The Home Project

SURVEY OF SEATTLE/ KING COUNTY

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DRAFT TOPLINE DATA
SAMPLE: 803 adults in King County
403 in Seattle.
400 outside Seattle
SAMPLE FRAME: Registered Voter Households
MARGIN OF SAMPLING ERROR: ±3.5% countywide data
±5.0% for Seattle and “suburban” samples
All at the e 95% level of confidence
DATA COLLECTION: Telephone Survey with Live Interviewers
48% via cell phone
FIELD DATES: February 21-27, 2019

• The questions are presented here as they were asked in the interview
• The figures in bold type are percentages of respondents who gave each answer.
• The results are presented in 3 segments: “County” = All King County
“Suburb” = County Outside Seattle
“Seattle” = Seattle Residents
• The “County” data combined the Seattle and “Suburban” data, then statistically weighted
the total by County Council District to assure proper geographic balance across the county.
• Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.

COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT
1
13%

2
11%

3
12%

4
13%

5
9%

6
11%

7
10%

5
13%

6
16%

7
13%

8
11%

9
12%

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT
1
14%

1.

2
13%

3
16%

4
13%

The first issue I want to talk about is homelessness. In your community,
would you say homelessness is …
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
30
23
42
A crisis
42
39
46
A significant problem
13
17
6
A moderate problem
14
19
5
A minor problem
1
2
0
DK/NA

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2. One question that comes up often is, who is homeless? I am going to
read some descriptions. Out of every 10 people who are homeless in your
community, how many – if any - would you estimate fit each of these
descriptions. First one is, how many homeless people out of 10 …
AV.

0

1-2 3-4

5+

DK

A Have a drug addiction or alcohol abuse

COUNTY 6.3
SUBURB 6.4
SEATTLE 6.1

2
2
1

6
6
5

17
15
18

72
74
71

3
3
4

B Are parents with children

COUNTY 3.2
SUBURB 3.2
SEATTLE 3.2

7
8
5

34
32
37

29
28
29

23
22
24

7
8
8

C Are military veterans

COUNTY 3.7
SUBURB 3.7
SEATTLE 3.7

3
3
2

27
26
28

32
33
30

29
29
29

10
10
11

D Are runaway teenagers

COUNTY 3.0
SUBURB 3.1
SEATTLE 2.8

6
7
6

43
40
47

24
23
24

18
21
15

9
10
7

E Have a serious mental illness

COUNTY 5.0
SUBURB 5.0
SEATTLE 5.0

2
2
2

17
18
15

25
23
26

51
51
53

5
6
4

F Could get a job and pay rent, but choose to

COUNTY 3.5 11 34
SUBURB 3.8 10 31
SEATTLE 3.0 12 38

17
15
19

32
36
25

7
8
6

G Have a mental or physical disability

COUNTY 5.3
SUBURB 5.2
SEATTLE 5.5

2
2
2

13
14
11

24
23
24

56
55
59

5
6
5

H Have a job, but can’t afford housing

COUNTY 3.6
SUBURB 3.5
SEATTLE 3.6

7
9
5

28
28
30

26
24
28

30
29
30

9
10
7

COUNTY 4.2
SUBURB 4.1
SEATTLE 4.3

4
6
2

20
21
19

27
25
32

40
39
41

8
10
6

COUNTY 4.3
SUBURB 4.5
SEATTLE 4.0

7
7
6

23
22
25

18
17
19

40
42
37

13
13
13

problem

live on the streets

I

Are people of color

J Are not from this community

3. What would be evidence that the issue of homelessness is being solved?
What would you need to see to convince you that progress was being
made?
Question was open-ended Full data on last page. Leading categories were:
SUBURBS: VISIBILITY 53%...HOUSING 18%...PREVENTION 11%
SEATTLE: VISIBILITY 68%...HOUSING 15%...PREVENTION 8%

02/28/19

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DRAFT Topline Data

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FRAMES/VALUES
4. The following are some statements that have been made about
homelessness. I would like to know how much you agree or disagree with
each one. We’ll use a scale of minus 5 to plus 5, where Minus 5 means you
Disagree Completely and Plus 5 means you Agree Completely. Zero is in the
middle. The first statement is…
DISAGREE COMPLETELY [-5] … [+5] AGREE COMPLETELY
A. We have a moral obligation to help people who

are homeless.
B. Ending homelessness will make this a healthier

community overall.
C. Because homelessness involves many different

factors like health care, criminal justice,
evictions, and discrimination, we need a
community-wide coordinated plan to deal with
homelessness.
D. Businesses have a responsibility to support
efforts that address homelessness in the
community
E. By offering more homeless services in our

community we attract more homeless people
from other places.
F. There is enough money being spent to address

homelessness – it just is not being spent
effectively.
G. We know what it will take to reduce

homelessness, but just don’t have the money to
do it.

AVE.

DISAG AGREE AGREE
-5-0
+1+3 +4+5

NO
OPIN

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

+2.7
+2.6
+2.9

20
21
18

29
32
25

51
48
57

0
0
0

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

+3.8
+3.7
+3.9

10
11
9

17
18
13

73
70
78

1
1
0

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

+3.5
+3.4
+3.6

12
13
11

21
22
19

67
65
69

0
0
0

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

+1.0
+0.8
+1.3

39
42
35

35
35
34

25
23
31

1
1
1

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

+1.4
+1.7
+0.9

38
34
45

26
25
27

34
40
26

2
2
1

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

+1.2
+1.5
+0.9

41
37
47

21
21
23

34
38
28

3
4
2

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

--1.5
--1.7
--1.2

71
72
70

19
17
20

8
9
8

2
2
1

5. In King County, homelessness is increasing every year by 9%, while
social service spending is increasing by 2.4%.
Which of these
statements comes closest to your thinking about that:
We are spending too much to address homelessness

02/28/19

COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
13
15
9

We should not spend any more homelessness than we
already are

27

28

26

We are not spending enough to address homelessness

53

50

58

DK/NA

7

8

7

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6. Other cities of the same size are spending 2 to 3 times the amount
Seattle is and are seeing significant reductions in homelessness. Which
of these statements comes closest to your thinking about that:
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
13
16
8

We are spending too much to address homelessness
We should not spend any more homelessness than we
already are

26

27

25

We are not spending enough to address homelessness

54

50

62

DK/NA

7

9

6

SOLUTIONS / STRATEGIES
7. Now I am going to read some strategies meant to address homelessness.
We’ll use the same scale of minus 5 to plus 5, where Minus 5 means you
Disagree Completely and Plus 5 means you Agree Completely. Zero is in
the middle. The first statement is……
DISAGREE COMPLETELY [-5] …[+5] AGREE COMPLETELY
A. The first priority should be getting people

AVE.

DISAG AGREE
-5-0 +1+3

AGREE
+4+5

NO
OPIN

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

1.9
1.7
2.1

32
35
28

27
24
30

40
40
42

1
2
0

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

3.0
2.9
3.2

16
18
15

24
23
25

57
56
59

2
3
1

C. Funding strategies that help people on the brink

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

3.2
3.0
3.5

13
16
8

30
27
34

55
55
57

2
3
0

D. Increasing the amount of housing available in

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

2.0
1.9
2.2

28
30
27

27
27
26

44
42
46

1
2
1

housed, then addressing the reasons they
became homeless in the first place.
B. Funding policies that address the root causes of

homelessness, like drug and alcohol addiction,
mental health services, and income disparities.
of homelessness stay in their current housing to
prevent them from becoming homeless.
our community by building more affordable
housing in every neighborhood
8.

02/28/19

If you knew that most people who are evicted owed less than one
month’s rent, would you support or oppose a program that would help
people pay their rent?
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
81
79
85
SUPPORT
OPPOSE

13

14

10

DK/NA

6

7

5

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9. If you knew that at any given time more than 8% of rental homes in our
region are unoccupied, would you support or oppose a program that
gives landlords incentives to fill these units with prescreened homeless
individuals and families?
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
79
77
83
SUPPORT
OPPOSE

14

16

8

DK/NA

7

7

8

10. If you could direct how $100 of your taxes are spent on homelessness,
how much would you spend each of these – if anything – in the next
year? I will the list, then go back though it one at a time.
[READ LIST, THEN ASK FOR EACH: How much of your $100 would you spend
on…]
Cell entries + Average $$ Amount COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE

02/28/19

Developing temporary shelters that could be ready
quickly

$13.55

$13.64

$13.24

Developing permanent affordable housing

$17.82

$16.94

$19.52

Increasing programs that treat mental illness, and
alcohol and drug addiction

$22.47

$22.73

$22.10

Clearing out encampments

$11.39

$11.31

$11.61

Developing and implementing a coordinated plan to
address homelessness

$15.55

$16.02

$14.56

Helping people who are on the brink of homelessness
stay in their house/apartment

$19.23

$19.37

$18.97

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MESSAGES
11. Next, I am going to read some statements about recent efforts to
address homelessness. As I read each statement, tell me whether that
gives you more confidence in the current response to homelessness, or
not. [Does knowing that increase your confidence in the response to
homelessness A great deal? Somewhat? Not Much? Or Not At All?]
GREAT SOME
DEAL WHAT

ROTATE A-D; THEN ASK E

02/28/19

NOT
MUCH

NOT AT
ALL

DK

A Homelessness among veterans was
reduced by 31% last year.

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

35
36
34

50
49
52

8
8
7

4
4
4

3
3
3

B Homelessness among children and
youth was reduced by 22% in the last
year.

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

27
27
27

51
50
53

13
14
12

6
6
6

2
3
2

C In the last 5 years, there has been a
100% increase in the number of people
moved from homelessness to
permanent housing

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

39
39
38

37
37
38

10
10
10

10
11
9

4
3
4

D A new program in King County
prevented more than 4,000 people –
including 2,400 children and teenagers
– from becoming homeless in one year.

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

39
38
41

47
47
47

7
7
7

5
6
2

2
2
3

E If there were a community-wide
comprehensive plan supported by
government, business, and local
charities.

COUNTY
SUBURB
SEATTLE

47
45
51

40
43
37

7
7
8

4
4
3

2
2
2

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DEMOGRAPHICS
12. I have just four last questions for our statistical analysis. How old are
you?
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
12
12
12
18-35
25
25
23
36-50
36
35
39
51-34
25
25
25
65+
2
3
1
NA
13. What is your gender?
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
49
49
49
MALE
51
51
51
FEMALE
0
0
0
Other/Non Binary
14. What is the last year of schooling you completed?
High school
Some college or voc school
College degree
Post graduate school
NA

COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
11
13
8
21
23
18
41
42
39
26
22
31
2
1
3

15. Do you own or rent the place in which you live?
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
78
81
71
Own
19
15
27
Rent
3
4
2
NA
16. Do you personally know anyone who is now, or has been homeless?
IF YES: Is that a family member, close personal friend, casual
acquaintance or perhaps yourself?
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
4
3
6
Yes, Self
27
27
26
Yes, Family member or close personal friend
34
32
37
Yes, Acquaintance
42
43
38
No
2
2
2
NA
16.1. [IF Q15 ≠ 1] Have you yourself ever felt at risk of becoming homeless?
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
14
14
15
Yes

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17. If you had to register by party in order to vote, would you register as a…
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
45
37
58
Democrat
14
18
7
Republican
35
38
30
Independent
7
8
6
NA
18. What is your race or ethnicity? Would you describe yourself as…
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
4
3
7
African American or Black
3
3
4
Asian or Pacific Islander
3
4
2
Hispanic or Latino
2
2
3
Native American
83
84
81
Caucasian or White
2
2
3
OTHER
4
4
4
NA
[CHECK ALL THAT APPLY]

19. Finally, I am going to list four broad categories. Just stop me when I
get to the category that best describes your approximate household
income - before taxes - for this year.
COUNTY “SUBURB” SEATTLE
16
16
18
$50,000 or less
17
18
17
$50 to 74,000
14
12
16
$75 to 99,000
33
34
30
$100,000 or more
20
21
19
NA

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Q3: What would be evidence that the issue of homelessness is being solved?
What would you need to see to convince you that progress was being
made?

COUNTY
59%

SUBURB
53%

SEATTLE
68%

30
24
12
5

24
23
12
5

40
25
12
4

17%

18%

15%

12
7
3
2
1

12
7
3
3
1

11
7
2
2
*

10%

11%

8%

4
3
3
2
1
1

5
2
4
3
1
1
1

4
3
2
1
2
1
1

AWARENESS
More Community Involvement
Greater citizen understanding
of problem

3%

4%

2%

3

3

2

2

2

1

GOVERNMENT ACTION
More Govt action
Local Govt should do more
Better use of the money

3%

4%

3%

2
2
1

1
2
1

2
2
1

OTHER
Data / Statistics / counts
Enforce laws
Stop enabling/Make them
responsible
Testimony from homeless
individuals

8%

10%

5%

4
1

5
1

4
1

1

1

1

*

1

0

VISIBILITY
Fewer camps / tents
Fewer people on the street
Fewer homeless people
Clean up trash
HOUSING
More Shelters
More affordable housing
Supportive housing
More low-income housing
Tiny houses
PREVENTION

Provide Jobs
Address the Drug Problem
Address Mental Illness
More Help/ Services
Access to health care
More funding
Specific Policies *

02/28/19