The Survey | Characteristics of participants

Type of respondent

82% of survey participants lived in West Maui or Kula at the time of the wildfires. 46% of respondents worked in West Maui or Kula when the fires happened, while 15% owned a business there.

Age Groups

The weighted survey data matches the general age structure of the Lahaina population well. 14% of the respondents are between 18 and 29 years old. Respondents ages 30-59 comprise 55% of the cohort and 31% are over 60 years old.

Household size

Households in the survey cohort tend to be similar to those of the general Lahaina population. The sample has a somewhat higher share of single-person households (around 16% of respondents) and households with four or more people (about 42% of respondents). Two-person and three-person households make up 26% and 16% of the sample respectively.

Area of residence

Over 80% of survey respondents resided in West Maui before the fires. The remaining participants are primarily concentrated in Upcountry Maui (9% of respondents) since we also recruited participants from the Kula area affected by the wildfires. Some respondents also lived in Central Maui (6%) and South Maui (4%). Those who lived outside West Maui at the time of the wildfires either worked or owned a business there.

Place of birth

The proportion of Hawaii-born survey participants closely matches that of the general Lahaina population in 2023. People born outside of the islands represent 59% of survey respondents.

Time on Maui

Most survey respondents are long-time residents of Maui. Around 70% have lived on the island for over ten years. Less than 3% have been on Maui for a year or less.

Poverty

Poverty rates in the weighted survey sample are similar to those in the general Lahaina population for 2023. 13% of the survey cohort live in households below the poverty line (compared to 10% of the general population). Respondents with incomes between two and three times the poverty line comprise 20% of the cohort. 30% have incomes between three and five times the poverty line. Higher-income individuals above five times the poverty line represent 18% of the sample. While the survey cohort has a slightly larger share of lower-income individuals than the general population, the poverty distribution is broadly similar. A good representation of low-income individuals is particularly important to ensure reliable monitoring of the recovery outcomes for this group, because they are likely to be more vulnerable and have fewer safety nets.

Employment

Survey participants had a similar employment rate before the wildfires (67%) compared to the general Lahaina population (69%). The pre-fire unemployment rate in the survey cohort was 3.5%. 29% of survey participants were retired or not seeking employment.

Housing

Homeownership rates in the weighted survey are similar to the overall Lahaina population. 48% of the survey respondents were homeowners before the wildfires, compared to 52% of the general Lahaina population in 2023.

Disability

The proportion of disabled survey respondents who already had their disabilities at the time of the wildfire is slightly higher than in the general population. Including those whose disabilities started during or after the wildfires, the proportion of disabled respondents is 24%, compared to 10% for the overall Lahaina population in 2023. This disparity is likely related to differences in the questionnaire. Disability status in the Census population data is inferred from a set of questions about specific symptoms and their impact on people’s lives. Our disability question asks directly about any disabilities as well as chronic health conditions.