Americans Still Want To Mess With Texas, New Survey Data Shows

Texas is starting to recover from the reputational blows it sustained last year, with new survey data showing more Americans outside the state agree it’s a good place to start a business.

A national poll of 845 Americans conducted by Austin-based Crosswind Media & Public Relations and Pulse Opinion found 65% of respondents view Texas as business-friendly, up 13% year-over-year. Houston and Dallas are the preferred cities for starting a business, according to survey data, followed by Austin, San Antonio and Amarillo.

“Texas is viewed favorably by 59% of America, and the state is seen as heading in the right direction, our latest national survey reveals,” Crosswind CEO Thomas Graham said in a statement. “This survey demonstrates the durability of the brand of Texas as being pro-business, family-friendly and a premier travel destination.”

Minority respondents were the most likely to see the state as a land of opportunity, with 83% of Hispanic Americans endorsing the state’s business environment, versus 67% of white respondents.

Hispanic respondents also outpaced other ethnicities in their opinion of the state overall, with nearly 80% holding a positive view of Texas, versus 62% of white Americans and 41% of Black respondents, per the data.

Those who view Texas in a positive light also tend to fall along party lines, according to Crosswind’s data, with 77% of Republicans endorsing the state, versus 52% of Democrats. 

Improved sentiment comes on the heels of several post–pandemic scandals that undermined how the rest of the nation views the Lone Star State. Some of that controversy may also be contributing to a slowdown in corporate relocations, which dropped from 62 in 2021 to 24 in 2022, according to Y Texas’ Relo Tracker.

State leaders came under fire in early 2021 for their handling of the electric grid failure, which left millions in Texas without power or heat for nearly six days and led to the death of more than 240 people. Officials were also highly scrutinized for their reaction to the May 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde that took the lives of 19 students and two teachers.

The state’s reputation appears to be on the mend, though Graham said Texas’ continued success will hinge on its ability to foster an inclusive environment.

“I don’t believe we should take these results for granted,” Graham said in a statement. “Texas institutions should recognize the diversity of cultures and embrace the youthful energy and entrepreneurialism that looks favorably upon Texas and is behind some of these findings.”