Suburbs Not Most Popular, But Suburbanites Most Content

Report Read time:
Suburbs Not Most Popular, But Suburbanites Most Content

Ever since there have been suburbs there have been harsh critiques of suburbs -- a common one being that they are suffocating places where people live lives of quiet desperation.

Well, most suburbanites apparently never got that memo.

Suburbanites are significantly more satisfied with their communities than are residents of cities, small towns or rural areas, according to a Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey that explores what Americans like -- and don't like -- about the places where they live.

The survey asks respondents to rate their community on eight characteristics: job opportunities; cost of living; a place to raise children; recreational and outdoor activities; shopping; the climate; cultural activities; and opportunities to meet people and make friends. It also asks for an overall rating.

Responses to all nine questions were aggregated into a single scale. Overall, 42% of suburban residents give their community high marks on this combined scale, compared with just 34% of city residents, 29% of rural residents and 25% of small town residents.

So let the critics bray. The suburban life is the good life, right? Well, yes, but ...

The same survey also asks people whether, if they could live anywhere, they would prefer to live in a city, a suburb, a rural area or a small town. On this measure, the suburban "good life" is a bit of a flop. Just 25% of the overall public says the suburb is their ideal community type. In fact, a higher share (30%) of the public says that small towns are their ideal community type -- this despite the fact that the people who live in small towns are much less satisfied with their communities than are residents of suburbs.

Read the full report Suburbs Not Most Popular, But Suburbanites Most Content on the Pew Research Center's Web site.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

Getty Images Small Businesses in PA Support State Retirement Savings
A person wearing a helmet and harness climbs a ladder on a metallic wind turbine tower. How States Are Advancing Clean Energy
Six workers secure a large blue tarp on the roof of a two-story condominium under a cloudless blue sky. In the foreground is a badly damaged black SUV, along with large branches and pieces of homes—evidence that a strong storm recently struck. Disaster Resilience Efforts Vary Widely Among States
A long and wide wooden pier extends into a large body of water from a shoreline with a mix of low-rise buildings, houses, and trees. Two people are walking on the pier in the distance. Two other piers are visible in the background, as is a faraway mountain. WA Takes New Approach to Help Locals Boost Climate Resilience
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.