Advance Knox Polling Report 2023
The effort underway to create a new comprehensive land use and transportation plan, known as Advance Knox, will have an important and lasting impact on the future of Knox County. As an organization committed to serving our members by promoting sustainable community development and expanding housing opportunities, the East Tennessee REALTORS® commissioned a scientific public opinion poll intended to inform the Advance Knox process by seeking to better understand the views of residents as it relates to growth and development.
Executive Summary
- Residents rate Knox’s quality of life highly. Eighty-three percent of Knox County residents consider the county’s quality of life excellent (29 percent) or good (54 percent).
- Quality-of-life ratings increase in tandem with household income.
- Traffic, housing are areas for improvement. A majority say that less traffic congestion would improve the quality of life in Knox County, with 73 percent assigning the issue a four or five on a five-point scale of impact. Fifty-six percent say the same of having more housing options.
- Younger (under age 50) and more urban residents say that additional housing would have the greatest impact on quality of life. This is a theme throughout the data.
- Housing affordability a major issue. Two-thirds (67 percent) say that housing affordability is a very big (42 percent) or fairly big (25 percent) problem, with an additional 21 percent naming it a moderate problem.
- Younger (under age 50) and renters are more likely to consider both availability and affordability a major issue.
- Housing availability also an issue, but lags behind affordability. Fifty-six percent of residents say that housing availability is either a very big (30 percent) or fairly big (26 percent) problem, with an additional 25 percent who call it a moderate problem.
- ADUs are highly popular. After hearing a description of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), 75 percent favor more lenient regulations for ADUs, with 41 percent strongly in favor of the proposal. Smaller majorities of residents also favor policies that change zoning laws to encourage various types of multi-family housing.
- Traffic, cost of living, infrastructure are major concerns for future growth. Eighty-five percent say that an increase in traffic and congestion is either a very (61 percent) or somewhat (25 percent) concerning issue when considering growth and development in Knox County. Eighty-four percent say the same of an increased cost of living (57 percent very concerned, 27 percent somewhat concerned), and another 84 percent say that overburdened infrastructure is very (54 percent) or somewhat (30 percent) concerning.
- Residents split over local policy priorities: jobs, open space, and housing. Increasing the amount of housing that is affordable to most families garners the most intensity: 48 percent of residents rank it a top priority (score of four or five on a five-point scale).
- In-town residents under the age of 50 are most likely to rank affordable housing as their top policy priority.
- Suburban residents place more importance on parks and open spaces.
- In-town residents also place a higher priority on jobs, but most residents overall rank this a top priority.
Methodology
American Strategies designed and administered this multi-modal survey conducted by professional interviewers and online via Qualtrics. The survey reached 829 adults, age 18 or older, who indicated they currently live in Knox County, Tennessee. The survey was conducted from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, 2022.
A total of 59 percent of respondents were reached on wireless phones, 6 percent on VOIP phones and 8 percent on landlines with 28 percent of respondents reached online. Quotas were assigned to reflect the demographic distribution of adult residents in Knox County, Tennessee, and the data were weighted to ensure an accurate reflection of the population. The sample was drawn from a third-party vendor file. The overall margin of error is +/- 3.4%. The margin of error for subgroups is larger and varies. Percentage totals may not add up precisely due to rounding.
Question: Overall, how would you describe the quality of life in Knox County - (ROTATE FIRST TO LAST, LAST TO FIRST) excellent, good, just fair, or poor?
Question: Overall, how would you describe the quality of life in Knox County - (ROTATE FIRST TO LAST, LAST TO FIRST) excellent, good, just fair, or poor?
Question: Next I am going to read you a list of things that people say would improve the quality of life in Knox County. Please rate each item on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means that it would do very little to improve the quality of life in your community, and 5 means it would do a lot to improve the quality of life in your community. You can use any number from 1 to 5; the higher the number, the more it would improve the quality of life in your community.
Question: Next, I am going to read you a list of things that people say would improve the quality of life in Knox County. Please rate each item on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means that it would do very little to improve the quality of life in your community, and 5 means it would do a lot to improve the quality of life in your community. You can use any number from 1 to 5; the higher the number, the more it would improve the quality of life in your community…having more housing options
Question(s):
How much of a problem is the availability of housing in Knox County, that is to say, the number of houses, condominiums, or apartments that are available to buy or rent? Is housing availability (ROTATE FIRST TO LAST AND LAST TO FIRST) a very big problem, a fairly big problem, a moderate problem, a slight problem, or not a problem at all in Knox County?
How much of a problem is housing affordability in Knox County, that is to say, how much it costs to buy or rent a home? Is housing affordability (ROTATE FIRST TO LAST AND LAST TO FIRST) a very big problem, a fairly big problem, a moderate problem, a slight problem, or not a problem at all?
Question(s):
Is housing availability a very big problem, a fairly big problem, a moderate problem, a slight problem, or not a problem at all in Knox County?
Is housing affordability a very big problem, a fairly big problem, a moderate problem, a slight problem, or not a problem at all?
Question: Next, I am going to read some issues that people say should be a priority for the local government and elected officials in Knox County. Please rate each of the following using a scale of one to five, where one means that issue is not a priority for you at this time, and five means that issue is a top priority for you at this time. Of course, you can use any number between one and five; the higher the number, the higher the priority you place on that issue.
Question: Next, I am going to read some issues that people say should be a priority for the local government and elected officials in Knox County. Please rate each of the following using a scale of one to five, where one means that issue is not a priority for you at this time, and five means that issue is a top priority for you at this time. Of course, you can use any number between one and five; the higher the number, the higher the priority you place on that issue.
Question: Now I am going to read to you some proposals to address housing costs and options in Knox County. Please tell me whether you (ROTATE) favor or oppose each one. The FIRST/NEXT proposal is to...
Question: One other proposal to address housing options in Knox County involves accessory dwelling units. An accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is a separate residential rental unit in or on a private home or property, for example, a carriage house, garage apartment, or basement apartment. Some people call these granny flats or back houses. These units must have their own entrance, plumbing, and kitchen facilities. As you may know, zoning laws often make it difficult for homeowners to have an ADU on their property. (PROMPT) Would you (ROTATE) favor or oppose making it easier for Knox County homeowners to have an accessory dwelling unit or ADU on their property?
Question: (SPLIT SAMPLE) (SPLIT A) When it comes to building new housing in Knox County, which of the following would you prefer: (BUILD HOUSING) Building more townhouses, apartments, and condominiums to increase housing options and bring down housing costs. OR (LIMIT CONSTRUCTION) Limiting the construction of townhouses, apartments, and condominiums to preserve the character of existing communities.
Question: Next, I am going to read to you a list of things that some people say concern them about growth and development in Knox County. Please tell me how concerned you are about each of the following (ROTATE FIRST TO LAST, LAST TO FIRST) very concerned, somewhat concerned, a little concerned, or not concerned at all.
Question: I am going to read you some of the goals that some people say should be included in the comprehensive plan I just told you about. For each one, please tell me how high a priority that goal is to you personally as you think about how Knox County will grow over the next fifteen to twenty years. Use a scale of one to five, where one means that goal is not a priority for you, and five means that goal is a top priority for you. Of course, you can use any number between one and five; the higher the number, the higher the priority you place on that goal.
Question: I am going to read you some of the goals that some people say should be included in the comprehensive plan I just told you about. For each one, please tell me how high a priority that goal is to you personally as you think about how Knox County will grow over the next fifteen to twenty years. Use a scale of one to five, where one means that goal is not a priority for you, and five means that goal is a top priority for you. Of course, you can use any number between one and five; the higher the number, the higher the priority you place on that goal.
