A majority, but less than two-thirds, of respondents rated the quality of life in the region as excellent or good (60.1%). This is lower than last year (62.3%) and is lower than most previous pre-COVID years (ranging from 68% to 71% between 2017-2019). About one-third rated Hampton Roads’ quality of life as fair (33.9%) and 5.2% rated it as poor.Ìý
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Those who rated the quality of life in the region as either fair or poor were asked: What is the one thing that would most improve the quality of life in Hampton Roads? The responses were reviewed and coded to identify major themes. Among the most frequently mentioned improvements were: improving infrastructure, increasing or improving access to social service and other outreach programs, and the need to reduce crime.Ìý
The most frequent theme among the responses was improving the infrastructure of Hampton Roads, particularly road conditions, but also accessibility to parking and greenways (e.g., bike lanes and walk paths). Some example responses are noted below:Ìý
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The second most frequent theme observed in the responses is to increase or improving access to social services and other outreach programs. Respondents said:Ìý
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The need to reduce crime rates and violence was also frequently mentioned by respondents, with many stating:Ìý
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Other commonly mentioned ways to improve the quality of life in Hampton Roads included: Reducing the costs of housing and rent and increasing accessibility to housing, reducing traffic conditions, increasing pay rates and minimum wage, and addressing the unhoused. Some respondents expressed that reducing housing costs and increasing accessibility to affordable housing options could improve the quality of life in Hampton Roads. Respondents mentioned:
Respondents mentioned other concerns including the amount of traffic (congestion) in Hampton Roads, low wages/income/pay, and the number of unhoused persons and the need for more shelters.
Consistent with previous years, respondents rated the quality of life in their city and their neighborhood higher than they did for the region as a whole. About two-thirds rated the quality of life in their city as good or excellent (65.8%) and 29.2% rated their city as fair. Only 4.8% rated their city’s quality of life as poor.
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Neighborhood ratings of quality of life were the highest, with 81.5% rating their neighborhood as excellent or good. Only 15.4% rated their neighborhood quality of life as fair and 3.0% rated it as poor.
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As in previous years, respondents varied in their ratings of quality of life in their city, with those living in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach having the largest percentage of excellent and good ratings (85% and 77.2%, respectively). Almost two-thirds of residents in Newport News (65.8%) and more than half in Hampton (57.4%) also rated their city as excellent or good. Slightly more than half of Suffolk (52.5%) and Norfolk (51.4%) residents rated the quality of their city as good or excellent while roughly only one quarter of residents in Portsmouth (26.2%) rated the quality of life that highly.
Respondents were asked how long they have lived in Hampton Roads. The responses ranged from less than a year to 91 years with an average of 29.3 years. Respondents were also asked if they plan to still live in Hampton Roads five years from now. Most respondents (71.4%) indicated that they still plan to live in the region while 16% do not plan to still be living in Hampton Roads in five years and 12.6% were unsure. Over time, the percentage of respondents who indicate that they do plan to still live in Hampton Roads five years from now has generally been increasing slightly since before the pandemic (68.2% in 2019 and 73.1% last year) while the percentage of those who are unsure has remained fairly steady.Ìý
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