Survey says life is getting harder in Northwest Arkansas

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Walton Foundation survey of 1,000 people says that quality of life has slightly dropped.

The survey done every three years, shows the quality of life has dropped for residents in Northwest Arkansas mostly due to the rising cost of living, unfavorable political climate and the perceived worsening state of the economy.

In 2018 and 2015, less than 10% of respondents said that their quality of life had dropped over the past year. In the latest survey, nearly 20% of respondents had their quality of life drop.

Some challenges that could be affecting the quality of life for residents include the lack of public transportation, affordable housing, infrastructure
and early childhood care/education, the report states.

The report states that regional characteristics can influence how residents feel about the community they live in. Those surveyed had the highest dissatisfaction with transportation options and housing options. Other regional traits that had higher rates of displeasure were infrastructure, daycare/early childhood education, healthcare facilities and services and the ability to start a business.

Although there are negative changes, two-thirds of residents rated their quality of life as “excellent” or “very good.”

“While these results are promising, more work is needed to explore some of the important differences in perspectives among underrepresented populations and communities that have been identified so far,” the report stated.

Northwest Arkansas is still a welcoming space with 87% of respondents expressing they “completely” or “mostly” feel welcome in Northwest Arkansas, and 84% feel very comfortable. Additionally, 80% feel respected by others in Northwest Arkansas and 73% feel connected to others. Only 10% expressed feeling like an outsider.

Northwest Arkansas is the 18th fastest-growing metro in the U.S. with its population growing by 2.3% from 2022 to 2023.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.