Introduction
This page presents summary points related to success and wellbeing from the 2023 Oregon Values & Beliefs Typology Study. The summary draws from a scientifically conducted public opinion survey completed in the fall of 2023.
The survey’s full sample size was N=3,414 which is sufficient to assess Oregonians’ values and beliefs generally, to learn how Oregonians feel about different planning and policymaking issues, and to review findings by multiple subgroups.
General Observations – Success and Wellbeing
Success and wellbeing span a wide range of issues, ranging from equity, poverty and housing to education, health, and healthcare. There is also climate change and the impact of social media, government policy, and the provision of government services on success and wellness.
Regarding equity, when asked about the progress women and Black people have made, Oregonians feel there’s still work to be done. They also feel that society is just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children.
Oregonians feel everyone has it in their own power to succeed but that those living in poverty have hard lives because government benefits don’t go far enough to help them live decently.
Other concerns are the harmful effects of climate change and social media on our lives.
Oregonians feel abortion should be legal in most or all cases. They do not think greater penalties and confinement are the answer to the addictive drug epidemic, favoring a better understanding of the root causes and treatment of addition, instead. In their responses to open-ended questions about hopes and fears for the state in 50 years, Oregonians express a strong desire to better address mental health issues. They also feel pessimistic about the wellness of people in the U.S. over the next 50 years. A plurality of Oregonians support changing to a unified, integrated single-payer healthcare system. A strong majority feel that a technical trade education is a better pathway to success than a university education.
Findings
Q8. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: People living in poverty today have it easier because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return | 12% | 33% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 21% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 30% | 67% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: People living in poverty have hard lives because government benefits don’t go far enough to help them live decently | 37% | |
Q9. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Immigrants today strengthen our country because of their hard work and talents | 35% | 64% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 29% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 19% | 36% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Immigrants today are a burden on our country because they take our jobs, housing, and health care | 17% | |
Q11. A or B
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy | 17% | 37% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 21% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 27% | 63% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Stronger environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost | 36% | |
Q12. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: I prefer a smaller government providing fewer services | 20% | 41% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 21% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 36% | 59% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: I prefer a bigger government providing more services | 23% | |
Q13. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Same-gender romantic relationships should be discouraged in society | 11% | 24% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 13% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 23% | 76% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Same-gender relationships should be respected in society | 53% | |
Q15. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Our country has made the changes needed to give black people equal rights with white people | 21% | 42% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 21% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 21% | 58% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Our country needs to continue making changes to give black people equal rights with white men | 36% | |
Q16. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: The economic system in this country unfairly favors powerful interests | 57% | 80% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 23% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 12% | 20% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: The economic system in this country is generally fair to most Americans | 8% | |
Q17. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: The obstacles that once made it harder for women than men to get ahead are now largely gone | 17% | 40% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 23% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 29% | 60% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: There are still significant obstacles that make it harder for women to get ahead than men | 31% | |
Q18. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Our country would be better off if we all consumed less | 32% | 61% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 29% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 25% | 39% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: We need to buy and consume to support a strong economy | 15% | |
Q19. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Society is better off if people make marriage and having children a priority | 14% | 33% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 19% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 27% | 67% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Society is just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children | 39% | |
Q20. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside of our control | 10% | 37% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 26% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 37% | 63% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Everyone has it in their own power to succeed | 26% | |
Q22. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: The addictive drug epidemic in our country requires a broader understanding of the root causes and treatment of addiction | 44% | 69% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 25% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 15% | 31% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Drug addiction is a symptom of an overly permissive society that requires greater discipline, penalties, and confinement | 16% | |
Q24. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Climate change requires us to change our way of life, drive less, and live more simply | 47% | 76% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 29% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 14% | 24% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: If climate change becomes a problem, we can deal with it later | 10% | |
Q27. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Social media has improved our lives | 7% | 29% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 21% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 35% | 71% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: Social media has done more harm than good | 36% | |
Q28. A or B?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: I feel hopeful about the wellness of the people in the U.S. over the next 50 years | 10% | 33% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 23% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 35% | 67% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: I feel pessimistic about the wellness of people in the U.S. over the next 50 years | 32% | |
Q30. A or B
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| FEEL STRONGLY: A university education is the best pathway to success in life | 7% | 28% |
| LEAN TOWARDS A | 21% | |
| LEAN TOWARDS B | 40% | 72% |
| FEEL STRONGLY: A technical trade education is often a better pathway to success than a university education | 31% | |
Q41. In general, how much do you think white people benefit from advantages in society that Black people do not have?
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| A great deal | 29% | 62% |
| A fair amount | 33% | |
| Not too much | 24% | 38% |
| Not at all | 14% | |
Q25. Which option comes closest to your view about abortion? It should be…
| Response category | N = 3,414 | |
| Legal in all cases | 33% | 72% |
| Legal in most cases | 38% | |
| Illegal in most cases | 23% | 28% |
| Illegal in all cases | 6% | |
Q36. Which statement comes closest to your view about the cost and availability of medical care services? [Randomized all, except Other]
| Response category | n = 2,842 |
| Keep the current system as is with private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, safety-net clinics, and veteran’s insurance | 41% |
| Move the health care system of physicians, hospitals, insurance, and pharma to a unified, integrated single-payer system | 48% |
| Other [open] [See verbatims document] | 12% |
Q32. Thinking of a future fifty years from now, briefly stated in 20 words or less, what is your biggest hope for Oregon?
“Universal healthcare at the state level regardless of income.“
Jackson County
“More social services, in particular MENTAL HEALTH services.”
Benton County
“Building truly affordable housing and providing assistance to low income to get & stay into those. Solving the synthetic fentanyl & other serious drug addictions & funding REGULATED crime response.”
Multnomah County
“There needs to be more affordable housing for low-income families. And more jobs for women with equal pay. Also, climate change improvements.”
Lane County
Q33. What is your biggest fear for Oregon thinking ahead fifty years, again in 20 words or less?
“Mental health will not be taken care of, and people will continue to suffer with no help.”
Umatilla County
“That the poverty and mental health issues will only climb.”
Jackson County
“Drug use becoming worse and nowhere for houseless and low-income housing.”
Deschutes County
“Bad government, Homelessness, overpriced housing for the average families, and too many low-income families living with government aid. This leads to owners gouging.”
Multnomah County
“Loss of agriculture and logging. Increases in fuel and grocery costs.”
Josephine County
“That we lose most assistants for low-income families.”
Douglas County