Poll: One-Third of Americans Thinking of Moving to Less Densely Populated Areas

In the midst of the pandemic, Americans are expressing a new preference for less crowded spaces, according to the results of a Harris Poll conducted last week.

1 minute read

May 5, 2020, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


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"Nearly one-third of Americans are considering moving to a less densely populated area because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to a Harris Poll survey released [April 30]," reports Kim Hart.

"39% of urban dwellers said the COVID-19 crisis has prompted them to consider leaving for a less crowded place," adds Hart of the poll findings. 

Harris Poll surveyed 2,050 U.S. adults from April 25-27, as part of its ongoing COVID-19 tracker, described as "bi-weekly overnight polling among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults on a range of different topics from the economy, healthcare, jobs, education, mental health and more...."

For context, Hart notes that population had already declined in some of the country's largest cities. Those previous trends could serve as additional evidence that the pandemic will accelerate outmigration from cities. 


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