Bay State burdens: 1 in 5 Mass. residents want to move out soon, new poll finds

Data from a new poll shows that about 20 percent of Massachusetts residents see themselves leaving the state in the near future due to “very big” financial burdens they face.

In a June survey of 1,408 Bay Staters, the MassINC Polling Group found that an increasing number of residents are feeling the squeeze from rising housing and transportation costs that are now impacting their quality of life.

“This survey confirms that housing and transportation are not separate issues; they are deeply interconnected. Residents are experiencing this combined, intersecting crisis,” Reggie Ramos, Executive Director of Transportation for Massachusetts, said in a report of the findings. “Housing affordability and transportation connectivity to opportunities impact quality of life and can exacerbate inequality. Our public officials must take steps to solve them jointly and immediately.”

Most residents reported that the monthly cost of transportation (57 percent) and housing (71 percent) is “at least somewhat of a burden,” while half (51%) of residents say that both housing and transportation costs are “at least somewhat of a burden.” Fifteen percent said that both housing and transportation constituted “very big burdens” on their household budgets, according to the poll.

Of those who are most burdened by housing and transportation costs, 21 percent indicated that they are likely to move out of state in the next five years, and 19 percent plan to a different part of the state. Forty-five percent indicated no plans to move.

MassINC noted that the financial toll is not distributed equitably. Residents feeling the most squeezed by housing and transportation costs are more likely to be women, renters, or transit riders.

Women make up 59 percent of this most burdened slice of the population and only 26 percent of these residents have a bachelor’s degree or more education, compared to 41 percent overall. Also of note, nearly half (46 percent) make $50,000 or less in household income, compared to 30 percent overall.

“This survey shows how the high cost of housing and transportation is forcing working people out of Massachusetts and threatening our state’s entire economy. Even once-affordable Gateway Cities are now facing the displacement crisis that has long existed in Greater Boston, as real estate speculation pushes working people further and further out of the urban core into areas where they face both rising housing costs and inadequate transportation options,” Mimi Ramos, Executive Director New England United 4 Justice and co-anchor of Homes for All Massachusetts, said in the findings.

Respondents also expressed concerns over immigration, taxes, and political incompetence.

The results of this poll were based on a survey of 1,408 Massachusetts residents, including oversamples of 300 residents of selected Gateway Cities and 100 residents of Mattapan and Hyde Park in Boston, according to MassINC.

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