UT Dallas survey: most North Texans see voting as a duty, yet 38% feel almost no local influence

Seven in 10 North Texans say skipping an election means neglecting a civic duty, but far fewer believe their vote carries much weight close to home, according to the 2026 North Texas Quality of Life Survey from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Asked to rate their influence on local politics from 0 to 5, 38% of respondents picked 0 or 1, and 17% chose 4 or 5. About the same share as the low raters, 38%, agreed that taking part in civic life costs more time, money or effort than they can give.

Timothy Bray, project director for the North Texas Quality of Life Initiative, described the gap in an interview with KERA on Tuesday. "Government is sort of this third party, and it's not a government that I see as something I can change," he said, describing the view he hears from residents.

He said the pattern is growing "not just here in North Texas, but in many places in the U.S."

How the survey works

The online survey, run by the university's School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, drew 1,933 usable responses this year, which KERA reported were collected in August. Results are weighted, and the report divides the region into five areas: three counties (Collin, Denton and Tarrant) plus Dallas County split into north and south.

The report does not publish a margin of error, and it notes that each year's sample is made up of different people.

Inside Dallas County

The two Dallas County areas trailed Collin County on several measures. In southern Dallas County, 67% said their food sometimes or often ran out before they had money for more, as did 57% in the northern part of the county. In Collin, the figure was 28%.

Ratings of local government were also lower. About 36% of respondents in northern Dallas County and 33% in the south said their local government was doing somewhat or very well, compared with 56% in Collin. The authors stress these are residents' perceptions, not an independent grade of how governments perform.

In southern Dallas County, 58% of renters said rent takes at least 30% of their after-tax income.

Outlook and AI

Across the region, 43% chose "uneasy" and 14% "afraid" to describe how they feel about the growing use of artificial intelligence, while 32% picked hopeful or enthusiastic. Bray told KERA that residents still want AI used for things like medical treatment and weather forecasting, but less of it in "intensely human spaces" such as counseling.

The report also points to civic habits it calls resources to build on: 54% said they donate somewhat or very often to groups that help people, and 54% said they had volunteered in the past two years.

Sources

ntxqualityoflife.com

ntxqualityoflife.com

kera.org