GrowSF Polling
Polling of San Francisco voters on the issues that matter most.
We hire FM3 Research, a professional polling firm, to survey San Francisco voters several times a year in English and Chinese. The samples are large enough to represent the whole city, so we know what San Franciscans actually think, not what pundits assume. We use that data to advocate for what voters want and to hold our elected officials accountable for delivering it.
Below is a summary of everything we have learned.
The Direction of San Francisco
The question:Would you say things in San Francisco are going in the right direction, or would you say they are off on the wrong track?
The question:Here are some issues that San Francisco city government has been working to address. For each one, please indicate if you think this issue is getting much better, somewhat better, somewhat worse, or much worse over the past year.
Visible trash on the street
47%
39%
9%
47% 39% 9%
Public drug use
41%
39%
12%
41% 39% 12%
Homelessness
43%
36%
16%
43% 36% 16%
Total better
Stayed the same
Total worse
The GrowSF Take
After years of pessimism, the mood in San Francisco has genuinely turned. In July 2026, 54% of San Franciscans said the city is headed in the right direction.
That turnaround did not happen on its own. The markers on the chart tell the story: in five elections over three years, San Franciscans demanded change.
After years of pessimism, the mood in San Francisco has genuinely turned. In July 2026, 54% of San Franciscans said the city is headed in the right direction.That turnaround did not happen on its own. The markers on the chart tell the story: in five elections over three years, San Franciscans demanded change.
Top Issues
The question:Do you think each issue below is an extremely serious problem, a very serious problem, somewhat serious problem, or not too serious a problem for residents of San Francisco?
Percent of voters rating each issue extremely or very serious
Cost of housing & rent
81%
Homelessness
81%
Cost of living
80%
Drugs & substance abuse
72%
Untreated mental health issues
71%
Change in concern, July 2025 → July 2026
Sort:
The GrowSF TakeThe cost of housing and rent is the only top concern that stayed flat over the past year, and it now ties homelessness at the top of the list at 81%, with the overall cost of living right behind.
Almost every other concern eased. Worry about property crime fell 18 points in one year, and concern about homelessness and untreated mental health issues each fell 11. Crime itself fell sharply over the same period, so residents are not just feeling safer, they are safer.
The most surprising number is at the bottom of the chart. Just 10% of voters see too much growth and development as a serious problem, ranking it dead last among every issue we tested. San Franciscans are not asking City Hall to stop building; they are asking for the opposite.
The cost of housing and rent is the only top concern that stayed flat over the past year, and it now ties homelessness at the top of the list at 81%, with the overall cost of living right behind.Almost every other concern eased. Worry about property crime fell 18 points in one year, and concern about homelessness and untreated mental health issues each fell 11. Crime itself fell sharply over the same period, so residents are not just feeling safer, they are safer.
The most surprising number is at the bottom of the chart. Just 10% of voters see too much growth and development as a serious problem, ranking it dead last among every issue we tested. San Franciscans are not asking City Hall to stop building; they are asking for the opposite.
Housing & Development
The question:Do you think each issue below is an extremely serious problem, a very serious problem, somewhat serious problem, or not too serious a problem for residents of San Francisco?
80%
say cost of living is an extremely or very serious problem
10%
say "too much growth & development" is a problem, dead last of all issues
The question:Here is a series of ideas about new housing production in San Francisco. For each one, please tell me if you think they should be allowed or not allowed.
6-8 story apartment buildings along major commercial streets and near major transit stops in already-dense neighborhoods like SOMA, the Financial District, and Mission Bay
84%Allow
13%Don't allow
84% Allow13% Don't allow
6-8 story apartment buildings along major commercial streets and near major transit stops
74%Allow
22%Don't allow
74% Allow22% Don't allow
6-8 story apartment buildings along major commercial streets and near major transit stops in the Sunset and Richmond districts
77%Allow
16%Don't allow
77% Allow16% Don't allow
6-8 story apartment buildings within 1/2 mile of BART stops
87%Allow
10%Don't allow
87% Allow10% Don't allow
15-20 story apartment buildings within 1/2 mile of BART stops
70%Allow
22%Don't allow
70% Allow22% Don't allow
Allow new residential skyscrapers downtown, in SOMA, and in Mission Bay
75%Allow
21%Don't allow
75% Allow21% Don't allow
The question:Mayor Lurie's Family Zoning plan will allow homeowners on the west side of San Francisco to expand their homes, add in-law or backyard units for renters, or even redevelop them into small apartment buildings, so long as they do so within existing height limits. Knowing this, do you support or oppose Mayor Daniel Lurie's Family Zoning plan?
0%Yes
0%No
0%Don't know
The question:Please tell me if you agree or disagree.
Reduce fees on new homes to make it more affordable to build new ones
81%Agree
9%Disagree
81% Agree9% Disagree
The GrowSF TakeThe conventional wisdom says San Franciscans hate new development. Our polling finds the opposite: every proposal to allow taller buildings wins by a landslide, and not just in the east side neighborhoods that are already dense. Voters would also allow 6-8 story apartment buildings in the Sunset and the Richmond, where the city is mostly low-rise today, and new residential skyscrapers downtown.
Mayor Lurie's Family Zoning plan, approved in December 2025, lets homeowners add units or redevelop into small apartment buildings within existing height limits. 74% of voters support it, and the consensus cuts across every line that usually divides housing politics: renters (75%) and homeowners (72%) back it almost identically, and it carried all eleven supervisor districts.
The conventional wisdom says San Franciscans hate new development. Our polling finds the opposite: every proposal to allow taller buildings wins by a landslide, and not just in the east side neighborhoods that are already dense. Voters would also allow 6-8 story apartment buildings in the Sunset and the Richmond, where the city is mostly low-rise today, and new residential skyscrapers downtown.Mayor Lurie's Family Zoning plan, approved in December 2025, lets homeowners add units or redevelop into small apartment buildings within existing height limits. 74% of voters support it, and the consensus cuts across every line that usually divides housing politics: renters (75%) and homeowners (72%) back it almost identically, and it carried all eleven supervisor districts.
Public Safety
The question:Do you support or oppose funding the police so the San Francisco Police Department can hire 500 more officers and have a fully staffed department?
0%Support
0%Oppose
The question:Do you agree or disagree that having more neighborhood police patrols prevents crime?
79%Agree
18%Disagree
79% Agree18% Disagree
The question:My next question deals with civilian officers who do not carry a gun or any other lethal weapon, and who focus on neighborhood patrols, talking to small businesses and residents, and assisting those experiencing drug or mental health crises. Do you support or oppose more unarmed foot patrols with civilian officers in San Francisco?
79%Support
16%Oppose
79% Support16% Oppose
The question:Do you support or oppose allowing police to use a vehicle to pursue retail theft suspects, car break-in suspects, or suspects fleeing in a car at safe speeds?
83%Support
15%Oppose
83% Support15% Oppose
The question:As you may know, the San Francisco Police Department is currently the only major city police department in the United States whose patrol officers are not equipped with tasers. Tasers are designed to provide officers with a non-lethal option to subdue suspects and reduce the need for more serious uses of force. Would you support or oppose allowing San Francisco police officers to carry tasers?
44%
26%
15%
9%
44% 26% 15% 9%
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
The question:The San Francisco Police Department sometimes uses drones and cameras after a 911 call to assist in an active investigation.Supporters of this policy say that it has helped catch suspects while they are committing a crime and help reduce crime rates. Opponents of this policy say that this kind of surveillance infringes on civil liberties by invading privacy.Do you support or oppose allowing the use of drones and cameras after a 911 call to assist in an active investigation?
45%
27%
13%
12%
45% 27% 13% 12%
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
The question:Suppose restrictions were added to protect civil liberties to the proposal to allow SFPD to monitor these cameras in real-time in hotspots like open-air drug markets in the Tenderloin and the Mission. In that case would you support or oppose the proposal?
52%
17%
11%
14%
52% 17% 11% 14%
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
The GrowSF TakeIn February 2024, at the height of the police staffing debate, San Francisco voters gave a clear answer to years of national argument about defunding the police: they want the department fully staffed, and every community agrees. Support for hiring 500 more officers ran at 81% among Black voters, 83% among Chinese voters, 71% among Latino voters, and 74% among white voters. No demographic group in the city wants fewer police.
Voters also want police leaning on technology, not just muscle. Much of the crime drop of the past two years came as SFPD embraced cameras and drones through its new Real Time Investigations Center, and in July 2026 voters confirmed it: support for these tools is broad and rising.
In February 2024, at the height of the police staffing debate, San Francisco voters gave a clear answer to years of national argument about defunding the police: they want the department fully staffed, and every community agrees. Support for hiring 500 more officers ran at 81% among Black voters, 83% among Chinese voters, 71% among Latino voters, and 74% among white voters. No demographic group in the city wants fewer police.Voters also want police leaning on technology, not just muscle. Much of the crime drop of the past two years came as SFPD embraced cameras and drones through its new Real Time Investigations Center, and in July 2026 voters confirmed it: support for these tools is broad and rising.
Drugs
The question:Do you support or oppose the San Francisco Police Department repeatedly directing people who are openly dealing or using illegal drugs in public spaces to disperse and leave the area?
55%
20%
11%
6%
55% 20% 11% 6%
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
The question:Do you support or oppose arresting and prosecuting fentanyl dealers?
0%Support
0%Oppose
The question:Do you support or oppose arresting and prosecuting people who are using fentanyl, meth, or heroin in public?
69%Support
27%Oppose
69% Support27% Oppose
The question:Should someone who is repeatedly arrested and charged for fentanyl dealing be held in jail until trial, released on bail, or released without bail, with the requirement to return for trial?
66%Held in jail
12%Released on bail
12%Released without bail, with the requirement to return for trial
The question:Would you prefer that people arrested for public drug use be sent to sobering centers which provide care to intoxicated people, jail, or somewhere else?
64%Sobering centers
19%Jail
13%Somewhere else
The GrowSF TakeThe national press portrays San Francisco as permissive on drugs. San Franciscans are anything but. Voters draw a sharp line between the people profiting off addiction and the people trapped in it: support for prosecuting fentanyl dealers is near-unanimous, most voters want repeat dealers held in jail until trial, and for users they prefer sobering centers over jail by more than three to one.
City Hall listened. The first RESET sobering center opened in May 2026 on Sixth Street, admitted about 600 people in its first month, and the Sheriff already wants more of these centers.
The national press portrays San Francisco as permissive on drugs. San Franciscans are anything but. Voters draw a sharp line between the people profiting off addiction and the people trapped in it: support for prosecuting fentanyl dealers is near-unanimous, most voters want repeat dealers held in jail until trial, and for users they prefer sobering centers over jail by more than three to one.City Hall listened. The first RESET sobering center opened in May 2026 on Sixth Street, admitted about 600 people in its first month, and the Sheriff already wants more of these centers.
Homelessness
The question:Do you support or oppose increasing the number of shelters for homeless people in San Francisco?
0%Support
0%Oppose
The question:Would you support or oppose building a homeless shelter within a quarter-mile of your home?
Homeless shelter near you
The question:Should people who are homeless, and also addicted to drugs or alcohol, be required to enter substance abuse treatment in order to obtain housing or other services?
74%Support
22%Oppose
74% Support22% Oppose
The question:Some have proposed that if people are suffering from a mental health crisis on the streets, they should be held without their consent at medical facilities to undergo an evaluation by psychiatric staff. Do you support or oppose this proposal?
80%Support
16%Oppose
80% Support16% Oppose
The question:Would you support or oppose making some homeless shelters available only to people who are not actively using drugs or alcohol?
65%Support
29%Oppose
65% Support29% Oppose
The GrowSF TakeHomelessness has topped the issue list in every poll we have run, and voters' answer is not to look away. They want more shelters, and they want shelter to come with conditions: required treatment for people struggling with addiction, drug-free options for people in recovery, and psychiatric care for people in crisis on the street, even when they cannot ask for it themselves.
The most telling change is close to home. Since September 2023, opposition to having a shelter within a quarter mile of your own house has fallen by a third, while support held steady. San Franciscans have not warmed to shelters on their block so much as they have stopped fighting them.
Homelessness has topped the issue list in every poll we have run, and voters' answer is not to look away. They want more shelters, and they want shelter to come with conditions: required treatment for people struggling with addiction, drug-free options for people in recovery, and psychiatric care for people in crisis on the street, even when they cannot ask for it themselves.The most telling change is close to home. Since September 2023, opposition to having a shelter within a quarter mile of your own house has fallen by a third, while support held steady. San Franciscans have not warmed to shelters on their block so much as they have stopped fighting them.
Downtown & Small Business
The question:San Francisco law requires small businesses to contribute to a City-administered account originally intended for employee healthcare (the "SF Mandate"). Since Obamacare passed in 2010, nearly a billion dollars sits unused. Would you support or oppose repealing this law?
0%Support
0%Oppose
The question:Businesses on Market Street are struggling. Which of these proposed changes would you support?
Reducing fees and the time to obtain business permits
71%
21%
2%
1%
71% 21% 2% 1%
Increasing police presence on Market
42%
31%
9%
13%
42% 31% 9% 13%
Create entertainment zones that allow consumption of alcohol along Market
32%
38%
12%
10%
32% 38% 12% 10%
Tax breaks for businesses on Market
26%
39%
18%
6%
26% 39% 18% 6%
Allow cars back on Market
22%
22%
18%
29%
22% 22% 18% 29%
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
The question:San Francisco bans "formula retail" stores (chains with 11+ locations) from many neighborhoods. Which would you favor?
51%Let the Board of Supervisors vote to allow more
24%Completely repeal the limit
16%Leave it unchanged
The question:San Francisco is currently facing a budget shortfall. Which of the following comes closest to your opinion on how the City should address this shortfall?
- Encourage Growth: San Francisco should avoid raising taxes on current residents by encouraging housing growth, and generate additional tax revenue by allowing more people to move to San Francisco.
- Maintain Limits: San Francisco should continue to maintain strict limits on housing growth, and raise taxes on current residents to generate additional tax revenue.
0%Encourage Growth
0%Maintain Limits
The GrowSF TakeAsk San Franciscans what is holding back downtown and small business, and they point at City Hall. The most popular Market Street fix we tested, by a wide margin, is cutting fees and permitting time, and seven in ten would scrap the SF Mandate, the employer healthcare fee that shows up as a surcharge on restaurant bills while nearly a billion dollars collected under it sits unused.
The famous ban on chain stores is no longer popular either: three quarters of voters want it loosened or repealed, because empty storefronts are worse than chain stores. And given the choice between raising taxes under strict housing limits or growing the tax base, voters chose growth five to one.
Ask San Franciscans what is holding back downtown and small business, and they point at City Hall. The most popular Market Street fix we tested, by a wide margin, is cutting fees and permitting time, and seven in ten would scrap the SF Mandate, the employer healthcare fee that shows up as a surcharge on restaurant bills while nearly a billion dollars collected under it sits unused.The famous ban on chain stores is no longer popular either: three quarters of voters want it loosened or repealed, because empty storefronts are worse than chain stores. And given the choice between raising taxes under strict housing limits or growing the tax base, voters chose growth five to one.
Transit & Safety
The question:How important are these potential investments in improving SF's transportation system? (% rating "extremely" or "very" important)
78%Increasing the frequency and reliability of buses and trains
70%Improving pedestrian safety infrastructure
58%Speeding up transit times
52%Increasing traffic enforcement
45%Further developing protected bike lanes
The question:How important are these potential safety infrastructure improvements? (% rating extremely/very important)
77%Installing protective barriers at crosswalks
76%Adding red light cameras
71%Adding speed cameras
71%Requiring crosswalk daylighting
65%Installing more residential speed humps
64%Adding stop sign cameras
52%Making every neighborhood intersection a 4-way stop
45%Banning right on red
The question:Generally speaking, do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose allowing fully autonomous, driverless vehicles to operate on San Francisco roads and provide passenger service?
Two-Year Shift in Net Opinion
+45 pts
September 2023Net: -7%
19%
25%
6%
16%
35%
Support: 44%Oppose: 51%
July 2025Net: +38%
38%
29%
4%
13%
16%
Support: 67%Oppose: 29%
The GrowSF TakeMuni is the rare San Francisco institution that voters love: 61% view it favorably, and half of San Franciscans want to ride it more.
On street safety, one finding explains all the others: 38% of voters believe breaking traffic laws in San Francisco carries no consequences at all, and nearly half have been injured or know someone injured by a car. So voters back cameras, barriers, and enforcement, and the city is finally delivering: speed cameras went live in August 2025 and cut speeding by 82%.
And on driverless cars, San Franciscans changed their minds faster than we have measured on any other issue. In two years, support grew by more than 20 points while opposition nearly halved. Familiarity with Waymo did what no press release could.
Muni is the rare San Francisco institution that voters love: 61% view it favorably, and half of San Franciscans want to ride it more.On street safety, one finding explains all the others: 38% of voters believe breaking traffic laws in San Francisco carries no consequences at all, and nearly half have been injured or know someone injured by a car. So voters back cameras, barriers, and enforcement, and the city is finally delivering: speed cameras went live in August 2025 and cut speeding by 82%.
And on driverless cars, San Franciscans changed their minds faster than we have measured on any other issue. In two years, support grew by more than 20 points while opposition nearly halved. Familiarity with Waymo did what no press release could.
Schools
The question:How would you rate the quality of San Francisco public schools?
School quality ratings
3%
21%
33%
17%
3% 21% 33% 17%
Excellent (3%)
Good (21%)
Only Fair (33%)
Poor (17%)
The question:Do you support or oppose giving all students in SFUSD schools the option to take algebra in 8th grade?
79%Support
6%Oppose
79% Support6% Oppose
The question:Do you support or oppose requiring every San Francisco public high school to offer Advanced Placement classes which provide college credit?
88%Support
4%Oppose
88% Support4% Oppose
The GrowSF TakeVoters delivered a blunt verdict on San Francisco public schools: half rate them only fair or poor, and just 3% call them excellent. What voters want instead is rigor, and the demand is nearly unanimous, from algebra in 8th grade to AP classes in every public high school.
They backed it up at the ballot box. In March 2024, 81.75% of San Franciscans voted to urge SFUSD to offer Algebra 1 by 8th grade. Nearly two years later, many 8th graders still do not have access to algebra. Voters have now been clear twice, and while the district has started adding algebra back, it still has work to do.
Voters delivered a blunt verdict on San Francisco public schools: half rate them only fair or poor, and just 3% call them excellent. What voters want instead is rigor, and the demand is nearly unanimous, from algebra in 8th grade to AP classes in every public high school.They backed it up at the ballot box. In March 2024, 81.75% of San Franciscans voted to urge SFUSD to offer Algebra 1 by 8th grade. Nearly two years later, many 8th graders still do not have access to algebra. Voters have now been clear twice, and while the district has started adding algebra back, it still has work to do.
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