Fewer parents want their children to remain in East Baton Rouge Parish, and nearly seven of every 10 residents believe progress here is happening too slowly, according to the 2019 CityStats report released this morning by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.
If looking for a bright spot, the 69% of respondents who say the pace of progress is too slow is an improvement from last year, when a record-high 72% felt that way. Forty-five percent of residents believe the parish is heading in the wrong direction; 38% in the right direction.
Most alarming, only 8% of responding parents want their children to remain in the parish, with 45% saying they want their children to leave. The remaining 44% had no preference. The divide seems to fall along political lines, with no self-identified liberal expressing they wanted their children to stay in East Baton Rouge, while 15% of conservatives do want their offspring to live here.
The disconnect between constituents and politicians is also growing wider, with a record-63% saying they have little or no influence over elected officials, up from 58% last year.
On the economic front, the median household income in the parish is $51,436, based on 2017 figures, the latest available—up 10.1% over the previous 10 years. The biggest gainers were among whites ($75,695, +30%) and Asians ($69,875, +31%). The unemployment rate, after four years of decline, grew to 3.9% in 2018, the first time the local unemployment rate was equal to or higher than the national unemployment rate (3.9%) in the study’s 11-year history.
A growing number of residents are becoming more concerned about environmental issues. Sixty percent of respondents say they support a ban on single-use plastic bags, with the greatest support (75%) coming from 18 to 29-year-olds. Nearly 70% believe the planet is experiencing global warming, with 46% saying the issue is extremely or very important and 72% wanting more government regulation for greenhouse emissions. Only 13% of residents say global warming is not important. Women in the parish are more concerned about the environment than men.
Other noteworthy findings include:
• The number of residents using rideshare services, such as Uber and Lyft, increased to 31%, from 27% in 2018.Â
• Half of residents support the Industrial Tax Exemption Program, with the strongest support coming from Republicans, low income and less educated residents.Â
• Ninety-two percent support alternatives to jail for persons convicted of nonviolent offenses, and 66% of residents don’t think cash bonds should be required to release persons charged with nonviolent crimes.Â
The annual survey aims to provide insight into the Baton Rouge economy, infrastructure, education, arts, environment and public safety. This year’s poll surveyed 504 parish residents in June and has a margin of error of +/- 4.3%. See the complete CityStats report.
