Kern County survey: life‑satisfaction dips; homelessness, crime and housing affordability top resident concerns

Brian Godby, a consultant presenting survey results to the Kern Council of Governments Transportation Planning Policy Committee, said the survey completed 1,400 interviews and had a margin of error of about ±2.62%.

The survey found that when respondents who were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their community are combined, 57.8% reported satisfaction with quality of life in 2025, down from 66.3% the prior year but up from 56% in 2023, Godby said. He also reported long‑term trends stretching back to the program’s start in 2008.

Why it matters: the poll measures resident priorities that local and regional planners use to shape transportation, housing and public‑services planning across Kern County.

The presenter summarized what residents like most: a ‘‘small‑town atmosphere’’ (about 40% of responses), cost of living (34%), sense of community (31%) and location (30%). On the negative side, respondents most often named homelessness as the top problem; other rising concerns included crime rates, air quality, gang activity, job opportunities, housing affordability and lack of community resources such as hospitals and social services.

On transportation, nearly eight in 10 respondents reported driving alone as their primary commute mode (about 79%). Godby reported that weekly commute distance was frequently in the 0–100 miles range (roughly 58% of respondents), which the presenter noted implies many Bakersfield‑area commuters have one‑way trips in the low‑to‑mid tens of miles when typical midpoints are assumed.

Telecommuting figures: Godby told the committee that combining responses across questions yields about 20% of the population telecommuting to some degree in 2025. Among telecommuters, most (about 56% of that subgroup) telecommute three to five days per week. Telecommuters most often cited greater productivity as their primary reason for working from home; cost savings and reduced driving followed.

The survey also asked about commercial truck traffic and recent warehouse development. A plurality of respondents (about 58%) said truck traffic had increased in the prior three years; when asked why, the top responses were construction on roads and freeways (24%), increased delivery demand (20%) and local Amazon fulfillment or distribution activity (19%). Asked about the effect of new warehouse facilities built in the last three years, 41% said they were a net benefit (new jobs and increased tax revenue), 12% said a net negative (traffic and safety/road‑repair costs), and 35% said mixed effects.

On fees and road funding, a majority of respondents (about 52%) supported higher vehicle registration fees for commercial trucks to offset road repair costs. In a separate question about electric vehicles, roughly 46% said EV owners should pay higher registration fees to offset lost gas tax revenue; about 20% said EVs should receive discounted registration fees as an incentive to buy EVs.

Housing findings: 55% of respondents reported they own their home and 36% rent. Sixty‑plus percent of respondents currently live in single‑family homes (large or small yard), with 43% reporting a single‑family home with a large yard and 37% a single‑family home with a small yard. When asked whether they would consider shared‑lot housing or duplexes, 35% of all respondents said yes; among homeowners asked if they would consider adding a second dwelling unit or converting to a duplex, 36% said yes and 41% said no. Godby flagged that the share saying they would consider second units has risen from the high‑20s in earlier survey years to the mid‑30s now.

Committee discussion and data access: Committee members asked clarifying questions about trends in sense of community, natural‑resource responses and the new weekly‑mileage question introduced in this year’s survey. Godby noted the survey includes extensive cross‑tabulations by gender, age, ethnicity and region; the full report and community surveys will be posted on the COG website soon and the final report will be available within days to a week following the meeting.

Provenance: The presentation began when Godby introduced the survey and screen‑shared the results and concluded when he said, “And that concludes the survey data that we have to show you this evening.”

Ending: Committee members acknowledged the data and said staff and local agencies would use the findings to inform outreach and project planning; staff did not take any formal action on the presentation itself.