Greater Spokane Incorporated's latest Pulse survey provides another unflinching look at the public perceptions regarding local leadership and confidence in the community. 

And while a first glance at the recently released results shows little change in improving outlooks on quality of life in the Spokane area, a deeper dive into the results suggests some progress has been made—and that some sources of concern and frustration might originate well outside of Spokane County's borders.

In the most recent Pulse survey, the overall quality-of-life score came in at 3.5, on a 10-point scale in which a higher number connotes a more positive outlook. That number was consistent within the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley and other parts of Spokane County. Also, it's basically the same as the 3.6 score that rattled the community when the initial survey results were released last fall.

The responses, which stem from interviews with 600 registered voters living in Spokane County, indicate public safety and homelessness are the top concerns, with four in five respondents lacking confidence that local government has an effective plan to address those challenges. Arguably most concerning, just over 60% say they have actively considered moving out of the area. 

That's the bad news.

Pollsters point out that the results for such surveys typically don't vary greatly from one survey to the next, and we are talking about only six months since the initial results were released. In their experience conducting such polls in other communities, improvements generally occur gradually over time. 

Consequently, let's take a look at where those gradual improvements appear in the Spokane data. 

More respondents felt safe visiting downtown. Those sentiments applied to both daytime and evening excursions, though responses during the day improved at a slightly greater rate.

Similarly, fewer people feel less safe in their own neighborhoods. 

Public trust improved modestly, though the vast majority of people—about two-thirds—lacked confidence in how their tax dollars are spent.

But perhaps one of the most revealing results is that over three-quarters of respondents are concerned about their personal financial situation, with more than 40% of all respondents saying they are very concerned. It's difficult to have a positive outlook on the community as a whole when worried about being able to get or keep a job or the ability to improve or maintain a standard of living.

Also, while public safety and homelessness were far and away the top concerns, the fastest growing concern involved government and politics. While the results don't dig deeper into the specific governmental concerns, one pollster points out that the most obvious political change over the past six months is a new U.S. president taking office, suggesting that some of the consternation might be at the federal level, rather than local. 

Regardless of the reasons, though, it's clear we, as a community, have work to do. Let's celebrate the wins where we find them and find ways to improve where we need to improve. In doing so, we're bound to see incremental improvement in the near future.