More than one-third of Melburnians feel their quality of life has worsened over the past 12 months, despite most enjoying living in the city.
The insight comes as part of Committee for Melbourne and Ipsos' Living in Melbourne 2024 report, released on Thursday.
It quizzed 1000 Melburnians and found even though 81 per cent were satisfied with living in the city's metro area, 37 per cent feel their quality of life has worsened over the past 12 months.
Melbourne's sprawling suburbs are creating challenges for residents, according to the survey, with 72 per cent using cars or transport to travel to and from work or study.
This is compared to lower rates of commuting by trains (36 per cent), trams (28 per cent) and buses (16 per cent).
More than 90 per cent of Melburnians have access to a car and the report showed those living in outer suburbs are commuting longer than those in inner suburbs.
However, 64 per cent of respondents rated the state government's extensive future public transport projects as a crucial factor in choosing where to live.
Almost three out of four people (72 per cent) surveyed supported building a rail line to Melbourne Airport, the highest approval of any key project polled.
The contentious Suburban Rail Loop (58 per cent) and budget blowout-plagued North East Link (50 per cent) fared much worse.
Senior government minister Mary-Anne Thomas suggested the government had a mandate to deliver the projects when asked about the survey.
"There have been two much larger and more significant polls undertaken in 2018 and 2022," she told reporters, referencing the state elections.
"We went to the people of Victorian with our plans to deliver the Suburban Rail Loop."
Two-thirds of those surveyed are more supportive of accommodating new housing in outer areas of the city.
This compared to just less than half supporting increased density in established, inner city suburbs.
Committee for Melbourne chief executive Mark Melvin said Melburnians' priorities for the city include safety, cost of living and affordable housing.
"The overarching message from the data is that Melburnians love their city and this is reflected in the attitudes," he said.
"But the elements which make Melbourne a great place to live could increasingly become under strain, with signs that the city's lifestyle options are increasingly becoming harder for people living outside the inner suburbs to access."
