Denver Issues

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What do Denver voters think about the direction of the city?

Insights & Analysis

• Denverites are equally split on the direction that the city is headed in (44% right direction; 44% wrong track), and the divided sentiment is reflected in the Net Promoter Score (how likely voters are to recommend Denver) which is widely spread across the 1-10 scale.

• 17% are Promoters, 30% are Passives, and 53% are Detractors, leaving Denver with an NPS score of -36.

• However, voters are generally pessimistic (45%) rather than optimistic (30%) about the progress being made on downtown Denver’s recovery. Two-thirds of voters feel safe in Denver, but the feeling is soft as a majority say somewhat safe.

• Voters who prioritize crime and public safety are clearly the most negative about the direction of Denver (63% WT), but many voters who prioritize cost of living (40% RD; 46% WT) and homelessness (42% RD; 44% WT) share a negative outlook on the city’s direction. Interestingly, those who prioritize housing affordability are a bit more upbeat (51% RD; 32% WT) about the city’s direction. The most optimistic voters are those who prioritize climate/environment (60% RD) and walking/biking/transit (70%RD).

• Ideology plays a huge role in a voter’s outlook on the city. Liberals (63% RD; 26% WT) and socialists (58% RD; 31% WT) are quite positive, but moderates (28% RD; 58% WT), conservatives (26% RD; 71% WT), and libertarians (28% RD; 64% WT) are very negative.

• There is also an income component. Those with household incomes under $50k are quite negative (34% RD; 45% WT), $50k-$125k are divided (44% RD; 46% WT), and $125k+ are the most optimistic (53% RD; 39% WT).

• The top priority for the Denver city government to address is homelessness (51%) followed by housing affordability (42%). Crime and public safety (34%) and cost of living (32%) are the two other issues of significance.

• Homelessness is a clear priority for most voters. In fact, it is the top priority across most groups, but there are some notable exceptions. Those aged 18-29 prioritize housing affordability and cost of living more than homelessness. Those aged 65+ register a tie between crime, housing affordability, and homelessness. Democrats equally prioritize housing affordability and homelessness, while Republicans place crime ahead of homelessness. Unaffiliated voters place homelessness above other issues by a wide margin.

• Mayor Johnston’s homeless plan is generally approved (34% approve; 20% disapprove), but a plurality (41%) haven’t heard enough to form an opinion.

• There is overwhelming support for the continuation of homeless encampment clean-ups (65% support; just 22% oppose). The only groups who oppose continuing “sweeps” are voters ages 18-29 and socialists.

• Mayor Johnston (+24 net fav; 32% NO/NHO) has a positive image during his short time in office.

• When thinking of the cost of housing, 65% of voters say it is either a source of "significant" or "some" financial strain.

• Even with this being the case, half of voters think the city of Denver's policies should prioritize listening to the concerns of residents even if that means new housing sometimes doesn't get built as opposed to building new housing in all neighborhoods over objections from current residents (37%).

• It doesn’t appear that those who are most housing-burdened are necessarily making the link between housing costs and building more housing. Among those who say housing costs are a “significant” source of financial strain, 52% prioritize listening to concerns vs 36% who say building more housing. Similarly, those who say “housing affordability” is a top issue for the city are evenly divided on this question (42% listen to concerns; 43% build more housing).

• Support for term limit reform is strong (63% support; 18% oppose) across the political spectrum, and ranked-choice-voting (RCV) only gets to a near majority (48% support; 24% oppose), likely due to most people not understanding how it works. Republicans and older men show the most hesitation on switching to RCV.

• Denver City Council (+5 net fav) and Denver Police Department (+8 net fav) are viewed slightly favorably while Denver International Airport (+48 net fav) and Regional Transportation District (+25 net fav) are each viewed highly favorably by voters.

• Views of the Denver police department are heavily influenced by ideology and age. Overall, the police are viewed slightly favorably (51% fav; 43% unfav), but when you look at voters ages 18-29, the police are deeply underwater (-33 net fav) while those 65+ are very positive (+55 net fav). By ideology, it’s even more pronounced: socialists (-64 net fav) and very liberal voters (-33 net fav) are extremely negative. Somewhat liberals are divided (+4 net fav), moderates are quite favorable (+43 net fav), and conservatives (+60 net fav) and libertarians (+60 net fav) are the most favorable of all.