TSU - UH Texas Trends Survey 2023

Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, and Congressman Mickey Leland were three iconic figures in Texas who devoted their lives to serving the Lone Star State.

During the early 1970s, a period marked by a smaller and less diverse Texas population, these political leaders shared a common objective: to forge a better future for all residents.

In homage to the legacy of these Texan political trailblazers, the Texas Trends Survey was initiated in 2021. This five-year project, conducted jointly by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston and the Executive Master of Public Administration Program in the Barbara Jordan – Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, aims to examine the evolving demographics and opinions of Texas. The survey, designed to represent a cross-section of all Texans, will intentionally include an oversample of individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds. This deliberate approach ensures an objective and statistically sound analysis of their perspectives and experiences.

Primary Elections

The 2023 Texas Trends survey asked likely Republican primary voters in Texas about their vote intention in the Texas Republican primary election in March 2024 and in a hypothetical two-candidate primary scenario between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In the aforementioned hypothetical two-candidate race between Trump and DeSantis, researchers found that Trump’s vote intention is 66%. In comparison, DeSantis’s is 25%, with 9% either unsure (5%) or indicating that they would not vote if these were the only two candidates (4%). The data suggests that former president Trump's support levels among likely Republican primary voters in Texas are far greater than his Republican opponents.

Will Hurd, Larry Elder, and Mike Pence have all dropped out of the race.

Points of Emphasis

• 58% of likely Republican primary voters in Texas intend to vote for Donald Trump.
• 14% of likely Republican primary voters in Texas intend to vote for Ron DeSantis.
• 6% of likely Republican primary voters in Texas intend to vote for Nikki Haley.
• 9% of likely 2024 Texas Republican primary voters are unsure of how they intend to vote.

Read and download the full report PDF here.

Summer Heat Wave

The next 2023 Texas Trends survey report asked Texans about the impact of the summer heat wave, and what measures, if any, they took to try to stay cool. Researchers found Texans overwhelmingly found the summer of 2023 to be hot, extremely hot, and very hot. Texans also said the intense heat waves this summer impacted their monthly electricity bills.

Points of Emphasis

• About three-quarters (75.8%) of Texans describe the summer of 2023 as hotter than previous summers, with only one-fifth (20.5%) saying it was about the same.
• Texans older than 65 were the most likely to say the summer was hotter than previous ones, while those 18 to 29 were least likely.
• Hispanic respondents had the highest proportion reporting higher bills with 72.3% saying their bills increased compared to 2022.
• The most common measure Texans took to reduce energy usage this summer was turning off the lights when not in use (74.9% of respondents).
• A third of respondents (32.6%) said that people they know had experienced health impacts from heat waves; 19.3% said they themselves experienced such health impacts.

Read and download the full report PDF here.

Climate Change

Points of Emphasis

• Over half of Texans (51%) hold the belief that climate change significantly influences extreme weather events.
• Among individuals directly impacted by extreme weather (58%), a substantial portion acknowledges the significant role of climate change, whereas only 44% of those unaffected share this belief.
• Democrats overwhelmingly recognize climate change's significant role in extreme weather events (73.4%), whereas a smaller fraction of Republicans (30.6%) share this perspective.
• Younger generations, such as Generation Z respondents (51.9%), attribute greater responsibility for climate change to the oil and gas sector compared to older generations like the Silent Generation (21.1%).
• The majority (60.2%) believe that their individual actions at home can contribute to reducing the risks of extreme weather, while 29.5% disagree.

Read and download the full report PDF here.

Electric Vehicles

In this installment of the Texas Trends survey, researchers examined the factors influencing Texans' decisions to buy or lease electric vehicles. This report seeks to understand the circumstances under which Texans lean towards purchasing a gasoline-powered vehicle rather than an electric one.

Points of Emphasis

• Millennials and those in the Gen Z cohorts were more likely to own or lease an EV.
• Democrats led Republicans by 19.4 percentage points when it came to either somewhat or very likely to buy an EV; over 70% of Republicans and over 60% of Independents were not likely to purchase or lease an EV.
• Slightly more than a fifth of respondents in the lower income bracket (less than $30,000) and middle-income bracket ($30,000 and$79,999) indicated that they would be somewhat likely to purchase an EV in the future. Less than a tenth of Texans in the same income groups said they would be very likely to make a future EV purchase.
• A majority of respondents who lived in a town or rural area of Texas indicated lack of charging stations was the main reason they did not want an electric vehicle, while those who lived in the city or suburbs cited a lack of charging stations and the cost was too high.
• For Texan electric vehicle owners, 56.6% prioritize performance, followed by charging capabilities (40.5%) and cost versus gasoline vehicles (39%). Across party lines, Democrats (68.4%) and Republicans (49.3%) agree on performance. Similarly, both male (54.5%) and female (58.6%) Texans value performance as the top attribute.

Read and download the full report PDF here.