UCLA survey finds LA County residents dissatisfied with quality of life, affordability is a top concern

A UCLA survey found that Los Angeles County residents are not satisfied with their quality of life, attributed mostly to education, traffic, and affordability. The UCLA Los Angeles County Quality of Life Index results show that it's the most dissatisfied county residents have been since the survey began 11 years ago – yet, the majority are optimistic.

The index surveyed 1,400 county residents in March 2026 as part of an annual project of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs in partnership with the California Community Foundation.

Addressing the survey results, Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at UCLA Luskin, said quality of life has been declining since the peak of the COVID pandemic, with immigration sweeps and the Altadena and Palisades fires taking a toll.

"Despite the challenges county residents have faced, when asked if they were generally optimistic or pessimistic about their own economic future in Los Angeles County, a majority of survey respondents, 53%, said they were optimistic," Yaroslavsky said.

Dissatisfaction with the cost of living continues to have a negative impact overall. Women ages 50-64, Latinos, and white respondents rated the Cost of Living Index category most negatively. Housing costs continue to top concerns, while the cost of utilities, groceries, and taxes add to dissatisfaction.

Year-over-year shifts, from 2025 to 2026, showed that while the cost of living continues to lead all other categories, it dropped from a highest-ever average importance of 77% in 2025 to 68% this year. Education also fell from 46% to 38%. Rising in importance were Racial/Ethnic Relations, up to 41% from 33%, and Transportation and Traffic, which went up to 44% from 33%.

Immigration enforcement has about 31% of county residents worried that they or someone they know could be deported, and 26% of residents say they've lost income due to the 2025 wildfires.  

Topline Numbers

•  52 – Lowest Quality of Life Index score on record
• 40% – Share of voters undecided in LA mayoral race
• 31% – Residents worried about deportation
• 26% – Residents reporting wildfire-related income loss
• 56% – Dissatisfied with wildfire recovery efforts