L.A. County Quality of Life Hits Record Low, But Residents Stay Optimistic, UCLA Survey Finds
Satisfaction with quality of life among Los Angeles County residents has fallen to its lowest point in over a decade, according to the 11th annual UCLA Quality of Life Index.
The results reflect mounting strain from housing costs, education concerns and worsening traffic, according to the quality of life survey, a project of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs in partnership with the California Community Foundation.
Residents said they were least satisfied with the cost of living. Education and traffic saw some of the sharpest drops, each hitting their lowest satisfaction scores. Overall, eight of nine main categories declined, and six reached record lows with only healthcare holding steady.
The findings were a central focus of a fireside chat at the UCLA Luskin Summit, where CCF President and CEO Miguel A. Santana framed the results as a reflection of Angelenos’ resilience.
Even as they struggle with declining quality of life, deepening inequality and overlapping crises, a majority of survey respondents (53%) said they were optimistic. Pointing to that finding, Santana said that many Angelenos still value the region’s diversity, recreational opportunities and unique character.
“They are still optimistic about this being a place to raise children and senior citizens are also optimistic,” Santana said. “To us, it really is a reflection that we’re not giving up, that Angelenos are resilient, that they’re committed to making it work.”
Santana said the survey’s findings mirror the foundation’s own long-term research into what constitutes a “good life” for Angeleno. The UCLA survey found that more than 80% of respondents said that several factors that make a “good life” possible are available to them, including outdoor experiences, diversity and arts and cultural experiences. CCF’s strategic framework based on a survey of 2,000 residents produced results similar to the latest index, he said.
The UCLA Luskin Summit “Building Power Through Local Solutions” brought together several hundred policymakers, researchers, students and community leaders to explore how local action can strengthen resilience, equity and well-being across California. The summit highlighted governance, accountability and collaboration in addressing key challenges, including housing, environmental responses, transit safety and economic inequities.
By The Numbers – 2026 UCLA Quality of Life Survey
52 – Lowest Quality of Life Index score on record
31% – Of Respondents said worried about deportation
56% – Are dissatisfied with wildfire recovery efforts
80%+ – Said several factors that make a “good life” are available to them, including access to nature, diverse groups of people and arts and cultural experiences. This finding builds on research that informed CCF’s 10-yearstrategic framework.
53% – said they were generally optimistic about their own economic future
The centerpiece of the summit is the Quality of Life Index, an annual L.A. County survey that offers insight into public priorities and perceived changes in daily life.
The survey found deep economic insecurity: just 33% of respondents were very confident they could cover a sudden $2,000 expense compared to 21% among households earning under $60,000. Yet 53% remain optimistic about their economic future, suggesting a resilient, if strained, outlook.
Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at UCLA Luskin, presented the findings of the survey and participated in the fireside chat with Santana and moderator Josh Haskell, a reporter with ABC7.
The panel examined how federal immigration crack downs reshaped daily life in L.A. County since the Immigration and Custom Enforcement raids last summer. The survey found that nearly one third of respondents were worried they or someone close to them could be deported, 31% lost income or were afraid to leave home.
These concerns are not abstract: Three in 10 residents report knowing someone who lost income or was afraid to leave home due to enforcement activity, and roughly 15% say they know someone who has been detained or deported. The impacts are most pronounced among Latino residents and younger Angelenos.
“The ICE sweeps have cast fear and insecurity in many of our communities,” Yaroslavsky said. “When so many residents are directly touched by these experiences, it’s no wonder that anxiety is widespread.”
Santana said federal immigration enforcement tactics have led to residents being stopped “based on how they look, not based on any warrant or any evidence.” That climate of fear, he said, extends well beyond undocumented residents, affecting communities across ethnic and racial lines.
The consequences are both social and economic: Parents have kept children out of school, seniors have foregone medical appointments and many residents have become afraid to use public transportation. Businesses surveyed during federal raids reported severe revenue losses, with a large share yet to recover, Santana said.
L.A. County is reeling from overlapping crises: immigration raids, destructive wildfires, soaring housing costs and widening economic inequality. But these multiple crises have forged greater solidarity among Angelenos and “have brought us together as a community,” Santana said.
The survey found that the economic fallout from the 2025 wildfires continues to reverberate across the county. About a quarter of respondents reported losing income due to the fires, and only a small share of those affected say they have fully recovered. Overall, about 1 in 5 residents continues to experience unrecovered financial losses tied to the disaster.
Survey data suggests that many residents who lost income in the fires have yet to rebound. Yaroslavsky said that of those who reported losing earnings due to wildfire, 70% still had not returned to their previous income levels a year later.
Housing also emerged as a central concern among respondents. Polling shows broad support for increased density along commercial corridors, but significantly weaker enthusiasm for new housing in residential neighborhoods, Yaroslavsky said.
Those attitudes amount to a clear public mandate on where growth should go. The survey found that 75% of respondents support adding housing on commercial corridors. He said policymakers should “take the path of least resistance” and prioritize building where support is strongest instead of forcing high-density projects into established neighborhoods.
“There is a consensus in this town and this county about where density should be,” Yaroslavsky said.
Yaroslavsky was critical of state-level efforts to loosen zoning and push density more broadly, arguing that they miss the core problem. “There is not a housing shortage in the state,” he said. “There’s an affordable housing shortage in the state.”
The Quality of Life Index is based on a survey of 1,400 L.A. County residents conducted in late March with a margin of error of 2.6%. The index is a project of the Los Angeles Initiative of the Luskin School, with major funding provided by Meyer and Renee Luskin and CCF, which has made a 10-year commitment to fund the project.
“The (index) captures both the hope and the challenges in Los Angeles,” Santana said. “Through our partnership with UCLA Luskin over the next decade, we can better understand the region — and what it takes to ensure a good life is within reach for all.”
– Ben Poston