Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2022 Results

Kinder Houston Area Survey

The 41st Kinder Houston Area Survey shares Houstonians’ views on the economy, crime, the pandemic and other issues related to the city’s demographic transformations.

The 41st annual Kinder Houston Area Survey was conducted in Harris County during January and February of 2022, using a new, web-based survey methodology. It begins with an assessment of the top-of-the-head concerns of area residents, as traffic congestion subsides and economic anxieties re-emerge as “the biggest problem facing people in the Houston area today,” with crime a close second, followed by concerns about the COVID pandemic. It also assesses the deepening economic inequalities in this city, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Through intensive interviews reaching a total of more than 50,000 Houstonians over the years, the surveys have documented significant changes in the way area residents perceive and understand Houston’s ongoing challenges and opportunities. No city in the nation has been tracked in this way over such a long period of time. 

The print version of the 2022 Kinder Houston Area Survey is generously underwritten by Bank of America.

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In the 2022 Houston Area Survey, residents reassess their prospects
RESEARCH :  May. 17, 2022

Houstonians are looking slightly less optimistic than they normally do, and the economy is their main concern—more than crime, pandemics, traffic, flooding, and other recent plagues. In fact, optimism is at its lowest level in the history of the Kinder Houston Area Survey, driven largely by the rising cost of living. This cloudy outlook also comes with a dose of clarity about the lingering effects of racism and even stronger agreement on the need to support public education.

DEMOGRAPHICS
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Where Houstonians stand on education, CRT, abortion rights, and voter access in 2022
RESEARCH :  May. 23, 2022

If you built a political platform based on what most Houstonians would agree with, what would it look like? We have one version of a “Houston agenda”, thanks to the 2022 Kinder Houston Area Survey. While divisions persist, big shares of Houstonians across party lines agree on several big issues.

DEMOGRAPHICS
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Stephen Klineberg: A retrospective
FEATURES :  May. 3, 2022

Houston understands itself a little more clearly thanks to 40 years of insight from this Rice social psychologist turned urban visionary.

IN THE NEWS
Founder of Kinder Houston Area Survey looks back on four decades of work
May. 16, 2022 - FOX 26
Kinder Houston Area Survey: As pandemic wanes, economy and crime become top concerns
May. 17, 2022 - RICE NEWS
Houstonians more supportive of racial equity and public education, Rice survey shows
May. 17, 2022 - HOUSTON CHRONICLE
He didn't plan to stay at Rice. But across 4 decades, he became an expert on Houston and its people
May. 17, 2022 - HOUSTON CHRONICLE
As Calls For Economic Diversity Get Louder, Survey Shows Houstonians Changing Their Tune On Public Education
May. 17, 2022 - BISNOW
Kinder Institute Study finds money, crime are the biggest concerns for Houstonians
May. 17, 2022 - KPRC 2
Survey shows crime and economy are top concerns for Houstonians
May. 17, 2022 - ABC 13
Economy, crime top of mind for Houston-area residents, survey shows
May. 17, 2022 - KHOU 11
Kinder Houston Area Survey identifies Houstonians' main concerns post-pandemic
May. 17, 2022 - HOUSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
The week in politics, and the annual Houston Area Survey (May 18, 2022)
May. 18, 2022 - HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA
Pivotal annual survey reveals Houstonians' biggest concerns in 2022
May. 18, 2022 - CULTUREMAP HOUSTON
Editorial: For 41 years, Klineberg has told Houston’s story. Have we listened?
May. 19, 2022 - HOUSTON CHRONICLE
RELATED INITIATIVES
Kinder Houston Area Survey

For over four decades, the Kinder Houston Area Survey has been tracking the changing attitudes and experiences of Houstonians.

RELATED INITIATIVES
Greater Houston Community Panel

The Greater Houston Community Panel includes thousands of scientifically selected adults in Harris County, Texas, who are regularly surveyed about their families and communities, including their health, well-being, expectations, opinions, priorities and aspirations.

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