DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Detroit residents who are optimistic about the city’s future are more likely to vote in Detroit’s upcoming mayoral election than pessimistic residents, according to a survey from the University of Michigan’s Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS).

The DMACS asked 2,158 Detroit residents questions about their views on the direction of Detroit, the most important issues for the city, and how likely they are to vote in the Nov. 4 mayoral election.

Right or wrong direction?

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Overall, the survey reported that 56% of Detroit residents believe the city is heading in the right direction, compared to 13% who believe the city is heading in the wrong direction, and 31% who are unsure of the city’s direction.

The reasons for hope cited by optimistic residents included infrastructure improvements, small business revitalization, reduced crime rates, and city improvements, while the pessimistic residents said issues like rising costs of living, deteriorating roads, and crime rates fueled their concern.

Among these optimistic residents, 70% reported they will definitely vote in the upcoming election, according to the survey, while only 41% of the pessimistic residents and 52% of the unsure residents said they would vote.

Likelihood of casting a ballot.

In total, 61% of all survey respondents said they would definitely vote, versus 25% who said they will probably vote and 14% who said they would probably or definitely not vote.

The survey also found wide variations in levels of optimism between different demographics. Male survey respondents were more likely to believe the city was headed in the right direction compared to female respondents – 65% vs. 48%. Furthermore, 70% of white respondents reported optimism, while only 54% of black and 53% of Latino respondents felt the same.

Important issues.

Concerning important issues in the upcoming election, 80% of Detroiters said the quality of K-12 schools and crime and safety were both high priority issues. Affordable housing, quality job market, road conditions, and business improvement were also cited as important issues.