Hawai‘i’s Cost of Living Needs to Be Lowered, Say Survey Respondents

Twice a year, the Anthology Marketing Group conducts two polls on behalf of Hawaii Business Magazine. This spring, the BOSS Survey contacted 407 business owners and executives and the 808 Poll reached 459 members of the general public.

Most of the surveys’ responses were published in the August print issue and online at hawaiibusiness.com, but I saved three questions about perennial local issues for this edition. This report also includes the BOSS survey within a survey of the local retail sector.

How to Deal with Hawai‘i’s Declining Population

Respondents in both surveys were presented with the following statement: After decades of growth, Hawai‘i’s population has declined for almost a decade, largely because the high cost of living induces many thousands to move away every year.

In both surveys, the differences on all responses between O‘ahu and Neighbor Island respondents were never more than a few percentage points – all well within the polls’ margins of error. However, there were bigger differences among different segments of the general public:

• Women were more likely than men – 82% to 72% – to agree that a greater effort should be made to lower the cost of living to allow more local people to afford to stay here.
• That same sentiment was shared by 83% of the people born and raised in Hawai‘i, but by only 70% of transplants to the state. Conversely, 16% of transplants favored a smaller state population versus only 7% of those born and raised in Hawai‘i.

They were asked which of the following four options best mirrored their personal view on the subject.

A greater effort should be made to lower the cost of living so people born and raised here can afford to stay

A stagnant or lower population is better for Hawai‘i for various reasons, including less strain on our natural resources and less demand for housing.

No strong feelings about whether Hawai‘i’s population increases or decreases.                                              .

We should try to gradually increase the population because a shrinking population threatens our future as a vibrant economy and society

How to Improve Hawai’i’s Quality of Life

Each respondent was presented with the following nine options and asked to select up to two that they felt would “improve the quality of life in Hawai‘i and create a more vibrant economy.” (Note: All of the 808 Poll and most of the BOSS Survey were conducted before the state Legislature passed and Gov. Josh Green signed into law a substantial cut in state income taxes.

Among businesspeople, here are the biggest differences between O‘ahu and the Neighbor Islands:

• 29% of the businesspeople surveyed on O‘ahu chose “More focus and spending on education and workforce development,” compared with only 12% of Neighbor Island businesspeople.
• 35% of Neighbor Island businesspeople chose “Less government regulation, especially on new housing construction,” compared with only 15% of O‘ahu respondents.

In the 808 Poll of the general public:

• 42% of O‘ahu respondents chose “Lower taxes so people have more money to spend.” On the Neighbor Islands, only 27% picked that option.
• Women were more likely to have chosen “More focus and spending on education and workforce development” than men – 33% vs. 22%. Men were more likely to have chosen “More investment in infrastructure” than women – 26% vs. 16%.
• College graduates were more likely to choose “Diversifying the economy” than those without college degrees – 43% vs. 28%. Meanwhile, 38% of those without college degrees chose “Greater support for small businesses and local enterprises,” compared with 19% of college graduates.

How Much Information Should Be Disclosed?

Respondents in both surveys were presented with the following statement: When people volunteer to serve without pay on public boards in Hawai‘i, they are often required to file disclosures about their income, investments and other details, and these disclosures are then made public.

Many local leaders, including the heads of several state agencies, say these public disclosures discourage many of the best qualified candidates from serving on public boards. They propose an alternative where the ethics commission searches these disclosures for potential conflicts of interest that might disqualify the candidates from serving, but do not disclose the information to the public. What is your opinion on this issue?

Disclosure forms should still be required but they should be vetted by the ethics commission without being released to the public.

Disclosure forms should always be required and made public.