A photo from a bird’s eye view of densely populated New York City recently went viral on Twitter, with the caption reading “Imagine living here and thinking rural conservatives are the ones who don’t care about the environment.” The post sparked a debate over high population density’s impact on the environment and on society more broadly. Despite the fact that urban living is compact, it may not feel and look green. Many experts believe that cities are more energy efficient.There are fewer cars, less energy consumption, and smaller living spaces in rural areas than in suburban or rural communities.
YouGov recently asked 1,000 Americans to weigh-in on the debate. The results show that Americans, including many who live in cities, believe high density is not only less good for the environment but also contributes to traffic congestion and crime.
Three in four Americans say it’s better for the environment if houses are built farther apart, while one in four say it’s better for houses to be built closer together. While Americans who live in cities are somewhat more likely than Americans who don’t to say that high density is more environmental, the vast majority of city-dwellers still believe that it’s more eco-friendly to build out rather than up. Although Republicans and Independents agree on this issue, Democrats are more likely to say that high-density living in cities is environmentally harmful than building further apart.
Critics of high density claim that it causes congestion in traffic because more people and more cars and drivers move into an area. Others argue that traffic is reduced by higher density developmentIt makes it easier to walk or cycle and costs less to fund public transportation. 60 percent of Americans think that higher density development creates greater traffic, while 40% believe it creates less. People who live in cities are more divided on the issue than Americans who don’t, though over half of city dwellers still say higher density leads to higher levels of traffic. Democrats are more likely say that higher density reduces rather than increases traffic, while Republicans believe the opposite.
Although some may see greater access to public transportation as an advantage in high-density living and a benefit to higher density, Tuesday’s shooting in New York City showed what many fear: the possibility of being victimized by crime. AA man set fire to a Brooklyn subway car packed with people.23 people were hurt and additional injuries were caused by the incident. New York’s recent rise in crime in public transit.
Are Americans able to see a correlation between crime rates and population density? One, it may increase the chances of a criminal being able to commit a crime if you live closer to others. Density means that there are more people nearby to witness crimes, and less police area to patrol. The majority of Americans (62%) believe that high-density areas have higher crime rates. Only 10%, however, think they have lower crime rates. The rest – 29% – say density has no effect on crime rates. People who live in cities are less likely to say higher density increases crime than are people who don’t, though half of city dwellers still say this is the case. Democrats are also more skeptical about a positive relationship between density crime and crime than Republicans or Independents, and are more likely not to believe there is a difference in crime rates between high and low-density locations.
Linley Sanders and Carl Bialik contributed to this article
Check out the Toplines CrosstabsThis U.S. News Poll
Methodology: YouGov conducted the U.S. News survey online using a nationally representative sample consisting of 1,000 U.S. citizens. The survey was conducted between April 7 and 10. Based on the 2018 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau as well as news interest, 2020 Presidential votes (or not-votes), the sample was weighted according gender, age, and race. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. citizens. The margin of error for the entire sample is approximately 4%
