Across a broad range of topics, the San Francisco Insights survey finds a city marked by optimism and civic pride, highlighting shared priorities for San Francisco’s future. The results point to a clear consensus on the central role a strong economy plays in shaping the city, while also shedding light on its strengths and challenges.
San Francisco voters broadly support a strong business environment. They tend to see business as a driver of jobs, opportunity, and the city’s overall health.
Nine in ten voters agree that attracting and retaining businesses is important to San Francisco and that a positive business climate is essential to the city’s future. There is also broad agreement that large businesses are important employers. Most voters support keeping business taxes competitive with other cities as a way to retain businesses in San Francisco.
These views are consistent with how people work. Among those who work in-person, three-quarters work in San Francisco, while one-quarter commute outside the city, and nearly two-thirds are in the office four or more days a week. This underscores the continued importance of local jobs, employers, and economic activity anchored in the city.
Innovation remains a defining part of San Francisco’s identity—and a source of optimism about its future. Most voters agree that San Francisco is a center for innovation, and nearly two-thirds say it is exciting that the city is a hub for AI and technology innovation.
About half of San Francisco voters say they regularly use AI in their work or daily lives. They are also open to new technologies in everyday life, with two-thirds viewing driverless rideshare services like Waymo favorably.
Together, these findings suggest that innovation is not only part of San Francisco’s brand, but a shared civic asset.
San Francisco voters are broadly optimistic about the city’s direction. 69% say San Francisco is headed in the right direction, and 65% rate their quality of life as excellent or good.
Large majorities describe San Francisco as one of the greatest cities in the world, full of possibilities, welcoming, and home to extraordinary people—reinforcing a deep sense of pride in the city’s identity.
Despite this optimism, voters are clear about the challenges facing San Francisco. Housing affordability and availability stand out as the most significant constraints, followed closely by concerns about cleanliness and public safety.
Affordability is the most significant factor shaping negative perceptions in the poll and remains one of the biggest barriers to growth in San Francisco. Concern about housing is nearly universal, with 93% negative ratings for housing affordability and 88% for housing availability, consistent across age and housing type. Differences in overall optimism also track with housing pressures, suggesting that affordability shapes how people feel about the city beyond housing alone.
While improvements are visible, street conditions continue to drive calls for urgent action. Sixty-eight percent rate cleanliness negatively, and voters frequently point to practical improvements—such as adding more public restrooms and trash cans, regular street cleaning, and removing graffiti—as steps that would improve how they perceive the city. Safety concerns remain prominent, with almost half rating safety in San Francisco as poor or only fair, underscoring the importance of day-to-day conditions in shaping confidence and overall livability.
San Franciscans place the highest value on the features that make the city livable, connected, and distinctive. Parks, public transit, restaurants, neighborhood retail, and cultural amenities consistently rank as essential to quality of life.
Public transit stands out as both a daily necessity and a point of civic strength. Nine in ten voters say public transit is important, and three-quarters report using it in the last month, underscoring its central role in everyday mobility. Favorability is high for the city’s core systems, with 79% viewing Muni buses and light rail favorably and 76% saying the same of BART. These systems are widely used and highly valued, providing access to jobs, schools, neighborhoods, and recreation across the city.
Beyond transit, nearly all voters say parks and open space are important to them, and similarly large majorities place high importance on restaurants and neighborhood retail. Cultural and civic amenities are also important: strong majorities value museums and art galleries, libraries, live music, and access to hiking and walking trails as part of what makes San Francisco a place they want to live.
The amenities and quality-of-life features San Franciscans value are the same ones that help attract and retain a talented workforce, reinforcing the connection between livability, economic vitality, and the city’s long-term success.
San Franciscans also express strong support for the city’s professional sports teams. Favorability is high for the San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors, and notably strong for the Golden State Valkyries, whose early support stands out after just one season.
Source: EMC Research. Findings are based on a survey of 500 registered voters in San Francisco, conducted in late November 2025. Participants were invited via email and text to complete a web-based survey, which was offered in English and Chinese. The overall margin of error is ±4 percentage points.