Most Baltimore area residents believe city and county are headed in the wrong direction, UMBC poll shows

Most Baltimore City and County residents believe their communities are headed in the wrong direction, according to a recent UMBC poll. 

The poll asked 666 Baltimore City residents and 602 Baltimore County residents about their opinions on the direction of their jurisdiction and their trust in local government. 

Direction of Baltimore City and County

According to the poll, 41% of Baltimore City residents said the city is headed in the right direction, while 45% said it's on the wrong track. Another 10% responded to the poll saying they don't know. An April 2025 poll had similar results.

In the latest poll, 61% of city residents said they were optimistic about the future of the city, and 34% said they were pessimistic. 

When it comes to Baltimore County, the poll found that 31% of residents think the county is headed in the right direction, while 50% said it is going in the wrong direction. Seventeen percent of county residents said they weren't sure. The positive responses are down slightly from the April 2025 poll, when 34% of those polled said the county was going in the right direction. 

According to the latest poll, 48% of county residents are optimistic about the future, while 34% are pessimistic. 

Nearly 38% of city residents and 35% of county residents said they plan to keep living in their location for at least 20 years. Nineteen percent of city residents said they plan to stay in the city for three years or less, and 14% of county residents said they plan to be gone within three years. 

Trust in local government 

The poll also asked residents about how much they trust their local government. 

Nearly 62% of city residents said they never or only sometimes trust the local government, while 35% they trust the local government always or most of the time. That's slightly better than the April 2025 poll, when 65% said they never trust local government. 

Baltimore County residents shared a similar sentiment. Sixty-three percent said they never or only sometimes trust the local government, and 32% said they always trust the local government. In 2025, 60% expressed a lack of trust, while 37% said they trusted local government most of the time.   

City residents also weighed in on their trust in local news, with 62% saying they have a lot of trust and 38% saying they have little to no trust. At the county level, 55% of residents polled said they trust local news, while 42% expressed a lack of trust. 

Key issues in Baltimore City and County 

According to the poll, affordability is one of the main issues facing residents in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. 

Nearly 83% of city residents said poverty and homelessness were among their key issues, and another 83% mentioned the cost of household energy bills. About 78% of residents also mentioned crime and public safety as a key issue, according to the poll. 

In Baltimore County, 82% of residents agreed that energy bills as a key issue, and another 67% mentioned the cost and availability of housing. Nearly 69% of surveyed residents said the amount of local taxes and fees is a key issue.