A Message About the 2022 Silicon Valley Poll

Dear Friends:

We’re grumpy.

We might have expected a different result. The pandemic is on its heels, there is some real sense of normalcy returning, the new norms around remote work are hailed as a lifestyle upgrade, and all of it has put a dent in our traffic congestion. Things could be better, but we’ve certainly seen worse.

And yet the 2022 Silicon Valley Poll shows our mood is darkening. 64 percent of respondents say the region is going in the wrong direction. 56 percent are thinking to move away, a number that hasn’t budged from last year. Only a third of us rate the local economy highly, and this despite a plurality reporting that their own personal finances have improved.

What’s eating at us?

Various things, clearly, but for the most part it is our high housing costs, ranked by nine out of ten respondents as Silicon Valley’s most serious problem. This comes as no surprise and it makes complete sense—what good is it being in a land of opportunity if this most basic of human needs is out of reach?

And yet the Poll also shows our continuing dysfunction. Respondents indicate a desire to solve the housing crisis but they are simultaneously suspicious of high-rise developments, uncomfortable with density, and largely unwilling to welcome new projects in their own neighborhoods (especially for low-income and transient housing).

Our organization has a long history of reporting out the facts, through such publications as the Silicon Valley Index. This annual Poll allows us to place those facts alongside stated opinion. Sometimes they will align; often they will not. In either case, our thoughts and feelings deeply matter. They can carry our region one direction or another, at a time when there is a great deal at stake. This is why we’re committed to putting out a listening ear every autumn and doing it in a way that is thoroughly scientific, thanks to our partnership with Change Research. We’re also pleased to be joined in the endeavor by Bay Area News Group.

This report presents top-line results. Reams of highly detailed information—including numerous stratifications—are available at our online reservoir, www.siliconvalleyindicators.org.

Yours,

Russell Hancock
President & Chief Executive Officer
Joint Venture Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies