Metro Atlanta Speaks (MAS) is a perception and attitude survey of a statistical sample of Atlanta region residents. MAS is (and has been for the last ten years now) the largest survey of its type in the state, and very likely beyond to the Southeast Region. In all but one of the survey years, the Atlanta Regional Commission has partnered with the Kennesaw State’s A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service. This past year (an August, 2023 survey) marked the return of MAS after a one-year hiatus in 2022. The mixed-mode (i.e. phone and online) effort this year surveyed almost 4,500 residents across the 11 counties and the City of Atlanta. Questions addressed new focus areas of electric vehicles, climate change, and automation–and sought added data on opinions about housing affordability.

Check out written highlights below, access summary slides in PDF here, or scroll down this page and click through the slideshare . THEN “go deeper” at ARC’s Metro Atlanta Speaks webpage!

Highlights for 2023:

  • Respondents rated “Crime” as the biggest issue facing the region, as in 2021…but at the county level, “Crime” rates #1 in only Atlanta, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett. In all other jurisdictions, Economy is #1.
  • Only 46 percent of respondents support (either agree or strongly agree) “pay{ing} more in taxes to fund expanded regional public transit that includes buses and rail”. The results are similar in both Cobb and Gwinnett, with Cobb being slightly closer to “agree” than Gwinnett
  • More than 63 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they COULD NOT afford to move to another housing unit in the neighborhood where they currently live. It’s not much better at all v.v. moving within the MSA.
  • Around 28 percent of respondents would not be able to pay for a $400 emergency without borrowing money, selling something or simply not paying at all. An additional 23 percent would pay for this emergency with a credit card. This is consistent overall with previous years, but those counties with relatively lower ability to pay are struggling more in 2023 than in 2021.
  • Just over nine percent of respondents indicated that they currently own an electric vehicle (slightly higher than national averages), with younger cohorts considerably more likely to own an EV (16.8%). However, nearly a third of respondents said they plan to buy an EV in the next five years. Top reasons for having or a desire to buy in the future include better for the environment and cheaper to operate. Top reasons for not (yet) having or having no desire to buy include being too expensive and inconvenience of charging.
  • In terms of climate change over the next 10 years, majorities see major impacts globally and regionally…with the shares larger in every jurisdiction and group for global compared to regional, and higher in more urban counties.
  • Finally, those saying that living conditions in the region will be better in the next 3-4 years has declined in recent years, however there is more optimism among Black and Latino respondents than white respondents.