SPACE City Panel
Why Houston?
As the nation’s fourth largest city and a “global lab” for public policy, Houston’s communities are uniquely positioned to reveal how people respond to today’s biggest issues—whether it’s extreme weather, economic swings or the transition to a sustainable future. By tracking residents’ attitudes and experiences over time, the SPACE City Panel delivers timely data to inform policymakers, organizations, business leaders and the public.
Join the Center for Public Policy in exploring the resilience, opinions and ambitions of this vibrant metropolis. With quarterly surveys on community engagement, economics, sustainability and more, the SPACE City Panel spotlights the voices that shape Houston today and inspire it tomorrow.
Each quarter, the 1,500 SPACE City panelists selected to reflect the greater Houston area, spanning nine counties, answer questions about two of the four rotating modules:
Rotating Modules:
With information collected over time, Hobby School researchers and partners can construct extensive profiles of residents to provide quick and highly informed responses to topics important to Houstonians. These topics include, but are not limited to, natural disasters and recovery, education, economic hardships and vulnerability, immigration, and energy and climate change.
The SPACE City Panel's focus on public engagement, community resiliency, economics and sustainability delivers timely, in-depth insights into how the nation’s fourth-largest city responds to evolving challenges.
Beyond the quarterly surveys, the SPACE City Panel also offers custom opportunities for researchers, government agencies, businesses, community organizations, and other stakeholders to add questions or explore specific issues and trends over time to understand, serve and shape Houston’s vibrant future.
Report 1: Introducing the SPACE City Panel: Voices from Across Greater Houston
This first report provides a detailed profile of the 5,015 individuals who enrolled in the SPACE City Panel. These panelists represent the geographic, racial and socioeconomic diversity of the nine-county Houston MSA. This baseline report offers a comprehensive look at the makeup of the panel and establishes a foundation for future longitudinal research on community conditions across the Greater Houston area.
Key Findings
Participants came from all nine counties in the Houston MSA and more than 350 ZIP Codes.
The panel mirrors regional differences across racial and ethnic composition, gender and age:
35.9% Hispanic, 17.3% non-Hispanic Black, 8.8% non-Hispanic AAPI and 38% non-Hispanic
other (including white).
Gender at birth: 51.2% respondents are women and 48.8% are men.
Generations: Strong representation across all age groups, especially Millennials (aged
29-44) and Gen X (aged 45-60).
36% of respondents report incomes under $50,000; 27.9% earn between $50,000–$99,999; and 36% report $100,000 or more.
The Panel’s 4 Focus Areas: Politics, Resiliency, Economics and Sustainability
Below is a snapshot of questions reflecting the rotating modules we’ll track over time:
- A political thermometer was created by scoring responses about whether things in the
country, state and city are going in the right or wrong direction (+1 for right, 0
for no opinion, –1 for wrong), then converting the average to a 0–100 scale (lower
scores indicate more negative views). The U.S. scored 36, Texas 40 and cities 51.
- Over half of respondents said the U.S. (56%) and Texas (50%) were heading in the wrong direction, while only 33.4% indicated the same for their city. Perceptions were more positive locally, with 36.5% saying their city is headed in the right direction.
- Nearly 47% of respondents do not identify with either major party, with 19.5% calling themselves independent and 27.1% choosing no party label.
- Concerns about political corruption are widespread. 56% of respondents said they believe corruption is a major problem in Houston-area politics, while 13.2% said it's a minor problem. Only 4.3% believe it's not a problem.
- 42.5% of respondents said they are very worried about not having enough savings to withstand a natural disaster, while 31.5% reported being somewhat worried.
- Nearly half of respondents (46.2%) say climate change and environmental concerns are a major problem for the Houston area, while 25.7% consider it a problem but not major. Just 11.8% say it's not a problem at all.
- Over one-third of panelists (37.1%) reported struggling financially—either just meeting basic needs or falling short.
- Nearly a quarter (24.9%) experienced a decline in income over the past year, while others reported modest or major gains.
Reports
January 2026
Campaign Giving and Campaign-Finance Attitudes in Greater Houston
This report examines perceptions among Houston-area residents toward donations and finds that, while nearly half donated to a cause in the past year, fewer than one in 10 respondents gave directly to political campaigns. This is the third wave of responses from the SPACE City Panel.
February 2026
Education Saving Accounts in Texas: What Houstonians Expect from SB2 Vouchers
This report examines Houston-area residents’ perceptions of the state’s first education savings account program, including who they believe will apply for and receive funds, their interest in applying, and how they think the program will affect Texas communities and public schools. This is the third wave of responses from the SPACE City Panel.
November 2025
SNAP Rollbacks and Houston's Most Vulnerable Households
A report from the Center for Public Policy examines food insecurity and the reliance on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in the Houston region. This is the second wave of responses from the SPACE City Panel.
September 2025
Household Economic Dynamics in the Greater Houston Area
This report examines household perceptions of the economy and expectations for the future. This is the second wave of responses from the SPACE City Panel.
September 2025
Houston Cares about Climate Change: Policy Preferences and Partisan Gaps
This report examines the perceptions of Houston-area residents regarding the effects of climate change and their support for policy solutions. This is the second wave of responses from the SPACE City Panel.
September 2025
Houston’s Labor Market in Motion: Job Search, Stability, and the Threat of AI
This report examines job search, employment stability and perceptions about the role of AI in Greater Houston's labor market. This is the second wave of responses from the SPACE City Panel.
August 2025
Houston Metro Community Survey
The Houston Metro Community Survey reveals that inflation and the rising cost of living are the top concerns among residents in the Greater Houston area.
Contact Information:
For questions and further information, please contact hobbycpp@central.uh.edu.