KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — A public opinion poll revealed that housing availability was a top concern among Knox County residents.
The East Tennessee Realtors group shared its Advance Knox Polling Report 2023, a survey that reached 829 adults living in Knox County. It's part of the Advance Knox initiative, a project that creates a comprehensive plan for Knox County's growth over the next few decades.
In that poll, 67% of Knox County residents said they saw housing affordability as a very/fairly big problem. Housing availability was also seen as a major issue with 56% of residents agreeing.
The Realtors group noted that the concern was higher among residents younger than 50. 71% of younger residents said housing affordability was a major issue and 60% said the same for housing availability. 86% of renters also said the same in the survey.
When the survey asked what should be a top priority addressed by the local government, 66% said the government should increase affordable housing for families.
60% of residents said they favor changing zoning laws to allow for more construction of multi-family housing such as townhomes, duplexes and triplexes.
One notable split in the poll was how residents responded to the county building more housing versus limiting construction to keep the county's unique identity.
52% of residents said to focus more on building more housing while 45% said to limit construction. 62% of residents under the age of 50 responded more favorably to more construction. In contrast, 56% of residents over the age of 50 responded to limit construction.
Looking at future growth, the poll reported that the top three concerns among Knox County residents were an increase in traffic and congestion (61%), higher cost of living (57%) and overburdened public infrastructure like roads and sewers (54%).
When residents were asked to rate the county's quality of life, 83% of residents rated it as either excellent (29%) or good (54%).
When asked what would improve the quality of life the most, 74% of Knox County residents agreed less traffic and congestion would make the most impact. 56% of residents said the same about having more housing options.
You can read the full report at the East Tennessee Realtors website.
