AUSTIN, Texas — More Texans say they're spending too much on housing as nearly half say their family economic situation has gotten worse.
Those responses are part of the latest Texas Lyceum Poll, which looks at the most pressing issues facing Texas while tracking the attitudes and opinions of Texans over time.
Texas Lyceum, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, said it conducted the poll over the phone in April. The organization asked 1,200 Texans their thoughts on everything from inflation and legalizing marijuana to gambling, mental health, water and federal elections.
"The Lyceum poll finds Texans' views of democracy in a state of continued decay," research director Joshua Blank, Ph.D., said. "As recently as 2019, nearly 60% of Texans said they were at least somewhat satisfied with the way democracy is working in the U.S., the last two Lyceum polls found majority dissatisfaction."
Inflation and housing market concerns
The poll found that 48% of Texans responded that their family's economic situation worsened compared to 2023, an all-time high in Texas Lyceum polling going back to 2009.
Nearly two-thirds of Texans also said they're spending too much of their income on housing, including 73% of renters.
"The scope of economic distress in Texas is both widespread and historically troubling," Blank said. "While inflation has increased the cost of nearly everything, the steady increase in housing costs has clearly put a major strain on most Texas households."
According to previous polls, this is the fourth year in a row that Texans have had a negative evaluation of the national economy.
Support for legalizing marijuana
For the first time since 2015, the poll asked Texans their thoughts on legalizing marijuana. The poll previously found that 50% opposed legalizing marijuana, but now, 60% of Texans support legalization.
While 31% of respondents did not support legalizing marijuana, nearly half said they would support decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana to a citation or fine.
The future of gambling
A growing debate in Texas continues to get more support as 57% of Texans said they would support expanding casino gambling, while only 28% said they were opposed.
While support for gambling among Democrats and Republicans was comparable, Texans under the age of 30 were the most divided on the topic. Only 46% of those under 30 supported expanding casino gambling, while 36% opposed it.
See the full results of the Texas Lyceum Poll.
