Local pollster Peter Zandan has released a poll, ‘Voices of the Austin Community,’ that captures the thinking of 804 Austin adults about their city. A snapshot of the poll results is at

http://zandanpoll.com/zandan-poll-event-information/

Highlights:

• 80% of respondents cite traffic as the city’s top concern
• 65% say they are unlikely to move from Austin; 77% agree Austin is the top US city
• 64% of Austinites aged 18-34 say “Austin is my city”; only 43% of Austinites over 35 say that

The poll has received widespread coverage and commentary. KUT talks up the positive result that most Austinites love their city.

KUT: Austinites Optimistic About City’s Future

The Statesman’s Marty Toohey focuses on the sharp differences in opinion of younger vs. older residents. The story adds quotes from various young or old residents for context. Most of this story is behind a paywall.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/austin-survey-finds-generations-split-on-areas-gro/nfryr/

Bill Oakey at AustinAffordability.com called out the survey’s finding that 65% of Austinites are dissatisfied with the cost of housing. “The young hipsters of today’s Austin will be looking for houses to raise their own families in a few short years. They will step across the line of that survey into the 35+ age column. What fate will await them at that point?”

http://austinaffordability.com/author/billoakey/

Local commentator Mike Levy challenged the poll’s validity. He said the poll asks questions regarding life in the City of Austin, but includes respondents from the wider metroplex. “The level of dissatisfaction of Austin respondents is significant in light of the sample because many of non-Travis County residents have little to be satisfied/dissatisfied about in Austin or have a more informed opinion about,” Levy said. “And they certainly don’t have the sticker shock.”