A new HNTB Corp. America THINKS national public opinion survey finds 86% of Americans believe government should help fund public transportation. According to survey data, this belief is held most strongly among Americans living in urban areas (92%), 85% of suburban respondents, as well as 79% of those living in rural areas agree.
According to the survey, Public Transportation in the U.S.-2018, support for government funding of public transportation encompasses every age group with highest support among millennials at 93%, and seniors composing the lowest majority support with 61% of seniors in agreement. Additionally, Americans across the nation support government funding for public transportation, with all areas of the country showing strong support in the mid to high 80 percentile.
The HNTB survey defined public transportation to include ride-sharing services such as taxis, car/limousine services, carpools and vanpools, online car services like Uber or Lyft, bus/bus rapid transit, subways, streetcars/light rail systems, and commuter rail systems.
“Americans recognize the value and benefits of public transportation, and believe government funding is essential to build and maintain a public transportation system that delivers quality service,” said Kim Slaughter, HNTB national transit/rail sector leader and sr. VP. “It is remarkable the extent to which people across the nation, living in every type of community setting and across all age groups agree. Transit agencies and elected officials should take particular note of the support among younger segments of the population, and recognize they are increasingly in the majority as consumers of public transportation, as well as voters and taxpayers.”
The survey also found that 83% of Americans currently have access to some form of public transportation. Among those Americans with access to some form of public transportation, two in three have used it at some point, and the desire to live near public transportation continues to grow strong according to the survey, with 65% of respondents reporting their interest has either increased or remained the same, compared to 66% of respondents in HNTB’s 2016 America THINKS survey, Transit Oriented Development in America.
The survey detailed a variety of other information including demographics of the survey participants. Check out the original article from Metro Magazine here.