Every year the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce polls residents on city issues. This time, their study yielded a big surprise: 51 percent of respondents think the city is headed "in the wrong direction." That's up dramatically from 2015, when just 34 percent held the same view.
The findings of the study will be presented this morning during the organization's CityBeat Breakfast, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported some of the results in advance.
The Chronicle reports that homelessness tops the list of San Franciscans' concerns this year; the study found that 51 percent of those surveyed found it to be the most pressing problem facing the city. That put homelessness at the top of the list of worrisome issues, overtaking affordability. Affordability was cited by 42 percent as the most urgent concern in the city.
Jim Lazarus, Chamber of Commerce senior vice president, told a Chronicle reporter: "Homelessness has always been a big issue, but never like this."
The newspaper report notes that the poll was conducted around the time of the clearing of a large homeless encampment on Division Street, which could have skewed the results.
The poll also found that most have a favorable opinion of Muni (55 percent) and the majority support the new Warriors' arena in Mission Bay (62 percent).
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