January 6, 2006
Annual Boise State Survey Shows Idahoans Want Funding for Education
Same-sex marriages and prison overcrowding take a back seat to economy and growth as hot topics
The annual public policy survey conducted by the Social Science Research Center at Boise State University shows that once again, funding for education is the top priority for most of the state’s residents. Almost 25 percent of those polled listed it as their top concern, followed by 17 percent who listed economy and wages, and nearly 11 percent who said they were concerned about growth. Surprisingly, respondents did not list the environment, prison overcrowding or same-sex marriage—all hot button issues in the public arena—as high priority topics.
The Social Science Research Center, housed in the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, administered the 17th annual Idaho Public Policy Survey in an attempt to identify issues of public policy concern among Idaho citizens. The yearly report is a significant source of information on public policy concerns for Idaho policymakers, state agency personnel and the public at large. There were 534 randomly selected respondents to this year’s survey, representing Idahoans at the state and regional levels. The survey has an error rate of plus or minus 4 percent statewide.
As in the past, most respondents (64 percent) feel the state is headed in the right direction, although this number is down 6 percentage points from last year, the first dip in four years. There was also a drop this year in the number of respondents who identified themselves as Republicans – 42 percent, compared to 47 percent a year ago. Affiliation with the Democratic Party was at 17 percent, while Independents saw a jump from 29 percent a year ago to 36 percent this year. As a whole, our “middle of the road” ideological orientation held steady at 36 percent, while the “conservative” identifier was chosen by 48 percent of responders, down from 52 percent last year.
On the subject of taxes, the local property tax retained its spot as the least fair tax, with a 23 percent share. Forty-eight percent of respondents felt property taxes are too high, compared to 43 percent who said they are just about right. When asked if they favored a ballot initiative to limit property taxes to 1 percent of the assessed value, 57 percent agreed. When asked how the state should replace lost revenue should such an initiative pass, 66 percent advocated cutting government spending rather than increasing other taxes.
While education has been a major topic for several years running, 93 percent of this year’s respondents believe the Legislature should deal with K-12 and higher education funding. When asked about using development impact fees to fund public schools, only 37 percent agreed it was a good idea, while about 34 percent said they neither agreed nor disagreed, or did not know.
Respondents showed strong support when asked if citizen armies like the Idaho National Guard should be used to fight an overseas war such as the war in Iraq. Sixty percent favored the move, with almost 26 percent being strongly in favor, compared to 22 percent who strongly oppose the idea.
James Weatherby, director of the Social Science Research Center, led the study, which includes regional and trend analyses, as well as a wide range of topics. To receive a copy of the survey highlights, call Brad Smith at (208) 426-1463, Carole Nemnich at (208) 426-1835. Highlights of the report can be downloaded from the SSRC Web site at: http://sspa.boisestate.edu/ssrc.
Contacts: James Weatherby, director, Social Science Research Center, (208) 426-4018; Brad Smith, Social Science Research Center, (208) 426-1463; Carole Nemnich, Social Science Research Center, (208) 426-1835
Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, University Communications, (208) 426-3275
