10/26/2026
📰 ‘Less connected, less happy:’ UT Dallas quality-of-life survey measures North Texas affordability, attitudes
Community Impact covers the latest NTX Quality of Life Data Reveal event.
North Texans report greater affordability pressures, less neighborhood connectedness and unease about artificial intelligence in a new quality-of-life survey from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Researchers from the university’s School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences presented results from the 2026 William C. Short Quality of Life Survey on Oct. 21. They have conducted the survey annually since 2024 to identify issues important to North Texans and bring community members together, said Jennifer Holmes, dean of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.
The overview
Timothy Bray, project director for the North Texas Quality of Life Initiative and director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research at UT Dallas, said the survey’s guiding question for 2026 was, “What does it take to make North Texas a place to call home?”
The research team surveyed residents in Denton, Tarrant, Collin and Dallas counties in August and received 1,933 usable responses, Bray said. He said he hopes the data can be used to provide guidance and identify solutions for regional issues.
“The challenge we face as a region is we need faster, more accurate, more accessible data,” Bray said. “We begin by listening to North Texas, asking the folks who live in our communities what they think.”
The survey asked questions about economic pressures, affordability, life satisfaction and civic engagement. Bray said the research team also chooses two “pressing topics” each year—for 2026, they surveyed residents on AI and the American dream.
“These are exactly the kinds of questions where perception and reality can diverge, and where good data can help community leaders, policymakers, researchers and nonprofits act wisely,” Holmes said.
The quality-of-life initiative includes a public dashboard, annual report, downloadable data and “pulse surveys” on current issues, Holmes said.
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A new University of Texas at Dallas survey shows North Texans face affordability pressures, feel less connected and express unease about artificial intelligence.
