This document summarizes the results of a 2016 survey of 800 registered voters in Escambia County, Florida about quality of life. Key findings include: 66% of respondents rated overall quality of life as good or excellent, though this was down from 71% in 2015. The top concerns were the economy/jobs and education. Satisfaction with the direction of Pensacola city declined sharply from 70% in 2015 to 45% in 2016, and ratings of the city mayor and council also dropped. Most respondents felt quality of life over the next 5 years would stay the same.

1. QUALIT Y OF LIFE
2016
REPORT
in Pensacola and Escambia County
PENSACOLA YOUNG
PROFESSIONALS
Presented by:

2. QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P2 P3
Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. located in
Washington, D.C., conducted this survey from June 22-28,
2016. Eight hundred (800) registered Escambia County
voters were interviewed by telephone.
Those interviewed were selected randomly from a
commercially available Florida State voter registration
file. The resulting sample fairly reflects the demographic
profile of voters in Escambia County. Please see the
statistical report for demographic details by visiting
www.PensacolaYP.com.
The margin for error, according to standards customarily
used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus
3.5-percentage points. This means there is a 95 percent
probability that the “true” figure would fall within that
range if the entire population were sampled. The margin
for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a gender,
income or race.
Quint and Rishy Studer generously provide funding for
this annual survey and Pensacola Young Professionals
coordinate and execute its presentation.
The mission of Pensacola Young Professionals is to share our
passion for and belief in the Pensacola Bay Area, and to act as a
catalyst for positive change in our community. Our hope is that the
annual results of this Quality of Life Survey will be a useful mea-
surement tool that allows Escambia County residents to have a
voice and offers data to local leaders and policy makers seeking to
affect change for the benefit of the entire community. By measuring
public opinion in an annual survey and collecting data for com-
parison, we are able to provide material that generates informed
debate and inspires necessary action.
Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, an independent polling firm that
conducts public policy and political polling research nationwide,
carried out the 2016 Annual Quality of Life Survey of Escambia
County on behalf of Pensacola Young Professionals (PYP). Since
2008, Escambia County voters have been asked their opinions on
a number of key issues, with the results presented in the Quality of
Life Report.
As of June 2016, the overall quality of life rating in Escambia County
remains mostly positive, with 66% of voters rating it “excellent”
or “good,” although this number is down from 71% in 2015. The
top concern of voters in our area continues to be the economy
and jobs. Education remains the number two issue among county
voters again this year, while crime and drugs take the second spot
among city voters.
In line with an overall decline in many numbers compared to last
year, the question “Do you think Escambia County is heading in
the right direction, or are things on the wrong track?” revealed
that 51% of Escambia County voters said right direction in 2016
compared to 61% in 2015. Meanwhile, the City of Pensacola saw a
sharp decline in rating, with only 45% of voters saying things in the
City are headed in the right direction—a stunning drop from 70%
only a year ago. Additionally, the job performance rating of Mayor
Hayward dropped precipitously, while the rating of the City Council
saw a more modest but still noticeable drop.
Based on the results, 2016 seems to be a time of renewed concern
for county and especially city residents. For our community to
continue to move forward and break through obstacles, it is crucial
that we explore this survey data and identify areas for improve-
ment. PYP is confident that our community can courageously face
the challenges before us and make our area an even better place to
live, work, and play.
DEMOGRAPHIC MAKEUP
METHODOLOGY
E XECUTIVE SUMMARY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 Methodology&Demographics
3 ExecutiveSummary
4 OverallQualityofLife
6 IndividualFactors:QualityofLife
8 StateoftheCityofPensacola
10 StateofEscambiaCounty
12 MajorIssues:Economy
14 MajorIssues:Education
16 MajorIssues:Port&Waterfront
18 ImprovingQualityofLife
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
Full or
Part Time
Retired
Homemaker
Unemployed
Student
65+
50-64
30-39
40-49
18-29
Some
College
College
Undergrad
Grad
Degree High
School
County
Residents
City
Residents
Democrat
Republican
Independent
White
Black
Other
Ethnicity
Hispanic
Declined <$25k
$25-$39k
$40-$74K
$75k+
Declined Taylor Simmons, President
Jon Pytynia, VP of Community Development
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
The different colors of this graph represent different demographics of the
surveyed population. The total area of a particular color represents the
whole of that measured demographic.

3. PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P4 P5
“Everything is
in position to
make Pensacola
a great place to
attract young
professionals,
but community
involvement,
par ticularly by
young people,
is key.”
Overall Quality of Life
P
ensacola has always had my heart,
ever since my family immigrated
here in the early 1990s. But even into
the early 2000s, Pensacola was not very
attractive to young adults, mainly due to a
limited amount of social life geared toward
that demographic. Much has changed
recently; Pensacola is now a vibrant town
with an incredible blend of old and new.
Everything is in position to make Pensacola
a great place to attract young professionals,
but community involvement, particularly by
young people, is key. I’ve been home for a
year now and, realizing that nothing is gained
without participation, I found a passion for
charity work and co-founded Light Up The
Night to promote mental health counseling
and suicide awareness.
One of the most heartening findings of the 2016 Quality of
Life Survey is that the majority of residents rate the quality
of life in Escambia County positively. A total of 66% rate the
quality of life to be “Good” or “Excellent.”
QualityofliferatingsforEscambiaCountyin2016
DesirabilityofEscambiaasaplacetolive
bydemographic
Changeovertime,2008-2016
Feelingabouttheprogressofqualityoflife
overthenext5years
Going forward, residents of the county were a bit
more reserved in how they thought the quality of
life would change. Only 28% of residents thought
the quality of life would improve, but a mere 13%
thought the quality of life would deteriorate. The
majority of people thought the quality of life would
stay the same.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Impoverished
CollegeGrads
Immigrants
Young&Single
Entrepreneurs
Minorities
Families
Retirees
0
25
50
75
100
ExcellentGoodFairPoor
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
Improve
Deteriorate
Staythesame
28%
59%
13%
Thahn Nguyen
13%
53%
27%
7%
Poor JustFair Good Excellent

4. PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P6 P7
INDIVIDUAL FACTORS
Contributing to Quality of Life
2008 20162012
PublicSafety
Leadership
EconomicDevelopment
Jobs
Mobility
Inclusiveness
Culture
Nightlife
NaturalBeauty
Parks&Beaches
Healthcare
Housing
Schools
Transit
Administrati
on In
frastructure
Leisure
Liveability
255075100
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
EconomicDevelopment
Jobs
Leadership
Mobility
Transit
Housing
PublicSafety
Schools
Culture
Nightlife
Healthcare
Inclusiveness
Parks&Beaches
NaturalBeauty
(Detailof2016results)
For the 2016 Quality of Life Report,
county residents rated only several
categories as being better than in
any previous years: jobs, economic
development, public safety, transit,
parks & beaches, and culture, with
parks & beaches and culture making
only a very small improvement from
any previous year.
DefinitionofTerms:
For this metric, participants were read descriptions of qualities and characteristics that
contribute to the quality of life in Escambia County.
Natural Beauty: Natural beauty and physical setting.
Parks & Beaches: The availability of outdoor parks, playgrounds and beaches.
Inclusiveness: Welcoming and inviting to people of diverse backgrounds, ethnicity and culture.
Healthcare: Availability of quality healthcare.
Nightlife: Having a vibrant nightlife with clubs, bars, restaurants, etc.
Culture: The availability of cultural opportunities such as theatre, museums and music.
Schools: Quality of public schools.
Public Safety: Public safety and low crime.
Housing: Availability of affordable housing.
Transit: Availability and reliability of public transportation.
Mobility: Being able to get from place to place with little traffic.
Leadership: Effective leadership from elected officials.
Jobs: Job opportunities in your field.
Economic Development: A shared vision for economic development and job growth.
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS

5. QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P8
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
State of the City
GeneralsatisfactionwiththedirectionofPensacola
ConfidenceinthevisionfortherevitalizationofPensacola
45% of respondents think that Pensacola
is heading in the right direction (▼-25%)
While the level of confidence in Pensacola's
revitalization vision has fallen from last year, the
decline is less steep than measurements for the
direction in which the city is headed.
Both Mayor Ashton Hayward and the
Pensacola City Council see declines in
the level of satisfaction with their job
performance. Although the mayor did see a
steeper decline than did city council, Mayor
Hayward still maintains a higher positive
performance rating than does the
Pensacola City Council.
0
25
50
75
100
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
0
25
50
75
100
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
In 2016, Pensacola sees a dip in the confidence
in the city's direction. Less than 50% of city
residents are satisfied, a drop of 25% from
last year.
10
20
30
40
50
councilmayor
District1
District2
District3
District4
District5
(Detailof2016results)
Ted Kirchharr
A
s a long-time resident of Pensacola, I am pleased
overall with the direction of Escambia County and
the City of Pensacola. Downtown revitalization
is progressing nicely, and we seem to be laying the
foundation for better economic development. But I
continue to be troubled by the level of poverty in our
community and the slow progress in preparing our young
people for school. I am convinced that resolving our early
learning issue is key to our long-term prosperity, and I am
encouraged by our recent efforts in that regard.
45
55
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 P9
SatisfactionwiththejobperformanceofPensacolaleadership
0
25
50
75
100
councilmayor
2011
2015
2016
2014*
2013
2012
PositiveratingsforMayorAshtonHayward
PositiveratingsforCityCouncil
*FirstyearCityCouncildatarecorded
34
27

6. PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
State of the County
Satisfactionwiththejobperformance
ofCountyCommissioners
GeneralsatisfactionwiththedirectionofEscambiaCounty
ConfidenceinthevisionforeconomicdevelopmentinEscambiaCounty
Although satisfaction in the direction the
county is headed is down, 56% of survey
respondents are confident in the vision for
economic development in Escambia County,
up 5% from last year.
Escambia County residents expressed a
decline in their satisfaction with the direction
of the county. Last year, 61% were satisfied,
while this year shows only a 51% satisfaction
level for the county.
0
25
50
75
100
commis-
sioners
job per-
for-
mance
2015 20162014
0
25
50
75
100
county di-
rection
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
0
25
50
75
100
county vision
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
56% of respondents are confident in the vision for
economic development in Escambia County (▲+5%)
PositiveratingsforCountyCommissioners
2016 showed a slight increase in the satisfaction of
residents when considering the job performance of
county commissioners. District 2 saw the highest
level of satisfaction with country commissioners,
and District 3 saw the lowest level. 10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
commisi
mance
2016
District1
District2
District3
District4
District5
(Detailof2016results)
51% of respondents think that Escambia County
is heading in the right direction (▼-10%)
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P10
56
42
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 P11
51

7. PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P12 P13
...The greater Pensacola area is making real strides in workforce
development. Whether by working directly with businesses to build
educational career pathways, or by bringing cross-sector leadership
together through Achieve Escambia to improve cradle-to-career
educational and workforce outcomes, we must continue to bring all
voices to the table and align our resources so we can leverage the entire
talent pool and ensure prosperity for all."
One of the most important issues for residents is the community's ability to
attract jobs. Most years, Pensacola has been rated as better at attracting jobs
than Escambia County overall. This year, both the city and the county saw a
decline in their perceived ability to attract economic opportunity and job growth.
Major Issues: Economy
citycounty
0
25
50
75
100
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
SuccessofCountyvs.Citytoattracteconomicopportunityandjobgrowth
Jennifer Grove
EscambiaCounty
CityofPensacola
"Talent is quickly
becoming the most
critical consideration
in a community’s ability
to grow and attract jobs
and investment...
19
22

8. PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P14
Major Issues: Education
Satisfactionwithpublicschools’assistancewitheconomicdevelopmentandjobreadiness
Feelingaboutthefutureprogressofpublicschools’abilitytoprovidequalityeducation
Satisfactionwiththejobperformanceofpublicschoolleadership
0
25
50
75
100
SuburbCity
school econ dev
Suburb CountyCity
bettersame
0
25
50
75
100
2015 20162014
0
25
50
75
100
superboard
superboard
...schools, homes, neighbors, elected officials, business
owners, everyone. We can no longer just say it is the
responsibility of the schools, the parents and guardians,
or the students. It is the responsibility of all of us, and our
responsibility should not be limited to special speeches,
campaigns, media ads, back-to-school events, surveys
and reports, and so forth. Our responsibilities should have
a deeper impact and proactively engage the community,
and hold us all accountable for the educational
achievement of our citizens."
"For education in Escambia to
truly improve and progress,
it takes a village...
Showing similar results, city residents were
most confident in the future progress of public
schools’ ability to provide a quality education,
with suburbanites showing less confidence in
the future progress of public schools.
City residents are most confident in the public
schools' ability to provide quality education in
the future while suburbanites are
less optimistic.
Denise Jamison, EdD
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
District1
District2
District3
District4
District5
(Detailof2016results)
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 P15
Willstaythesame
Willimprove
PositiveratingsforSchoolBoard
PositiveratingsforSuperintendentMalcolmThomas
CountywideAverage
CountywideAverage
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
39
59
45
61

9. PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
importance
of waterfront
2015 2016201420132012
0
25
50
75
100
ImportanceofPensacola’swaterfront
FutureofthePortofPensacola
The city should seek
funding to renovate
the port to increase
its use.
The city should sell/
lease the port property
and allow for mixed-use
development.
Would you support or oppose moving the
marine terminal ops of the port to
Naval Air Station Pensacola?
I
ndividuals, families, and businesses cannot
thrive without health, and Pensacola provides
excellent health care services to its residents.
But health is not created in the doctor’s office or
a hospital—it is created where we live, work, and
play. Our environment plays a powerful role in
our health—and our businesses, restaurants, and
public spaces should all be parts of our wellness
culture. They should gently push us towards
drinking water, moving, and breathing. I hope the
generous spirit of Pensacola can extend to giving
back to ourselves the self-care that will make us
better at everything we do.
Meghan Blueberry McCar thy
vs.
mo keep
59% 31%
undecided movetoNAS keep
51%
39%
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 P17QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P16
Undecided
Oppose
Support
“Our environment
plays a power ful
role in our
health—and
our businesses,
restaurants and
public spaces
should all be
par ts of our
wellness culture.”
Major Issues: Por t & Water front
82

10. PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
PENSACOLAYOUNGPROFESSIONALS
QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016 QUALITY OF LIFE — 2016P18 P19
Improving Quality of Life
betterworsesame
5 year econ
0
25
50
75
100
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
goodfair econ conditions
0
25
50
75
100
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
0
25
50
75
100
yes
confidence in security of job
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2014
2013
2012
PerceptionofeconomicconditionsinEscambiaCounty TheconditionofEscambiaCounty'seconomyin5years
ConfidenceinthesecurityofjobsinEscambiaCounty
Fair
Good
Willstaythesame
Willworsen
Willimprove
Confidence in Escambia County residents' job security
increased 16% in the past 5 years.
42
54
28
54
13
32

11. Pensacola Young Professionals
321 N. DeVilliers Street • Suite 218 • Pensacola, FL 32502
www.PensacolaYP.com