Portland's reputation as a livable city has taken a hit -- at least, if you ask its residents.

A new survey by the office of Portland's elected auditor said residents' opinion of the city's livability has dropped to a new low since it was first conducted 25 years ago.

The share of Portlanders who rated the city's livability as "good" or "very good" dropped 16 percentage points in four years, from 79 percent in 2012 to 63 percent in 2016.

Over the same four-year period, Portlanders reversed their views on housing costs, with 59 now percent saying housing is not affordable. In 2012, only 20 percent said housing was unaffordable.

Their views of city services fell to record lows, particularly when it comes to road repair. And Portlanders feel they have less influence in city government decisions.

One bright spot? The auditor's office found 34 percent of Portlanders participated in city Parks and Recreation programs in 2016, an increase compared with 2012. But those results varied by neighborhood, with far lower participation (18 percent) in East Portland.

The survey was conducted by mail between June and August with 3,125 respondents. The margin of error for citywide results was 1.7 percent.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus