It’s fair to say that the upcoming Scottsdale elections, as well as the political environment in the city are interesting, to say the least. That’s why we were glad to get our hands on a recent public opinion poll undertaken by the most accurate pollster for the community over the past 20 years. It surveyed 300 likely voters for the November election and was conducted February 8th-10th.
Hunches and vibes mean little. Data does. And we will be sharing insights with you over the coming days, starting today. 
With all of the recent rancor in the city you might think there would be some turbulence in how voters feel about the direction of Scottsdale. It turns out the opposite is true. 66% of city voters feel things are heading in the “Right Direction” while only 21% find it to be on the “Wrong Track.” This number is remarkably similar to polls going back to 2016 and since. In the late 1990s this test was far more evenly divided. But not lately. It shows that while people may nitpick over issues here and there, they are happy with Scottsdale overall. This metric, among others, was a contributing factor to the landslide win of the Scottsdale bond and infrastructure package in November. It was also a key factor in Mayor Lane’s victory by a wide margin in 2016.
There has been a lot of insider talk about apartments and whether Scottsdale has or is approving too many. But this data suggests a disconnect with that chatter and what actual voters think. When asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statement, here were the results:
“Now, I’m going to read you a statement and afterwards please tell me if you AGREE or DISAGREE with that statement: Many of the new apartments being built in Scottsdale are being occupied by residents sixty years and older because they are looking to downsize from larger homes. Apartments can be a positive option for residents and an important part of the overall housing mix in a good community.”
AGREE: 65%
DISAGREE: 29%
Yet, showing their discerning side, voters tended to agree with the emerging “Pejman Parking Principles.” Here was the question queried and the results:
“When it comes to your experience while visiting downtown Scottsdale, have you found parking in the area ver convenient, somewhat convenient, somewhat inconvenient, very inconvenient, or do you not have an opinion on this?”
VERY CONVENIENT: 10%
SOMEWHAT CONVENIENT: 28%
SOMEWHAT INCONVENIENT: 29%
VERY INCONVENIENT: 18%
While these numbers are mixed and some parking relief is on the way thanks to $20 million for public parking recently authorized in the bond package, voters are showing some sympathy for the arguments put forth by some merchants in the downtown area.
As mentioned above, there are some other interesting nuggets in the poll and we will be sharing those soon.