Drugs and crime not the top issues facing San Francisco, according to voters: KRON4 poll

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — The biggest issue facing San Francisco currently is not crime or drugs, but rather, homelessness, according to a new KRON4 News/Emerson College Polling survey. Poll respondents were surveyed on a variety of issues, including who they would likely vote for in the upcoming mayoral election and whether they approved of current SF Mayor London Breed .

When asked what they felt was the top issue facing San Francisco currently, the majority of respondents chose homelessness, which beat out crime in second, and the cost of housing in third. Drugs were tied with business closures in fourth place, with only 7.7% of voters saying they were the top issue.

Homelessness has increased in the city in recent years, according to San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). Currently, there are 569 more unhoused people in San Francisco than there were in 2022 — a total that’s risen from 7,754 to 8,323.

Homelessness became a prescient issue during 2023’s Dreamforce convention after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff threatened to pull the annual conference from the city if attendees did not feel safe. Benioff said after the conference that San Francisco was “incredibly clean, beautiful, and safe” during the three-day event.

Most San Franciscans think clearing encampments works

KRON4’s poll also asked San Franciscans whether they thought clearing encampments was an effective strategy for dealing with homelessness. More than half of them felt it was, with 31% of respondents somewhat agreeing and 27.5% strongly agreeing.

By contract, 22.2% percent of respondents strongly disagreed, while 19.4% somewhat disagreed.

This summer, San Francisco started clearing out encampments in public areas under new policies introduced by Mayor London Breed. People living in RVs near Park Merced were forced to relocate near the San Francisco Zoo and then forced to relocate again.

Most San Franciscans plan to stay, despite problems

Despite whatever problems the city might be facing, a majority of San Francisco residents who responded to the KRON4 poll do not seem intent on leaving. When asked the question, “Five years from now, do you see yourself living in San Francisco?”, 72.6% of poll respondents answered “Yes.”

Only 27.4% said “No.”

Methodology behind the poll

The KRON4 News/Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey was conducted from September 5-7, 2024, with a sample of 750 likely voters. The poll has a credibility interval of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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