A key finding of a recent Banner poll of Montgomery County residents did not surprise County Council President Kate Stewart — the large proportion of respondents who consider the county a “great place” to live.

“Given what’s going on in our country and what’s going on in D.C., I’m glad to see people are really valuing living in Montgomery County,” Stewart said.

Despite this finding, the poll captured high levels of anxiety about the cost of living in the county, which has been plagued by federal layoffs and rising housing costs.

Almost 60% of poll respondents ranked the county’s inflation and cost of living as a “very serious problem.” Eighty percent said they worry about money frequently, citing high housing costs.

Several county officials said the poll reaffirmed their focus on the cost of living and other issues.

“It is no surprise that everyone’s feeling that,” said council member Dawn Luedtke. “We’re feeling it on the budget side, too, in that the cost of everything has gone up.”

Council members have to roll up their sleeves, she said, “because it’s a time where our residents really need us.”

Said council member Natali Fani-González: “These poll results further demonstrate how the incredibly high cost of housing is squeezing working families, leaving less and less room for everything else.”

“The status quo on housing policy is not working,” she added.

Fani-González pointed to county initiatives, including a cap on rental increases and zoning reforms, to help speed up the creation of new housing. In July, the council approved a zoning measure to create more space for residential buildings.

Council member Andrew Friedson agreed that the council’s attention to housing aligns with the poll’s findings.

“A county that isn’t affordable isn’t sustainable,” he said.

Federal layoffs by the Trump administration have worsened already serious affordability issues in Montgomery County, said Stewart. Seventy percent of poll respondents said they were directly affected or knew of someone who was affected by the shrinking federal workforce.

Respondents to the poll, however, expressed overwhelmingly positive views of the area.

High on their approval list: its diversity, public safety and dining scene.

A majority of poll respondents said they thought Montgomery County was on the “right track.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story included an inaccurate quote from Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart. The quote has been updated to reflect that she was not surprised that a large proportion of respondents to a Banner poll consider the county a great place to live.