To news that is surprising to no one - a new study shows that bad traffic and a high cost of living are dragging down the quality of life for many Angelinos over the last two years.
The new survey from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, looked at residents' overall quality of life, which dropped three points over the last two years to 56 in 2018. According to the survey, between 2016 and 2018, residents' satisfaction level with transportation and traffic went down, following by concerns because of the cost of living.
More than half of respondents to the survey said they or someone they know has thought about moving out of their neighborhoods in recent years, thanks to rising housing costs. That percentage is significantly higher among younger people.
"It is troubling that younger county residents are less hopeful and less positive about their quality of life in Los Angeles,'' said Zev Yaroslavsky, former city councilman and county supervisor and director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
"Historically, young people, especially in Los Angeles, could look forward to a great future, but today they have the highest level of negativity and anxiety, especially between the ages of 18-29, he said. "This should be a matter of concern to all of us.''
The survey was based on interviews with 1,457 Los Angeles County residents who were asked to rate their quality of life on a scale of 10 - 100 in nine categories and 40 subcategories. The quality of life ranking for Southern California residents dropped in all nine categories over the last two years.
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