As we’ve said and as we’ll keep reminding you–2023 was the 10th year for Metro Atlanta Speaks–the largest survey done on Atlanta resident perceptions, attitudes, and opinions. In all of these surveys, we have asked a similar set of demographic crosstab questions to further segment/ refine information that we are getting from our residents. A key crosstab has always been the age group of respondents.

The differentials in seniors’ opinions–the perceptions of those 65+–typically stand out and did again this year. Highlights are provided in this slide deck, in the bullet points below, and in the slideshare at the bottom of this post.

  • Survey respondents said that the top three issues were: Crime (26.5%), Economy (24.4%), and Transportation (10.9%). BUT for those 65+, 37.8% –nearly 4 in 10– said Crime was the biggest problem, while 20.3% of seniors said it was the Economy, and 9.1% of older adults said Human Services. By way of comparison, only around 2 in 10 of respondents aged 25-44 said Crime was the biggest problem. However, 68.8% of older adults said they feel safe walking at night in their neighborhood–and all other age groups responded similarly.
  • Transportation is relatively less of an issue for older adults than for other age groups. Only 7% of seniors rated Transportation the region’s biggest problem Just 35.2% of those 65+ indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed that they would pay more taxes to fund expanded public transit with this proposal. This was the lowest of any age group.
  • Not surprisingly, older residents were relatively less likely to own an electric vehicle “now” (at 3.5% compared to 9% in the overall sample across age groups). It’s worthy of note however that the 65+ are only slightly less likely than other age groups to say that they plan to own an EV in the next ten years.
  • Seniors –at 8 in 10 (and all age groups)– are generally in agreement about the existence of and/or global impact of climate change over the next ten years. A slightly lower share of those 65+ –but still 3 in 4– said that climate change will be a major threat to the Atlanta metro area over the next ten years.
  • The survey also made it clear that the longer one lived in the Atlanta region, the more likely they would want to stay in the region but move to a different neighborhood if given the opportunity. This includes a lot of seniors that want to age in place.
  • And optimism about the region’s future of is (as typical) slightly lower than with other age groups. 58.7% of respondents 65 and older indicated that in the next 3 or 4 years living conditions in Metro Atlanta will be better or about the same. This compares to 68.1% of respondents ages 18-24!

There’s MUCH more on MAS 2023. Late last year, we published a broad overview of the results from the entire survey. The first “deeper dive” we took was a detailed look into our respondents’ assessments of the biggest problem facing the region. Next was housing. and then electric vehicles. To wind up reviews of 2023 results, we plan two more specific deep dives: (a) into opinions on climate change and (b) into differences in responses by race/ ethnicity.

Check out our interactive data dashboard, and explore the “survey strata” on your own! And way sooner than later, questions for MAS 2024 are “hitting the field” next month (in August)!