This year’s Vanderbilt poll shows that a growing majority of Nashvillians disapprove of the direction Nashville is headed. The survey, conducted by political science professors John Geer and Josh Clinton, polled more than a thousand respondents on their attitude toward city priorities, politicians, political parties, the city’s public schools, athletic events and the general direction of the city.
For 47 percent of those polled, the “growth and changes in Nashville over the past few years” have made day-to-day life worse. This is up from 37 percent last year and 25 percent in 2017. Most people have a favorable view of Metro Council, the school board, MNPS Director Adrienne Battle and Mayor John Cooper. With a 59 percent approval rating, Cooper is slightly less popular than Megan Barry was when she left office in 2018.
Last year, the Vandy Poll found that a significant portion of respondents thought Nashville was headed in the wrong direction. The “right-track-wrong-track” meter, while unspecific, put numbers to an ambient anxiety that has settled over the city in the past few years as the boomerang effects of growth — expensive housing, traffic, gentrification, favorite restaurants closing — replace the attention high of the 2010s. This year, 56 percent of respondents think Nashville’s headed in the wrong direction, a 3 percent increase from last year, up from 22 percent in 2015. Back then, 50 percent of respondents thought the city was growing too quickly. That number has since jumped to 79 percent.
Vandy also spent some time asking about the city’s next mayor. As candidates try to separate themselves from a crowded field, the data indicates that people want major changes. Only 7 percent favor keeping the same priorities as Mayor Cooper. Another 24 percent want minor changes, 48 percent want major changes, and 20% favor a complete “overhaul” of city priorities. Improving public education is respondents’ top priority by a wide margin. Behind it, people want to reduce crime, increase affordable housing, address problems of low-income residents, address homelessness, and ensure the city’s long-term financial health.
Politically, 43 percent of respondents identified as Democrats, 16 percent as Republicans and 29 percent as independent. Of Republicans, 28 percent said they supported the party’s MAGA wing.
Of the 1,016 people polled, 31 percent said they’d move away from Nashville if they “get a chance.” The wording is vague, but the sentiment is real enough that mayoral candidate Freddie O’Connell designed an entire ad around it.
