NORFOLK, Va. – The 2017 Quality of Life Survey from Old Dominion University is revealing how Hampton Roads residents feel about economic conditions and tourism in the area.
The survey, conducted by the ODU Social Science Research Center, asked 908 Hampton Roads residents about a variety of topics.
A vast majority of the respondents believe the economic conditions in Hampton Roads are good (43.4 percent) or fair (40.4 percent). ODU says the percentage of people who feel the economy in Hampton Roads is “good” has declined nearly seven percent since 2015.
Only 8.2 percent of respondents believe the economy is poor while just 6.2 percent believe the economy to be excellent.
When asked if they believed that tax revenue from tourism helps Hampton Roads pay for police, fire, roads and other services, over 70 percent agreed that the tax helps public services.
Over 55 percent of respondents agreed that tax revenue from tourism pays for amenities and other things that improve the quality of life.
However, when asked if they believed that tax revenue from tourism in Hampton Roads helps lower property taxes, nearly 50 percent disagreed.
Lastly, over 80 percent of respondents agreed that elected officials should support tourism.
In summary, perceptions of economic and political conditions in Hampton Roads have remained generally the same since last year. However, there was a decrease in the percentage of people who believed that economic conditions were excellent or good.
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