Bolder action needed to keep Hawaii’s residents from leaving

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., Grassroot Institute, December 8, 2024

The following commentary was first published on Dec. 5, 2024 in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, under the headline “It’s time to get serious about making Hawaii affordable.”
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Hawaii might be paradise, but it’s no stranger to population loss.

Tallying up total comings and goings through births, deaths, and migration, the state’s overall population has been declining for years. In fiscal 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hawaii had a net loss of almost 4,300 people — our friends, family and neighbors.

But you probably already knew about that.

What you might not be aware of yet is that Hawaii’s continuous exodus could get a whole lot worse.

That sobering reality is laid out for all to see in the recently released “Hawai‘i Affordability Survey” commissioned by the Holomua Collective, which is a local nonprofit organization that, like the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, seeks to foster a flourishing local economy where we all can live and prosper.

Specifically, the survey revealed that 70% of 1,500 local workers interviewed are either planning to move away or considering it.

That means more than two-thirds of us who still live in Hawaii are thinking about leaving.

Your favorite doctors and dentists, grocery store cashiers, librarians, teachers, hairdressers and mail carriers — most of them have probably wondered whether they can continue to afford living here. You probably have too.

Can you imagine the damage that kind of sweeping exodus would do to our economy?

That’s what’s at stake. And that’s what our lawmakers need to keep in mind as they prepare to convene in January for their next legislative session.

People are leaving like crazy, and for our state’s economy, our government finances and even ourselves, it’s time to get serious about making our islands an affordable place for people to live and do business.

Thankfully, our legislators and governor earlier this year pushed through the largest income tax reduction in state history.

They need to take more brave, bold action like that — and to fiercely protect the benefits of that historic move by opposing tax hikes, reducing government spending and sticking to balanced budgets.

Gov. Green also signed bills earlier this year that will help ease Hawaii’s housing crisis, including one that requires the counties to allow at least two accessory dwelling units per residential lot.

We need to see more momentum on that front too, especially as survey respondents identified housing as having the biggest impact on their finances, with more than half saying their living costs amount to more than 30% of their income.

In order to make a meaningful difference in our housing stock, lawmakers need to continue to embrace the policies detailed in Grassroot’s recent studies “How to facilitate more homebuilding in Hawaii” and “Seven low-cost ways to speed up permitting in Hawaii” to make it easier to build homes of all kinds.

Our state legislators can also increase job opportunities by lifting some of the regulations that make it difficult to conduct business in Hawaii, and by reconsidering occupational licensure laws that make it unnecessarily difficult to enter particular trades or professions.

The “Hawai‘i Affordability Survey” results feel like a sobering call to action. Our family and friends are clearly counting on us to make a difference in their lives. More than two-thirds of them might be planning to leave, but it doesn’t mean they want to.