Public mood takes negative turn in latest SRL survey

The Social Research Lab has conducted its annual Flagstaff Report Card study by asking local residents to evaluate how things are going in the area and to rate the quality of several local institutions and the economic health of the area. This year's results are in, and the overall mood in the area is slightly more negative than last year.

Among the study's findings:

• Twenty-eight percent of local residents say they are unsatisfied with the way things are going in the area, compared with 23 percent who were unsatisfied last year.
• Almost one-third of residents (32 percent) think the Flagstaff area will become a worse place to live in the future, compared to 27 percent who thought likewise last year.
• More than three-quarters of people living in the Flagstaff area say the economy is unaffordable, with housing costs as the number one concern.

When it comes to assigning report card grades to the performance of local institutions, this year's grades are consistent with last year's:

• Northern Arizona University: B
• Coconino Community College: B
• Flagstaff Public Schools: B-
• Coconino County Government: C+
• Local Media: C+
• The local economy: C
• Flagstaff City Council: C

The Flagstaff Report Card has been conducted by the Social Research Laboratory since 2001. Data collection for this year's study was completed from April 7-10. A random sample of 606 Flagstaff-area residents was asked to grade the quality of six city and county institutions and the economic health of the area. A sample of this size is associated with a margin of error of +/- 4.0 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.