Survey shows many in LA County aren't living the dream

A majority of Los Angeles County residents say their quality of life has been affected by homeless encampments and inflation, and those with lower incomes are really feeling hard hit. And the effects of the pandemic … many feel life will not go back to the way it was before the pandemic.

This all comes from UCLA's Quality of Life Index project which measures county residents' satisfaction levels in nine categories.

The annual project examining quality of life issues began eight years ago at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, with last year's results showing LA County residents at peak levels of dissatisfaction. This year's results just barely topped last year's, making it the second most unsatisfactory year for L.A. County residents.

The best years on record, since the project's beginnings, were 2016 and 2017.

"Last year's record negativity appears to have bottomed out and made a slight upward turn," said Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative, who oversees the index. "But inflation has taken a toll, especially among lower- and middle-income residents."

Inflation and the cost of necessities affected 94% of those surveyed, with 71% saying it had a major impact. Rising house costs were an issue, with nearly half of households earning less than $60,000 showing concern about becoming homeless.

"The income disparities that have defined the Southern California economy for several decades have been exacerbated by COVID, as the rich seem to be getting richer while the poor are getting poorer," Yaroslavsky said. "County residents whose incomes have not rebounded have less money than they used to, and what they have doesn't buy what it did before. They're getting hurt coming and going."

This year's QLI was based on interviews conducted with 1,429 county residents over 30 days beginning on Feb. 24. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6%.

Here's a breakdown of some statistics from the Quality of Life Index:

• 28% of respondents worried about losing their home and becoming homeless
• 25% were afraid their families will go hungry because they can't afford the cost of food
• 73% said their quality of life had been impacted in the last year by a homeless encampment
• 75% said life has been fundamentally changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, only 23% expect life to return to the way it was before

Employment issues:

• 49% said they always work away from home
• 36% divide their work between home and a workplace
• 14% always work from home
• 61% lower-income residents always work away from home
• 39% higher-income households work away from home
• 41% higher-income workers have hybrid work schedules
• 29% lower-income households have hybrid work schedule

Pandemic affects on income: 

• 27% saying it went down:  those with a household income below $60,000 said it declined
• 30% say it went up:  Nearly half, or 45%, of respondents with a household income over $120,000, said it rose.