2021-12-15-皮尤-Americans_Are_Less_Likely_Than_Before_COVID-19_To_Want_To_Live_in_Cities_36页_590kb

Summary of "Americans Are Less Likely Than Before COVID-19 To Want To Live in Cities, More Likely To Prefer Suburbs"

Core Content

This report by the Pew Research Center, released in December 2021, analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced Americans' preferences for where they live and their perceptions of the pandemic's impact on their communities.

Key Findings

• Shift in Living Preferences:

  • Americans are less likely than before the pandemic to want to live in cities.
  • Preference for suburbs has increased.
  • Preference for rural areas remains largely unchanged.

• Pandemic's Impact on Community Relations:

  • Nearly half (47%) of Americans say the pandemic has driven people in their community apart.
  • Only 13% say it has brought people together, and 8% say it hasn’t made much of a difference.
  • About one-in-five (20%) believe life in their community will never return to how it was before the pandemic.

• Economic and Health Impacts:

  • Majorities across all community types say the pandemic's economic and health impacts are still major problems in their local area.
  • Urban areas feel the effects most acutely, with 45% of urban residents citing economic issues as a major problem and 37% citing health issues.
  • Suburban and rural residents report lower percentages (31% and 33% for economic; 23% and 24% for health).

• Racial and Ethnic Differences:

  • Black and Hispanic adults are more likely than White or Asian adults to say the pandemic's economic and health impacts are major problems.
  • Black adults are most likely to view the health impact as a major issue (46%), followed by Hispanic (35%), White (21%), and Asian (22%) adults.

• Income Differences:

  • Lower-income adults are more likely than middle- and upper-income adults to say the economic and health impacts are major problems.
  • In urban and suburban areas, lower-income adults are more likely to expect a long recovery period.
  • In rural areas, lower-income adults are the most likely to expect the recovery to take two or more years.

• Community Recovery Expectations:

  • About 36% of Americans believe it will take more than two years for their community to return to normal.
  • 19% say life in their community will never get back to how it was before.
  • Suburban residents are more optimistic about recovery than urban or rural residents.

• Economic Recovery Expectations:

  • Lower-income adults are more pessimistic about the recovery of their local economy.
  • 46% of lower-income adults expect it to take two or more years for the economy to return to normal.
  • Middle- and upper-income adults are more optimistic.

• Partisan Differences:

  • Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe the pandemic has divided people in the U.S. (81% vs. 75%).
  • Republicans are also more likely to believe the pandemic has divided people in their local communities (50% vs. 45%).
  • Democrats are more likely to believe the economic impact of the pandemic is a major problem (38% vs. 29%).

• Perceptions of Pandemic Response:

  • State and local governments receive higher ratings than the federal government for handling the pandemic.
  • Only 29% of Americans think the federal government has done an excellent or good job.
  • 39% think it has done a poor or very poor job, and 14% say it will never recover.

• Views on Mitigation Measures:

  • There is a mix of views in communities about vaccines, masks, and public restrictions.
  • About half (50%) of Americans say there is a mix of views in their community about the importance of these measures.
  • Rural residents are less likely than urban or suburban residents to believe most people in their community think these measures are important.

• Satisfaction with Quality of Life:

  • Satisfaction with the quality of life in local communities has declined since 2018.
  • 74% of U.S. adults are at least somewhat satisfied, but this is down from 79% in 2018.
  • Urban and suburban residents report lower satisfaction levels compared to rural residents.

Methodology

• Sample Size: 9,676 U.S. adults surveyed in October 2021.
• Method: The survey was conducted via the Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel (ATP), which is recruited through random sampling of residential addresses.
• Weighting: The survey results are weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education, and other categories.

Conclusion

The pandemic has significantly altered Americans' preferences for living locations, with a noticeable shift from urban to suburban areas. It has also had a profound impact on community dynamics, with many Americans perceiving it as a divisive force. These effects are more pronounced in urban areas and among lower-income, Black, and Hispanic populations. Despite these challenges, most Americans still value community features such as a strong sense of community, access to recreational activities, and good schools.