City residents believe things will get better in 2014, overwhelmingly support Duggan
DETROIT, Mich., Sept. 26, 2013—A new survey of Detroit voters reveals city residents’ abiding belief in the city’s future, with more than 60 percent of respondents saying things will get better during the next year.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of media coverage devoted to Detroit in recent months, but we hope this is the story that sticks,” said Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan. “The people of Detroit are resilient, optimistic, and ready for change.”
The survey also tracked the city’s mayoral race, showing Mike Duggan with a 2–1 lead over Benny Napoleon. With a margin of 48–24 percent, Duggan’s lead is substantial and holds in every age group.
While voters are optimistic about the upcoming year, they believe the city is on the wrong track right now, by a margin of 35–42 percent. More than 47 percent of Detroiters say that crime is the city’s overriding challenge. They say the abandoned houses, drugs and gangs are leading concerns related to public safety.
The survey found that city services remain inconsistent:
- More than 40 percent of survey respondents say streetlights never work or do not work very often.
- Around 64 percent of voters say their garbage is picked up on time “most of the time.
- Just 12% of Detroit residents say that public transportation is on time “most of the time.” Nearly half of voters did not know.
“This is hopeful news as all of these issues are solvable,” Rothwell said. “Detroit voters see the city services challenges as problems that can be fixed.”
The 600-sample live telephone survey of registered likely 2013 Detroit Mayoral Race general election voters was conducted by the Glengariff Group between September 12–14, 2013 for Business Leaders for Michigan and the Center for Michigan. 35% of respondents were contacted via cell phone. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4.0% with a 95% level of confidence.
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