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RESEARCH <br />Key Findings 3 <br />3.1 Community Mood <br />Voters in Kittitas County are evenly split on the county's direction. General sentiment deviates from <br />current statewide trends in the sense that voters in Kittitas County are seemingly less negative than the <br />state at large but relatively more uncertain or undecided about the trajectory of their community. <br />Voters who are 45 years and older are relatively more likely to say things are headed in the right <br />direction (38% ages 45-64, and 41 % ages 65 and older) than younger voters, particularly those ages <br />30-44 (20%). Differences also exist across political affiliation; Republicans and Independent voters are <br />more likely to say things are on the wrong track (45% and 49% respectively) than Democrats (21 %). <br />Fifty-six percent of those who voted in none or just one of the 4 recent general elections answered, <br />"don't know." <br />General Sentiment - Kittitas County <br />Total Washington State: 2022 - 2024 <br />39% <br />42 <br />Don't know <br />32% <br />Sep.22' Nov.22' Apr.23' Aug.23' Dec.'23 Mar.'24 <br />Total Washington State 2022 - 2024 data from DHM's statewide online panel surreys. <br />Overpopulation, growth, and development are pressing concerns among some Kittitas County voters, <br />as nearly a quarter identify these issues as the most important problems facing the county today. In the <br />focus groups, public safety issues, road maintenance, and traffic were among the most frequently <br />identified issues that participants want county leaders to address; these concerns were often <br />underscored by worries about the pace of population growth and increasing development. <br />5 1 DHM Research I Consor Kittitas County Public Works Survey I May 2024 <br />