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Survey: Oregonians can’t decide if its population decline is good or bad

White Stag, Portland, Oregon sign (Courtesy Kristi Kenworthy)

PORTLAND, Ore. (Portland Tribune) – Oregonians are conflicted about population growth, a new survey from the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center shows.

Just under half of Oregonians surveyed said population growth in the state is both a good and bad thing. Twenty percent said population growth was bad for the state, while 16% said it was good.

Oregonians named economic development and increased diversity as major benefits of population growth. Traffic, housing prices, and strains on public services and finite environmental resources were top reasons why Oregonians were against population growth.

One Lane County woman summed up the pros and cons of population growth, which many respondents cited, as “population growth is good for (the) economy but bad for the environment.”

Though many Oregonians voiced concerns about Oregon’s changing population, seven out of 10 said they liked living in the state and wanted to stay put.

Read more at PortlandTribune.com.

The Portland Tribune and its parent company Pamplin Media Group are KOIN 6 News media partners