Quality of Life Community Survey

The City of Huntington Beach is committed to pursuing OneHB's goal, which is to ensure that HB continually improves its standing as a premier coastal community as measured through the health of our people, our organization, our infrastructure, and our community.

Toward this goal, the City launched the first biennial Quality of Life Community Survey in 2023. It is a custom, HB-focused, statistically valid survey to provide the City with an accurate and unbiased snapshot of our community's attitudes and views on issues and services in the City.

To access the full report and presentation with graphs, please click HERE.

General Community Attitudes

Huntington Beach is well-regarded as a place to live, with nearly 8 in 10 (78%) respondents rating the City as an "excellent" (29%) or "good" (49%) place to live.
Nearly 8 in 10 feel they can rely on neighbors for help.
Consistent with findings from other communities in the current environment, views on the direction of the City are mixed (41% HB heading in the right direction, 41% on the wrong track, and 18% uncertain).

Issues in Huntington Beach

Homelessness is far and away the most salient concern of HB residents. 8 in 10 respondents (79%) called homelessness an extremely or very serious problem.
The cost of housing and the related cost of living are the next strongest concerns (65%).
Crime-related concerns including property crimes like burglaries and car thefts are also considered a serious issue (55%)
Among top-tier concerns are speeding and unsafe driving (52%) and too much growth and development (49%).

Satisfaction with City Services

Two out of three respondents are satisfied with the job the City government is doing in providing services to residents and businesses.
Services related to public safety are among the services generating the highest average satisfaction ratings. Examples include fire protection and paramedic services (87%, mean score of 6.1 out of 7) and reliability of water received at home (85%, 6.0 out of 7).
Service areas where residents express the greatest concern also generate the lowest average satisfaction rating and higher dissatisfaction ratings. These include homelessness, the economy, safety, transportation, and growth.

Safety in Huntington Beach

Large majorities feel safe walking in their neighborhoods both during the day (91%) and at night (78%).
Among those who do not feel safe (either during the day or at night), the most mentioned reason was the number of people experiencing homelessness (50%), followed by crime in general (21%).

Priorities for Future Investment

A large majority of respondents at least occasionally visit City beaches, parks, and Downtown.
Respondents' top priority for the next few years is addressing homelessness, followed by priorities related to the local economy and environmental protection - priorities that impact the lives of all residents in some way or another.
Regardless of their frequency of visiting the beach, half or more respondents believe that is a need to make improvements related to safety, cleanliness, accessibility, and bathroom maintenance at the top of the list.

Sources of Information

Residents rely on a variety of information sources, including City mailers, City service guides (e.g. SANDS), and unofficial Facebook groups. Word of mouth from friends and family is the most common source of information.

Results from the survey may be used for the City's strategic planning, budgeting, performance measurement, community engagement and communication strategies and other City purposes. Should you have any questions, please contact the City Manager's Office at [email protected] or 714-536-5910.