Khas Survey 2018 - Final

Building Better Cities,
Building Better Lives
The 2018 Kinder

Houston Area Survey:
Tracking responses to
income inequalities,
demographic transformations,
and threatening storms
Stephen L. Klineberg
Founding Director
Kinder Institute for Urban Research April 2018
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Houston 1988
Kinder Institute for Urban Research
The 2018 Kinder Houston Area Survey:
Tracking responses to income inequalities,
demographic transformations, and threatening storms
CONTENTS
Contents
2
Introduction; Survey Methodology
4
Highlights from the Thirty-Seventh Year
6
Perspectives on Life in the Houston Area
10
Education and the Growing Inequalities
14
In the Midst of a Demographic Revolution
17
Assessing the Impact of Hurricane Harvey
21
County Differences in a Multi-Centered Metropolis
26
Conclusion
1
Introduction F
or 37 years, Rice University’s “Kinder Houston
Area Survey” has been measuring the continuities
and changes in the perceptions and experiences
of successive representative samples of Harris County
adults. Through intensive 30-minute interviews reaching
a total of more than 45,000 Houston area residents, the
surveys have been tracking systematically the trends in
life experiences, attitudes, and beliefs during a period of
remarkable economic and demographic change.
In this report, we measure the survey participants’

perspectives on the local economy and their concerns about
flooding and resilience after enduring one of the worst
rainstorms in American history. We note the growing
partisan divides in beliefs about the American future
and explore the paradoxical increase in the belief, despite
well-documented realities, that a high school diploma
is sufficient to be successful in today’s economy, even
as support for more funding for the public schools and
concerns about unequal opportunities are also increasing.
We present additional evidence from this year’s survey

that here, at the forefront of the nation’s demographic
transformations, area residents continue to express
increasingly positive attitudes toward immigration
and more favorable feelings toward gays and lesbians,
Muslims, and undocumented immigrants. We measure
the degree to which the respondents were directly
impacted by Hurricane Harvey, and we ask how that
experience has affected their assessments of various policy
proposals intended to mitigate future flooding, as well as
their concerns about climate change and their generalized
trust in others. Finally, we make use of four years of
“oversample” interviews in Fort Bend and Montgomery
counties to document the way the Greater Houston region’s
three most populous counties differ in their demographic
characteristics, their support for government programs
xiquinhosilva
seeking to redress the inequalities, and the importance

they attach to transit, walkability, and land-use planning.
2
Houston 1990
INTRODUCTION
This research program would not have been possible region. Colleagues in the Rice sociology department and
without the continued generous support and steadfast at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research have also
encouragement of the Kinder Foundation and Houston contributed importantly to this continuing commitment
Endowment Inc., and of so many other corporations, to measure systematically the changing views of Houston
organizations, and good friends throughout the Houston area residents. Our heartfelt thanks to all!
Survey Methodology
The interviews for the 37th annual “Kinder Houston likelihood of selection and to align the sample more
Area Survey,” averaging more than 30 minutes apiece, closely with known population characteristics. This
were conducted between January 23 and March 1, helps to ensure that the data we report will reflect as
2018 by SSRS in Media PA. They reached (60 percent accurately as possible the actual distributions in the
by landline, 40 percent by cell phone) a scientifically- county’s population along such dimensions as race
selected representative sample of 807 residents from or ethnicity, age, gender, educational attainment, and
Harris County, along with an additional 350 from Fort homeownership. When asking about changes over
Bend County and 350 from Montgomery County, for a time, we compare the ways in which the weighted
total this year of 1,507 participants. responses of Harris County residents in 2018 differ
from those that were given to identical questions by
The responses from all 37 years of surveys have
previous representative samples of county residents.
been “weighted” to correct for variations in the
Vlad Busuioc
3
Highlights Perspectives on Life in the Houston Area
!! The surveys track area residents’ subjective assessments
from the of the local economy through modest decline and recovery,
as oil prices fell from dizzying heights in 2014 to lows in
Thirty- 2015 and 2016, and then rebounded, if only slightly, in 2017.
Seventh !! Traffic, as in the past five years, was most often named
as the biggest problem facing Houstonians in all three
Year counties, especially by Fort Bend residents. Respondents

in the three counties were equally likely (by 12 to 14
percent) to name the devastation of Hurricane Harvey as
the biggest problem in the Houston area today, despite
the substantial differences in the degree to which their
populations were directly impacted by the storm itself.
!! Ideological perspectives shape respondents’ views of

the ongoing social changes, and the partisan divides in
beliefs about the American future are sharper this year
than ever before.
Education and the Growing Inequalities

!! The low-skilled, blue-collar jobs in America are
disappearing in the wake of globalization and automation.
Some form of post-secondary education is now required
for most well-paying jobs, yet only one-fifth of the
70,000 Houston area children who began eighth grade
in 2004 had completed any post-high-school program
by 2015, eleven years later.
!! Despite these troubling statistics, increasing proportions

of area residents appear to believe that success today
requires no more than a high school diploma. Blacks
and Hispanics, particularly Hispanic immigrants,
are considerably more likely than Anglos to affirm the
critical importance of post-secondary credentials.
!! However, when asked specifically about the requirements

Roy Luck
for obtaining a well-paying job, clear majorities of area

residents recognize the need for education beyond high
4
Houston 1992
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE THIRTY-SEVENTH YEAR
school. The survey participants are also more inclined 55 percent had no personal impact, 28 percent reported
today than ten years ago to believe that the public home damage and 13 percent said their personal vehicle
schools will need significantly more money to provide was damaged as a result of the hurricane.
a quality education, and by wide margins they favor
!! The surveys asked about a variety of proposed
“increasing local taxes in order to provide universal
interventions to mitigate future flooding. The
preschool education for all children in Houston.”
proposals received varying but mostly strong support
!! Area residents are also increasingly in support from area residents across the board. The respondents
of stronger government programs to reduce the who were not directly impacted by the hurricane were
inequalities in America, to expand welfare benefits, generally no different in their views on these initiatives
and to ensure access to health care. from those who were personally harmed by the storm.
!! Compared to past years, area residents in 2018 are

In the Midst of a Demographic Revolution
more convinced that the threat of climate change is “a
!! In 1960, 74 percent of the Harris County population was very serious problem” and is mainly caused by human
composed of non-Hispanic whites; today just 31 percent of activities rather than by normal climate cycles, and
area residents are Anglos. Hispanics comprised 6 percent they express somewhat higher levels of generalized
of the population in 1960; now 42 percent are Hispanics, trust. The experience of the hurricane may well have
and 8 percent are Asians or others, up from 2 percent helped to reinforce these changing beliefs.
in 1980. In the space of just 30 years, the Houston region
has been transformed into one of the most ethnically and County Differences in a Multi-Centered
culturally diverse metropolitan areas in the entire country. Metropolis
!! Despite today’s divisive political discourse, when area !! Fort Bend County has become one of the most
residents are asked in the privacy of their homes about ethnically diverse counties in America, whereas
immigrants’ contributions to the American economy or Montgomery County is still predominantly comprised
about welcoming endangered refugees, they continue of Anglos (and Republicans).
to express increasingly favorable attitudes.
!! The three counties also differ in their income and
!! In alternating years during the past decade, the surveys education levels and in their religious and political
have asked respondents to describe their feelings (on a orientations, yet they diverge only slightly in their
ten-point scale) toward gays and lesbians, undocumented evaluations of the region’s ethnic diversity and in their
immigrants, and Muslims or the followers of Islam. In all call for alternatives to automobile dependency.
three cases, the proportions giving positive ratings have
!! The residents of Montgomery County are less inclined
increased consistently and significantly over the years.
to support more government efforts to address the
region’s income inequalities and Harris County
Assessing the Impact of Hurricane Harvey
respondents are more firmly in favor of mass transit,
!! Respondents were asked about the harm (particularly but the differences are modest. Area residents
to their homes and vehicles) that they personally throughout the region, in both suburb and city, are
experienced as a direct result of Hurricane Harvey; seeking more opportunities for “walkable urbanism.”
5
Perspectives T
he local economy. Texas crude was selling for
more than $100 per barrel in late 2014; the price
on Life in the collapsed to less than $30 by late 2015. Regional

unemployment levels stood at 4.3 percent in February
Houston Area 2015, then rose to 4.7 percent in 2016 and to 5.9 percent
in early 2017. With oil prices now stabilizing at around
$60 per barrel, the economy is rebounding once again,
but at a much slower pace than earlier in the decade.
According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
Houston area unemployment rate in February 2018
was 4.8 percent, a significant improvement from the
year before. Nevertheless, local unemployment is still
considerably higher than in the nation as a whole (at
4.4 percent) and in the State of Texas (4.1 percent).
Technological improvements and stabilized prices in

the oil patch have brought about a recovery that has
come with a slower-than-usual expansion of jobs. New
investments across the board will be needed in the years
ahead, to ensure much wider access to quality education
and technical training and to undertake continuing
improvements in the quality-of-life attributes that will
enable Houston to attract the talent needed to grow its
economy in the years ahead.
The modestly improving prospects for the region as a

whole are reflected in survey questions measuring the
public’s subjective sense of how the local economy is
doing. In every year, the survey participants have been
asked how they would evaluate “job opportunities in the
Houston area.” Their negative responses (ratings of only
“fair” or “poor”) have closely tracked over the 37 years of
surveys the actual ups and downs of the region’s official
unemployment rates.
As indicated in Figure 1, the percent giving positive ratings

(“excellent” or “good”) to local job opportunities stood
Ricky Davis
at 68 percent in early 2015, reflecting the still-booming

fortunes of the oil patch in 2014. When prices plummeted
6
Houston 1994
PERSPECTIVES ON LIFE IN THE HOUSTON AREA
FIGURE 1 Decline and Recovery in Assessments of the Local Economy (2014–2018)

80%
Job opportunities in the Houston area are “excellent” or “good.”
70% 68% 67%
64% 63%
61%
60%
50%
During the last few years, personal financial situation has been “getting better.”
38% 38% 40%
40% 37% 36%
30% 36% 36% 35%

31% 29%
20%
The quality of living conditions in the Houston area has been “getting better.”
10%
0%
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2014–18).
in 2015 and 2016, upstream companies stopped

hiring and job losses grew. The recovery
today has brought a slight but palpable
improvement in area residents’ assessments
of the local economy. Positive ratings of job
opportunities increased from 63 percent in
2017 to 67 percent in this year’s survey. The
proportions reporting that their personal
financial situations have been improving
grew from 29 to 35 percent since last year, and
the numbers saying that the quality of living
conditions in the Houston area has been
“getting better” grew from 36 to 40 percent.
The biggest problem. The first question

in each year’s survey asks the respondents
what they would say is “the biggest problem
facing people in the Houston area today.”
Figure 2 shows the responses in this year’s
Patrick Feller
survey from the region’s three largest counties.
7
15+26+161413AW 14+34+111416AW 17+20+141223AW
FIGURE 2 The Biggest Problem in the Houston Area, in Three Counties (2018)
17% 15% 16% 14% 17% RF/DK

22%
Traffic
13% 14% Crime

Harris Fort Bend Montgomery Economy
26% 12% 20%
34% Flooding
14% 11%
Other
14% 14%
16% 11%
Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2018).
Traffic congestion remains the dominating

preoccupation throughout the region; this
has been the case in all the past five years of
surveys (2014–2018). The respondents from
Fort Bend County have consistently been the
most preoccupied with the woes of traffic
congestion. In this year’s survey, traffic was
mentioned spontaneously by 34 percent in
Fort Bend County, compared to 26 percent
in Harris and 20 percent in Montgomery.
Concerns about the economy and crime
were the next most frequently named
problems in all three counties.
The responses this year required a new

coding category. As seen in Figure 2, equal
proportions (it was 13 percent in Harris
urban.houstonian
County, 14 percent in Fort Bend and 12

percent in Montgomery) spontaneously
named the devastation wrought by Hurricane
8
Houston 1996
PERSPECTIVES ON LIFE IN THE HOUSTON AREA
FIGURE 3 Party Differences in Beliefs about the American Future (2010–2018)

80%
The country is headed for “better times.” 71%
70%
64%
60%
50% 47%
40%
30% 26%
20% 23% 21%

10%
0%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Republicans Democrats
Harvey as the biggest problem facing people in the Houston In 2017, the survey revealed a striking reversal in
area today. Note that the same proportions in all three the outlooks on the American future expressed by
counties mentioned the hurricane, even though the storm Republicans and Democrats after Donald Trump’s
had a far more devastating impact on homes and vehicles election in 2016. This year’s survey found an even stronger
in Harris County than it did in Fort Bend or Montgomery separation, with 71 percent of all area Republicans today
counties. It looks as if simply having lived through the asserting that the country is headed for “better times” and
hurricane and its aftermath during the many weeks of 76 percent of Democrats convinced instead that “more
saturation coverage in the media had powerful effects difficult times” now lie ahead. This is the largest partisan
on area residents’ preoccupations, whether or not they divide on the question in all the years of the surveys.
personally experienced any actual damage to their homes More than ever, it seems, our experience of the world is
or vehicles as a direct consequence of the storm itself. a function of the objective realities as they are filtered
through our subjective interpretations.
The partisan divides. When survey participants
are asked to evaluate of how well the national economy
is doing, their answers are inevitably influenced by
“motivated beliefs,” by interpretations of social reality
that reinforce cherished assumptions. Figure 3 documents
the deepening political divisions in this connection.
The respondents have been asked over the years if they
believed the country was headed for “better times” or
“more difficult times.”
9
Education T
his mixture of objective and subjective understand-
ings is also evident when area residents are asked
and the about the changing requirements for success in

today’s increasingly high-tech, knowledge-based, global
Growing economy. In a national shift that began around 1980 and

has accelerated since then, the availability in America of
Inequalities well-paying blue-collar jobs, requiring only modest levels

of formal education and technical skills, has fallen precipi-
tously, a consequence of outsourcing and automation, com-
pounded by political paralysis and government inaction.
Access to good jobs in the new economy. As

the Georgetown University Center on Education and the
Workforce has shown, in 1973 one-third (32 percent) of all
the 91 million jobs that existed in America were available to
high school dropouts and another 40 percent required no
more than a high school diploma. As indicated in Figure
4, however, by 2010 fully 60 percent of the 143 million
jobs now required some kind of post-secondary training.
In 2020 that figure will grow to 65 percent. Meanwhile, a
cohort study tracking the fates of the 70,000 students in
all the Region IV public schools who were enrolled in the
eighth grade in 2004 reported troubling statistics: Only
68 percent of the eighth graders actually graduated from
high school and by 2015, eleven years later, just 21 percent
had received any post-secondary credential of any sort.
Figure 5 presents the responses given by four different

ethnic communities during the years since 2013 to the
question of whether success in today’s world requires
education beyond high school, or “are there many ways
to succeed with no more than a high school diploma?”
The surveys record a consistent decline among all four
groups in their belief that education beyond high school is
necessary to be successful today. Why has the belief that
high school is sufficient for success in America gained
such traction in recent years, even as it seemingly flies in
the face of the objective evidence?
10
Houston 1998
EDUCATION AND THE GROWING INEQUALITIES
FIGURE 4 The Educational Prerequisites for Jobs in America (1970–2020)

100% 7 Master’s degree or better
10 11 11
9 Bachelor’s degree
12 19 21 24 Associate’s degree
Some college
8
10 High school diploma
12
19 Less than High School
50% 40 17
18
By 2020, 65% of all
34 30 American jobs will
24
require education
32
beyond high school.
10 11 12
0%
1973 (91 million) 1992 (129 million) 2010 (143 million) 2020 (164 million)
YEAR AND NUMBER OF AVAILABLE JOBS
Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2014. “Recovery: Job Growth and Education Requirements through 2020.“ (http://cew.georgetown.edu/recovery2020).
The Perceived Necessity for Education Beyond High School,

FIGURE 5
in Four Communities (2013–2018)
100%
“Education beyond high school is necessary.”
90% 88%
80% 78%
70% 71%
64%
60% 61%
50% 48%
47%
40%
39%
30%
20% “To be successful in today’s world, is it necessary to get an education beyond high school,
or are there many ways to succeed with no more than a high school diploma?”
10%
0%
2013 2015 2016 2017 2018
US born Anglo US born Blacks US born Hispanics Hispanic immigrants
11
The Requirements for a Good Job, the Need for More School Funding,
FIGURE 6
and the Importance of Preschool
“The schools have enough money, if it were used wisely, to provide
a quality education”; or: “In order for the schools to provide a quality
education, significantly more money will be needed.”
70% 67%
60% 54% 56%

49%
50% 46% 45%
40%
40%
30%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Disagree Agree Have enough Need much Have enough Need much Oppose Favor
money more money money more money
“In order to get a job that pays “What about increasing local
more than $35,000 a year, you need (Spring 2009) (Spring 2018) taxes in order to provide
to have at least one or two years of universal preschool education
education beyond high school.” for all children in Houston?”
Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2009 and 2018).
Support for Government Programs to Reduce the Inequalities

FIGURE 7
in America (2010–2018)
80% Favor: “Federal health insurance to cover
the medical costs of all Americans.”
70% 72%
68%
65%
60%
Agree: “The government should take action to reduce
50%
income differences between rich and poor in America.” 47%
45%
40%
30% 31%
Percent saying, “Most people who receive welfare benefits are really
20% in need of help,” rather than “taking advantage of the system.”
10%
0%
2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
The changing beliefs may be explained in part by the disappeared, it is not because of automation or robotics,
growing presence in secondary schools of community but because of unfair trade agreements and excessive
college courses and vocational training, so the distinction environmental regulations. Much less attention is being
between high school and post-secondary studies may be paid in political discussions these days to the critically
less clear. The survey participants may also be reacting important and difficult challenge of expanding access
to the deepening burden of college loans and the growing to quality post-secondary education and technical skills
numbers of underemployed college graduates, in contrast in order to strengthen American competitiveness in the
to the attention paid to prominent entrepreneurs who new economy.
have succeeded despite low levels of formal education.
It is also important to recognize, as Figure 5 indicates, that
Today’s political discourse may also have played a role in African Americans and Hispanics have been consistently
convincing many Americans that if blue-collar jobs have more likely than Anglos to affirm the importance of
12
Houston 2000
EDUCATION AND THE GROWING INEQUALITIES
post-secondary education. Hispanic immigrants are by any ambiguity: By 56 to 40 percent, the survey
far the most insistent on this score. If Houston’s African participants were now clear in their view that the
American and Hispanic young people are not getting schools will need significantly more money in order to
the education they need to succeed in today’s economy, provide a quality education.
it is demonstrably not because they do not value that
Figure 6 also indicates, in a question first asked this year,
education or recognize its importance. It is because
that Houston area residents overwhelmingly support, by
these two communities, which together represent fully
67 to 30 percent, the commitment to providing universal
70 percent of all Harris County residents who are under
preschool education for all children in Houston, even if it
the age of 20 today, are by far the most likely to be living
means “increasing local taxes.” Together these questions
in areas of concentrated disadvantage, with all that such
about the importance of education show widespread
poverty portends for a young person’s ability to succeed in
agreement among area residents today on the need to
the public schools.
make substantial improvements across the board in
The question recorded in Figure 5 leaves unclear access to quality education, from birth to college, from
the meaning of “success.” In an effort to remove that cradle to career. Clearly the time has come for meaningful
ambiguity, a new question was included in this year’s action on this front. The new economy demands it, and
survey. The respondents were asked about this statement: the general public will support it.
“In order to get a job that pays more than $35,000 a year,
Addressing the inequalities. The 2018 survey also
you need to have at least one or two years of education
replicated three questions from previous years asking about
beyond high school.” As indicated in Figure 6, a clear
the role of government in expanding economic opportunity
majority of area residents, by 54 to 45 percent, agreed
and reducing the impact of concentrated disadvantage. As
with that assertion. Confirming the tendency on the part
shown in Figure 7, area residents on all three items express
of Anglos to downplay the importance of post-secondary
even more support today than in previous surveys for
education, the findings also reveal that only 42 percent of
effective public initiatives along these lines. The proportion
U.S.-born Anglos agreed that a decently-paying job today
of survey participants who agreed that “the government
requires education beyond high school, but this was the
should take action to reduce income differences between
view of 59 percent of U.S.-born Blacks, 55 percent of U.S.-
rich and poor in America” grew from 45 percent in 2010 to
born Hispanics, and 60 percent of foreign-born Hispanics.
60 percent in 2012 and to 65 percent today.
The survey participants were also asked if the public
The respondents were asked if they thought “most people
schools in the Houston area generally “have enough
who receive welfare payments are really in need of help, or
money, if it were used wisely, to provide a quality
are they taking advantage of the system?” The percentages
education,” or whether they believed instead that “in
who believed that welfare recipients are legitimately in
order for the schools to provide a quality education,
need of help grew from 31 percent in 2010 to 47 percent
significantly more money will be needed.” When that
in 2018. And 72 percent of the survey respondents today
question was last asked a decade ago, in 2009, the
indicate that they are in favor of federal health insurance
respondents were evenly divided, by 49 to 45 percent.
to cover the medical costs of all Americans, (again) a
In this year’s survey, in contrast, there was no longer
higher number than ever before in these surveys.
13
In the F
igure 8 presents the U.S. census data documenting
the truly extraordinary transformations that have
Midst of a been taking place in the ethnic composition of the

Harris County population. The nation as a whole is in
Demographic the midst of an epic transition, as an earlier generation,

predominantly Anglo and now aging, is being replaced
Revolution by a new generation of Americans, largely composed

of immigrants and their children, who are a mix of all
the world’s ethnicities and religions. Nowhere is this
transition more clearly seen than here in Harris County.
No metropolitan area in America has been transformed
as fully, as completely, as suddenly, and as irreversibly as
Houston, Texas.
Harris County’s surging population growth during the

oil-boom years of the 1960s and 1970s was brought about
primarily by the influx of Anglos, the non-Hispanic
white Americans who streamed into this energy capital
from all other parts of the country. After the collapse of
the oil boom in 1982, Harris County’s Anglo numbers
actually stopped growing and then declined. The region’s
continued rapid growth during the past three and a half
decades is attributable almost exclusively to immigration
from abroad, as well as to new births, often the children of
earlier immigrants and of U.S.-born Latinos, Asians, and
African Americans.
In 1980, Harris County was 63 percent Anglo, 20 percent

African American, 16 percent Hispanic, and 2 percent
Asian. By 2010 the U.S. Census counted 4.1 million
people living in Harris County, of whom just 33 percent
were non-Hispanic whites. According to the most recent
estimates, the county’s population is now 42 percent
Hispanic, 31 percent Anglo, 19 percent African American,
and 8 percent Asian or other.
Immigration attitudes. One of the most consistent

Patrick Feller
and consequential trends recorded in these surveys over

the years is the continual improvement in area residents’
14
Houston 2002
IN THE MIDST OF A DEMOGRAPHIC REVOLUTION
The Demographics of Harris County by Decade (1960–2010)

FIGURE 8
and from the ACS Estimates for 2012–2016
4.5
8 Non-Hispanic Whites
4.0 8
POPULATION (IN MILLIONS)
Blacks
3.5 7 Hispanics
42
3.0 4 41 Asians/Others
2.5 2 33
16 23
2.0 .08
.03 20 19 18 13 19
1.5 10
6 20
1.0 20
63 54 42 33 31
0.5 69
74
0.0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2012–206
(1,243,158) (1,741,912) (2,409,547) (2,818,199) (3,400,578) (4,092,459) (4,434,257)
Source: U.S. Census. Classifications based on Texas State Data Center Conventions.
The Changing Attitudes Toward Immigration

FIGURE 9
Among Harris County Residents (2014–2018)
100%
81% 82%
80% 75% 73% 77% 75%
63% 63% 64%
59%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Favor: Granting illegal immigrants Immigrants to the US generally Agree: Refugees who are in danger in their
a path to legal citizenship if speak contribute more to the American home countries because of their beliefs or their
English and no criminal record. economy than they take. ethnicity should always be welcome in Houston.
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

15
FIGURE 10 Favorable Feelings Toward “Other” Groups (2010–2018)
60%
Ratings of 7–10, describing feelings about “gays and lesbians”
50% 50%
48%
43% 47%
40%
35%
30%
Ratings of 7–10, describing feelings about “Muslims or followers of Islam”
24%
20%
Ratings of 7–10, describing feelings about “undocumented immigrants”
10%
0%
2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
attitudes toward the region’s burgeoning diversity and the asked to express their feelings toward several different
new immigration. The proportion of area residents who “marginalized” groups, using a 10-point scale (where “1”
said they were in favor of “granting illegal immigrants a means “very unfavorable feelings” and “10” means “very
path to legal citizenship if they speak English and have no favorable feelings”). The proportion expressing positive
criminal record” has continued to grow, from 67 percent feelings (a score of 7 to 10) toward gays and lesbians grew
back in 2010 and 73 percent in 2012 to 75 percent in 2014 from 43 percent in 2010 to 50 percent in this year’s survey.
and to 82 percent in this year’s survey. Favorable feelings toward undocumented immigrants
grew in this same period by 23 points, from 24 to 47
In 2016 and 2018, as also seen in Figure 9, 63 percent
percent, and those giving positive ratings to Muslims
of area residents believed that immigrants to the U.S.
or the followers of Islam grew from 35 to 48 percent.
generally “contribute more to the American economy than
The findings make it clear that, when representative
they take,” up from 59 percent in 2014, 48 percent in 2012,
samples of area residents are asked in the privacy of their
and 45 percent in 2010. Fully 64 percent in 2016 agreed
homes about their views of other groups, the picture
with the statement that “Refugees who are in danger
that emerges is quite different from the impressions of
in their home countries because of their beliefs or their
deepening hostility that are often experienced in electoral
ethnicity should always be welcome in Houston.” Support
campaigns and political rhetoric.
for that view grew to 75 percent in this year’s survey.
In further evidence of area residents’ increasingly

favorable views, Figure 10 indicates that the survey
participants, in alternating years since 2010, have been
16
Houston 2004
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE HARVEY
Assessing I
n the face of changing realities, Houston’s
business elite has been gradually coming to a new
the Impact
understanding of what today’s pro-business, pro-
growth agenda actually entails. The rethinking began, of
of Hurricane
course, with the protracted economic disaster brought
about by the oil-boom collapse in 1982, when the need to
Harvey
diversify the economy became the word of the day. In the
depths of that prolonged recession, the city’s business
leaders pooled dwindling resources to underwrite a new
center for the performing arts (the Wortham Theater,
completed in 1988), giving eloquent testimony both to
their confidence in the region’s eventual recovery and to
their clear recognition of the importance of excellence in
the arts for the city’s ability to attract the talent it will need
to restore its economic vitality.
A call to grow differently. The city’s image problems

were fully evident on October 7, 1999, when the headline
in the U.S.A. Today newspaper was, “Houston, cough,
cough … We’ve got a problem, cough, cough!” As the Los
Angeles Times proclaimed on that particularly hot and
balmy day, “New Smog Capital of America Declared!”
For the first time in history, Houston had surpassed Los
Angeles in the number of dangerously polluted days
recorded during a single year. With support from most of
the business community, more stringent regulations were
gradually imposed, particularly on the petrochemical
industries along the Ship Channel, and the region’s
dangerous levels of ozone and particulate pollution have
been reduced substantially.
Another “wake-up” call came in 2004, when Houston

Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Niles Lee
made a bid to host the 2012 Olympics. The U.S. Committee

applauded the city’s brand-new light-rail line connecting
its new sports venues with the downtown areas; they
praised its vision of the Astrodome to be transformed
into the largest, air-conditioned, indoor track and field
venue on the planet, and they applauded the fine overall
17
County Differences in Measures of the Impact of Hurricane Harvey
FIGURE 11
on Homes and Vehicles (2018)
35% 32%
29%
30% 2%
0%
25% 11% 9%
20% 17% 16%

15% 1%
4% 11%
10% 19% 20% 8%
12%
5%
0%
Home damage Personal vehicle damage
( Minor Damage – Major Damage – Destruction)
Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County
Support for Government Initiatives to Mitigate Local Flooding,

FIGURE 12
by the Degree of Home Damage (2018)
100% 94%
90% 87%
80%
72% 73% 69% 73% 70% 71%
65% 68%
58% 55% 60%
60% 54%
40%
20%
0%
Favor: Requiring all Favor: Using public Favor: Prohibiting Favor: Increasing Agree: If local
sellers of homes to money to protect any additional local taxes to enable government had imposed
notify potential buyers the industries along construction in governmental agencies more stringent regulations
or renters if the property the Houston Ship areas that have to buy out more of the on development, this would
they are considering has Channel from repeatedly flooded homes that have have significantly reduced
flooded in recent years hurricane surge flooding repeatedly flooded the damage caused by Harvey
No home damage Minor home damage Major home damage or destruction

presentation of its many plans for further improvement. “progrowth agenda”? Will the city and county be newly
Yet in the end the committee did not give the city a single determined to manage the growth in a way that will make
vote, declaring that Houston was simply too unattractive the region demonstrably more resilient and less prone
to serve as host to the world. In the years since then, a to major flooding in the years ahead? As the writer and
wide variety of new, transformative initiatives have been futurist John McHale once reminded us: What is at stake
put into place, such as Discovery Green Park and Bayou in these challenges “is not a question of alternatives to
Greenways 2020, that have been turning Houston into a growth, but of alternative ways of growing.”
more attractive, greener, and healthier metropolitan area,
Measuring the impact. Figure 11 presents the
far better positioned for prosperity in the new economy.
responses obtained from the 1,507 survey participants
Will the effects of Hurricane Harvey turn out to be a in the three counties when they were asked about the
wake-up call of equivalent power in shaping today’s harm, if any, to their homes and vehicles that they
18
Houston 2006
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE HARVEY
experienced as a direct result of Hurricane Harvey. The notify potential buyers or renters if the property they are
418 respondents (28 percent of the sample) who said their considering has flooded in recent years. By 72 percent,
homes were affected were asked about the extent of the they favor using public money to protect the industries
damage: 227 (15 percent) said it was only a minor problem along the Ship Channel from hurricane surge flooding,
that could be repaired within a month, 132 (9 percent) and by the same percentage they support prohibiting
said it was major damage requiring more than a month to any additional construction in areas that have repeatedly
repair, and 18 respondents reported that their homes were flooded. By 56 percent, they are also in favor of increasing
destroyed. In addition, 197 (13 percent) reported damage to local taxes to enable government to buy out more of the
a personal vehicle. homes that have repeatedly flooded. And 66 percent of
all area residents agree with the suggestion that, “If local
The accompanying image depicts the number of
government had imposed more stringent regulations on
applications across the affected region that were
submitted to FEMA for individual assistance by victims
of the hurricane. The data show clearly that the actual
impact of the storm was far more devastating in Harris
The Spread of Harvey’s Impact:
County than in Fort Bend, while Montgomery County
FEMA Applications for Help from
experienced almost no destruction at all. These county
the 41 Counties Affected by the Storm
differences are reflected in Figure 11, offering a “validity
check” that strengthens confidence in the veracity of the
respondents’ accounts of personal damage. Harris County
residents were far more likely to report that their homes
or vehicles were damaged than were the residents from
Montgomery County. Respondents in Fort Bend County,
in keeping with the FEMA data, were more likely to say
they were impacted than those in Montgomery County
but less so than in Harris County.
Figure 12 shows area residents’ reactions to various

proposals calling for more stringent government
regulations in an effort to reduce the impact of future
flooding. The responses are separated by the degree to
which the respondents were personally impacted by
the hurricane. There were only slight and inconsistent
differences among the three levels of impact.
Whether they experienced direct harm from the storm

or came through the Harvey experience personally
unscathed, the survey participants are equally prepared, Source: Map created by Episcopal Health Foundation. Data from Federal Emergency Management Agency,
“Individual Assistance Open Disaster Statistics.”
by 91 percent overall, to require property owners to
19
FIGURE 13 Changes Over Time in Beliefs about Climate Change (2010–2018)
The threat of climate change is The primary cause of climate change
a “very serious problem.” is “human activities.”
70% 70%
64%
61%
60% 58% 60%
52% 54%
50% 46% 48% 50%
42% 40%
40% 39%
40%
30% 30%
20% 20%
10% 10%
0% 0%
2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2011 2013 2015 2016 2018
development, this would have significantly reduced the The respondents in 2018 were also asked if, generally
damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.” speaking, they thought that “most people can be trusted,”
or that “you can’t be too careful in dealing with people.”
More than 75 percent of the participants in this year’s
The proportion of area residents who said that most can
survey also agreed that, “It is almost certain that the
be trusted also increased consistently, from 31 percent
Houston region will experience more severe storms
in 2014, to 37 percent in 2016, and to 39 percent this year.
during the next ten years compared to the past ten
The shared experience of having lived through such a
years.” As shown in Figure 13, the survey replicated
devastating storm may well have contributed to area
two questions about climate change that have been
residents’ evolving views about community solidarity and
asked periodically over the past ten years: The data
climate change.
indicate clearly that area residents’ beliefs have changed
significantly. Back in 2010, only 39 percent of area
residents thought that the threat of climate change was a
“very serious problem.” That concern grew to 46 percent
in 2016 and then jumped again in this year’s survey to
52 percent; only 22 percent 2018 thought that climate
change was “not a very serious problem.” In addition,
when asked what they believed to be the primary cause
of climate change, 64 percent in this year’s survey said it
was “mainly caused by human activities.” Only 58 percent
took that position in 2015; just 48 percent in 2011.
20
Houston 2008
COUNTY DIFFERENCES IN A MULTI-CENTERED METROPOLIS
F
or the past four years, the surveys have asked
County identical questions of representative samples

of residents from Fort Bend and Montgomery
Differences counties, enabling us to draw direct comparisons with

the attitudes and beliefs of the respondents from Harris
in a Multi- County. The differences help to define the contrasting

contexts through which area residents are experiencing
Centered the dramatic changes that have been taking place

throughout the Greater Houston region.
Metropolis Demographic differences. We noted earlier that the

Anglo population in Harris County has been declining
gradually during the past three decades, while the
numbers of Hispanics and Asians have been expanding
rapidly. In Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, the
number of Anglos has continued to grow, but not
nearly as rapidly as the populations of Asians, African
Americans, and Hispanics.
Figure 14 gives the Census figures for the past quarter

century. In 1990 Fort Bend County was 54 percent Anglo,
20 percent African American, 20 percent Hispanic,
and 7 percent Asian and other. Today, it boasts a more
even distribution among America’s four major ethnic
communities than almost anywhere else in the nation.
The latest estimates from the U.S. Census indicate
that the county is now 21 percent Asian and others, 24
percent Hispanic, 20 percent African American, and 35
percent Anglo. Montgomery County, in contrast, is still
predominantly Anglo, at 69 percent in the latest estimates,
but it was 81 percent Anglo in 2000 and 88 percent in 1990.
Figure 15 provides additional information on the three

counties from the latest estimates of the U.S. Census. Fort
Bend County is not only more diverse than Harris and
Montgomery counties; it is also more highly educated
and more affluent: 44 percent have college degrees and
amslerPIX
59 percent report household incomes of more than

$75,000. The residents of Harris County have about the
21
The Demographics of Fort Bend and Montgomery Counties by Decade and the
FIGURE 14
ACS Estimates for 2012–2016
Fort Bend County Montgomery County
800,000 800,000
1990 2000 2010 2016 1990 2000 2010 2016
700,000 700,000
600,000 21 600,000
POPULATION
19 5
500,000
24 4 500,000
3 22
400,000 13 24 13 21 400,000
1 4
20 3 4
300,000 21 7 300,000
7 21
200,000 20 4 200,000
20 71 69
20 35 81
100,000 46 36 88 100,000
54
0 0
225,421 354,452 585,375 683,756 182,201 293,768 455,746 518,849
Anglos Blacks Hispanics Asians/Others
Source: U.S. Census data. Classifications based on Texas State Data Center Conventions
County Differences in Income, Education, and Percent Foreign-Born

FIGURE 15
(ACS Estimates for 2012–2016)
Education Household Income Place of Birth
100% 100%
13%
30% 26% 27%
33% 37%
80% 44% 46%
80%
59%
60% 27% 60%
30%
27% 41% 87%
40% 74% 73% 40%
38%
31%
20% 43% 37% 20%
29%
22%
10% 15%
0% 0%
Harris Fort Bend Montgomery Harris Fort Bend Montgomery Harris Fort Bend Montgomery
High School or less Less than $25,000 Native Born

Some College $25,000 to $74,999 Foreign Born
Bachelor’s degree or more $75,000 or more
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 2012–16 5-year estimates. Educational attainment for 25 years and older.
FIGURE 16 County Differences in Religiosity and Party Affiliation (2015–2018, Combined)

Attended a religious service,
other than a wedding or funeral, Declared or leaning toward
Religious affiliation in the past thirty days which political party
100% 100%
18% 15% 12%
80% 4% 29% 80%
5% 10% 49% 39%
54%
26% 60% 47%
60% 28% 28% 14% 60%
14%
40% 14% 40%
54% 51% 52%
47% 44% 46% 42%
20% 39%
32% 20%
0% 0%
Harris Fort Bend Montgomery Harris Fort Bend Montgomery Harris Fort Bend Montgomery
Protestant Other religion No Yes Republican Democrat

Catholic No religion Independent
22
Houston 2010
same percentages with college degrees as in Montgomery and immigration, in their support for government
County, but a higher proportion have no more than a high programs, and in their calls for transit and “walkable
school diploma and report household incomes of less than urbanism.” There are few meaningful differences across
$25,000. More than a quarter of the residents in Harris the counties in measures of their overall comfort with
and Fort Bend counties are foreign-born, compared to just the region’s burgeoning diversity and in their receptivity
over a tenth of those from Montgomery County. to immigration. The region as a whole is increasingly
embracing its remarkable diversity. On two other
The surveys allow us to ask about religion and politics,
dimensions, however, county differences prevail.
which by law are questions that cannot be included on the
U.S. Census forms. As seen in Figure 16, the residents of The data in Figure 17 indicate generally weaker support
Montgomery County are more likely to be Protestants and in Montgomery County for government efforts to address
less likely to say that they have “no religion.” Fort Bend issues of poverty and inequality. Compared to Fort Bend
County residents are the most likely to identify with “other or Harris counties, the residents of Montgomery County
religions,” such as Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu, and are consistently more opposed to government programs
they are more likely to report having attended a religious designed to reduce the inequalities in America. In keeping
service in the past 30 days. With regard to political with their more Republican leanings, they are also less
affiliations, Fort Bend County is evenly divided, by 42 and in favor of federal health insurance to cover the medical
39 percent, between Republicans and Democrats. The costs of all Americans. They are more inclined to believe
residents of Montgomery County, at 52 to 29 percent, are that government is trying to do too many things that
mainly Republicans, whereas Harris County residents, by should be left to individuals and businesses, and less
47 to 32 percent, are more likely to be Democrats. likely to believe that government should do more to solve
our country’s problems. They more often assert that
Attitudinal similarities. In light of these quite striking
people who receive welfare benefits are taking advantage
demographic differences, one might expect equally sharp
of the system, and that such benefits encourage poor
county divisions in residents’ attitudes toward diversity
people to stay poor and dependent.
Hoàng Long Lê
Paul Cooper
Sugar Land City Hall located in Sugar Land, Fort Bend County, Texas The Woodlands Waterway located in The Woodlands, Montgomery County, Texas
23
County Differences in Support for Government Programs to Address the
FIGURE 17
Inequalities (2015–2018, Combined)
80%
71%
64%
60% 59% 60%
52% 50% 50% 49%
44% 46%
43% 42%
40% 36% 34%
29%
20%
0%
Agree: Government has Favor: federal health Government Most people who Welfare benefits generally
a responsibility to help insurance to cover should do more receive welfare give poor people
reduce the inequalities the medical costs to sove our benefit are really in a chance to get
between rich and of all Americans country’s problems need of help started again
poor in America
Harris Fort Bend Montgomery
There are also county differences when the survey By 54 to 40 percent, Harris County residents were also
participants are asked how they would like to live in this more likely to prefer to live in “an area with a mix of
sprawling automobile-dependent metropolitan region. developments, including homes, shops, and restaurants,”
Figure 18 shows that Harris County residents are more rather than in “a single-family residential neighborhood.”
inclined than those in the surrounding counties to call When those wanting to live in an area with a mix of
for urbanized alternatives, but the differences are more developments were asked if they actually lived in an
modest than one might have expected. Thus only 11 neighborhood like that today, 73 percent in Harris County,
percentage points separate the respondents from Harris but only 56 percent in Montgomery County, answered in
and Montgomery counties in their belief that “the devel- the affirmative.
opment of a much improved mass transit system” is “very
Finally, it is interesting to note that significantly higher
important” for the future success of the Houston region.
proportions of residents in the more conservative Fort
The county differences are slightly larger when the Bend and Montgomery counties (where zoning codes
respondents are asked about the kinds of homes and have been used to shape urban growth) are calling for
neighborhoods they would prefer to live in. Almost half “better land-use planning to guide development in the
(49 percent) of Harris County respondents, compared Houston area.” In more “liberal” Harris County, on the
to 30 percent of those in Montgomery County, said they other hand, the area’s residents (having rejected zoning
would prefer “a smaller home in a more urbanized area, on several occasions) were more likely to assert instead
within walking distance of shops and workplaces,” rather that “people and businesses should be free to build
than “a single-family home with a big yard, where you wherever they want.”
would need to drive almost everywhere you want to go.”
24
Houston 2012
County Differences in the Perceived Importance of Transit, “Walkable Urbanism,”

FIGURE 18
and Land-Use Planning (2015–2018, Combined)
80% 76% 75%
73%
68% 67%
61%
60% 56% 54% 56%
50% 49%
42% 40%
40% 39%
30%
20%
0%
Mass transit system is Prefer a smaller Prefer an area If prefer an area with a “We need better
“very important” to home in a more with a mix of mix of developments: land-use planning
the future success urbanized area developments actually lives in a to guide development
of Houston place like that today in the Houston area”
Harris Fort Bend Montgomery
Montgomery County
The Greater Houston Population: 556,203
Area: 1,077 Sq. Miles
Metropolitan Region
Population: 6.8 Million
Area: 10,072 Sq. Miles Liberty
Austin
Waller
Chambers
Galveston
Brazoria
Fort Bend County Harris County
Population: 741,237 Population: 4.6 million
Area: 885 Sq. Miles Area: 1,777 Sq. Miles
Source: ACS 2016 One-Year Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau
25
Conclusion F
or almost four decades, the Kinder Houston Area
Survey has been taking the pulse of the region as it
responds to the new realities of our time. No metro
area in the nation has been tracked in this way over such a
long period.
Few cities more clearly exemplify the trends that are

refashioning the social and political landscape across
America. A new high-tech, knowledge-based, global
economy is generating mounting inequalities based
primarily on access to quality education. An epic
demographic transition is underway, as this nation, once
predominantly composed of European nationalities,
becomes a microcosm of all the world’s ethnicities and
religions. And quality-of-life attributes now increasingly
determine the fates of cities.
Adam Baker
xiquinhosilva
26
Houston 2014
CONCLUSION
The surveys measure the changes that have been taking the actions needed to strengthen resiliency and mitigate
place in the way area residents understand the new future flooding, and to invest in the area’s overall quality
realities, in the kinds of policies they would support, and of life and urban amenities.
in the attitudes and beliefs that they have developed. The
As suggested earlier, it is not a question of alternatives to
findings should remind the many civic leaders in Houston
growth, but of alternative ways of growing. The findings
who are working to address the new regional challenges
from the Houston surveys suggest that area residents may
that public attitudes are shifting in their direction.
be more prepared than at any time in the past 37 years to
According to these systematic surveys, Houston area support the public policy initiatives that will be needed if
residents as a whole, despite growing political divides, this region is to thrive in the years ahead.
are more willing today to support government programs
intended to reduce urban inequalities, to address the
needs of minorities and the poor, and to improve the
public schools, including universal preschool for all
children in Houston. They are more ready to embrace
and celebrate the region’s ethnic diversity, to support
marcial090
27
The Kinder Institute thanks the following contributors for their transformational
support of our mission to build better cities and build better lives.
Reinnette and
Stan Marek *
Kathryn and Hank Coleman * Becky and Ralph O’Connor * Aliyya and Herman Stude ‡
Laura and Tom Bacon Patti and Richard Everett Sarah and Doug Foshee
Melissa and Steve Kean Eliza Lovett Randall Regina Rogers Phoebe and Bobby Tudor
Additional support for the Kinder Houston Area Survey comes from the Larsen Family Charitable Fund,
the Friends of Kinder Institute, the Kinder Institute Corporate Council, and other foundations and funds.
* Denotes multi-year commitments to the Kinder Institute.

‡ Includes gifts made through family foundations, donor-advised funds, or other organizations.
Current as of March 31, 2018
28
Houston 2016
Building Better Cities,
Building Better Lives
6100 Main Street MS-208 • Houston, TX 77005
Phone 713-348-4132 • Email kinder@rice.edu
kinder.rice.edu
Mission
The Kinder Institute for Urban Research builds
better cities and improves people’s lives by bringing
together data, research, engagement, and action.

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Building Better Cities,

Building Better Lives

The 2018 Kinder

2018 KINDER HOUSTON AREA SURVEY

To learn how we can help you pursue your philanthropic goals,

Life’s better when we’re connected®

U.S. Trust operates through Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC.

In this report, we measure the survey participants’

We present additional evidence from this year’s survey

seeking to redress the inequalities, and the importance

Year counties, especially by Fort Bend residents. Respondents

!! Ideological perspectives shape respondents’ views of

Education and the Growing Inequalities

!! Despite these troubling statistics, increasing proportions

!! However, when asked specifically about the requirements

for obtaining a well-paying job, clear majorities of area

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE THIRTY-SEVENTH YEAR

!! Compared to past years, area residents in 2018 are

on Life in the collapsed to less than $30 by late 2015. Regional

Technological improvements and stabilized prices in

The modestly improving prospects for the region as a

As indicated in Figure 1, the percent giving positive ratings

at 68 percent in early 2015, reflecting the still-booming

PERSPECTIVES ON LIFE IN THE HOUSTON AREA

FIGURE 1 Decline and Recovery in Assessments of the Local Economy (2014–2018)

30% 36% 36% 35%

in 2015 and 2016, upstream companies stopped

The biggest problem. The first question

survey from the region’s three largest counties.

17% 15% 16% 14% 17% RF/DK

13% 14% Crime

Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2018).

Traffic congestion remains the dominating

The responses this year required a new

County, 14 percent in Fort Bend and 12

PERSPECTIVES ON LIFE IN THE HOUSTON AREA

FIGURE 3 Party Differences in Beliefs about the American Future (2010–2018)

20% 23% 21%

and the about the changing requirements for success in

Growing economy. In a national shift that began around 1980 and

Inequalities well-paying blue-collar jobs, requiring only modest levels

Access to good jobs in the new economy. As

Figure 5 presents the responses given by four different

EDUCATION AND THE GROWING INEQUALITIES

FIGURE 4 The Educational Prerequisites for Jobs in America (1970–2020)

The Perceived Necessity for Education Beyond High School,

60% 54% 56%

Support for Government Programs to Reduce the Inequalities

EDUCATION AND THE GROWING INEQUALITIES

Midst of a been taking place in the ethnic composition of the

Demographic the midst of an epic transition, as an earlier generation,

Revolution by a new generation of Americans, largely composed

Harris County’s surging population growth during the

In 1980, Harris County was 63 percent Anglo, 20 percent

Immigration attitudes. One of the most consistent

and consequential trends recorded in these surveys over

IN THE MIDST OF A DEMOGRAPHIC REVOLUTION

The Demographics of Harris County by Decade (1960–2010)

The Changing Attitudes Toward Immigration

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Source: Kinder Houston Area Survey (2010–18).

In further evidence of area residents’ increasingly

ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE HARVEY