58%

61%

64%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2011 2013 2015 2016 2018

The primary cause of climate change is “human activities.”

39%

42% 40%

46%

52%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

The threat of climate change is a “very serious problem.”


Changes Over Time in Generalized Trust and in the Per-

ceived Need for Better Land-Use Planning (2014-2018)

21 Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2014-18).

31% 31%

37% 39%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2014 2015 2016 2018

“Generally speaking, most people can be trusted."

68%

64%

70%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2014 2017 2018

"We need better land-use planning to guide development in the Houston area."

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

225,421 354,452 585,375 683,756

Po

pu

latio

n

The Demographics of Fort Bend and Montgomery Counties

Source: U.S. Census data. Classifications based on Texas State Data Center Conventions 23

182,201 293,768 455,746 518,849

1990 2000 2010 2016

Montgomery County

81

3

13

3

88

4

7

1

71

21

4

4

69

22

4

5

Fort Bend County

1990 2000 2010 2016

54

20

20

7

46

20

21

13

36

21

24

19

35

20

24

21

County Differences in Income, Education, and Percent

Foreign-Born

24

74% 73%

87%

26% 27%

13%

Harris Fort Bend Montgomery

Place of Birth

Native-born Foreign-born

22%

10% 15%

41%

31%

38%

37%

59%

46%


Household Income

Less than $25,000

$25,000 to $74,999

$75,000 or more

43%

29% 37%

27%

27%

30%

30%

44%

33%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Education

Bachelor's degree or more

Some college

High school or less

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 2012-16 5-year estimates. Educational attainment for 25 years and older.

County Differences in Religiosity and Party Affiliation

(2015-2018, Combined)

25

47% 44%

54%

28% 28%

26%

5% 10%

4%

18% 15% 12%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Religious affiliation

Protestant Catholic Other religion No religion

32%

42%

52%

14%

14%

14%

47%

39%

29%


Declared or leaning toward which political party

Republican Independent Democrat

51%

39% 46%

49%

60% 54%


Attended a religious service, other than a wedding or funeral,

in the past thirty days

No Yes


County Differences in Support for Government Programs

to Address the Inequalities (2015-2018, Combined)

26 Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2015-18).

59%

71%

50%

46% 43%

60%

64%

50% 49%

42% 44%

52%

36% 34%

29%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Agree: Government has aresponsibility to help reducethe inequalities between rich

and poor in America.

Favor: federal health insuranceto cover the medical costs of

all Americans.

Government should do more tosolve our country's problems.

Most people who receivewelfare benefits are really in

need of help.

Welfare benefits generally givepoor people a chance to get

started again.


County Differences in the Perceived Importance of Transit,

“Walkable Urbanism,” and Land-Use Planning (2015-2018)

Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2015-18). 27

61%

49%

54%

67%

56%

39% 42%

76%

50%

30%

40%

75%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

A much improved mass transit systemis "very important" for the future

success of Houston.

Prefer a smaller home in a moreurbanized area, over a larger homewith the need to drive everywhere.

Prefer an area with a mix ofdevelopments, over a single-family

residential area.

We need better land-use planning toguide development in the Houston

area.


The Kinder Houston Area Survey (1982-Present)

29

The thirty-seven years of systematic interviews with successive representative

samples of Harris County residents have emphasized three major new realities:

The Epic Demographic Transformations

The Rise of the Knowledge Economy

The New Importance of Quality of Place

As the Surveys Have Shown:

• Hidden beneath the political divides, Houston-area residents are

embracing the diversity and are increasingly in favor of policy

initiatives to reduce the region's income inequalities, improve the

public schools, and strengthen resiliency and urban amenities.

Thank you so much for your support!

• They seem more prepared today than at any time in the past 37

years to support the many ongoing efforts by Houston's business

and civic leadership to address the new realities and position the

Houston region for competitive success in the years ahead.

kinder.rice.edu

www.datahouston.org/khas

[email protected]

713-348-4132

@RiceKinderInst

/InstituteForUrbanResearch

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