Report: Philadelphians are happy with Philly more than ever before

Philadelphians are happy with the city more than ever before, but a smaller amount of millennials see themselves building a future here compared to last year, according to Pew’s latest report.

Forty-eight percent of young adults said they could see themselves staying in Philly five to 10 years in the future. That number is down from last year’s 59 percent.

Pew researchers said that this 11 percent dip is at least one area of potential concern for Philly, where millennials account for much of the city’s recent population increase. The young adults aged 18 to 34 surveyed said jobs, public safety, and to nobody's surprise, education as main reasons for not wanting to stay in the city.

This is a trend that's been noted before. A report by Center City District earlier this year found that despite the recent uptick in millennial residents, about a third of those who moved into Center City in 2000 have since moved from the area for some of the same reasons.

But otherwise, Philadelphians in general are pretty pleased with current state of the city. The researchers said that the results are some of the most positive they’ve encountered since they began conducting these surveys seven years ago. This most recent one was taken this past August with 1,601 adults aged 18 and older.

Some of the major findings:

• 50 percent say the city is headed in the right direction. Another 34 percent say it’s going down the wrong track.

• 72 percent said they were pleased with the Pope’s visit and the Democratic National Convention.
• Most folks—52 percent—are happy with new Mayor Jim Kenney. Another 23 percent disapprove of his first year in office. Speaking of Kenney, 54 percent approve and 42 percent disapprove of his controversial soda tax, which passed earlier this year and was designed to help fund early school education programs and other city programs.
• Philly’s education system, which is one of the city’s thorniest issues, even fared slightly better. This year 22 percent said rated city schools as excellent or good. That’s up 3 percent from last year.

You can read Pew’s full survey results here.

• Report: Philadelphia is the best city for millennials [Curbed Philly]