January 14, 2003

BOISE STATE SURVEY SHOWS EDUCATION IS TOP IDAHO CONCERN

Many residents support tax to boost education funding

Most Idahoans believe funding for education should be increased, and about half would even support a sales tax increase in order to make that happen, according to an annual public policy survey administered by the Social Science Research Center at Boise State University. Seventy-three percent of respondents said K-12 education deserved more funding, while 60 percent thought higher education needed a boost.

In fact, education and the economy surfaced as the most important issues facing Idahoans today. This is the second time in the last five years the economy has surfaced in the top three concerns, while education has been among the top three issues since the survey was instituted in 1990.

Boise State University�s Social Science Research Center, housed in the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, administered the 14th annual Idaho Public Policy Survey in an attempt to identify issues of public policy concern to Idaho citizens. The yearly report is a significant source of information on public policy concerns for the Idaho Legislature, state agency personnel and the public at large. There were 530 respondents to the survey, representing Idahoans at the state and regional levels. The survey has an error rate of 4 percent

Despite concerns over the state�s budget crisis, more than half of those surveyed said the state was headed in the right direction. But while Idahoans said they get the most benefits from state and local government, only 22 percent indicated they felt the state was the most prudent steward of their tax dollars.

When it comes to taxes, state residents felt property taxes were the least fair, perhaps accounting for the 67 percent who said we should continue to require a two-thirds majority to pass school bonds, which are funded through property taxes.

Almost 50 percent of those polled said they favored a 1-cent sales tax, should the state experience a major revenue shortfall, versus 47 percent who were opposed. Forty percent of all respondents said that if there was a sales tax increase, the money should be used to fund K-12

education. Seventeen percent favored earmarking that money for services for seniors, youth and the poor, while 11 percent thought it should go toward higher education.

Results were surprising in several areas of current interest. On the environmental front, more than 40 percent supported wolves in the wilderness and roadless areas of the state, while almost the same number disagreed with the idea. When it comes to caucus meetings in the state Legislature, a huge majority, 76 percent, felt they should be open, while only 8 percent thought they should be held behind closed doors. And while a full 80 percent of Idahoans think the death penalty is appropriate for first-degree murder, they were evenly split on the need for a death penalty moratorium in the state.

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 such as prison funding and the politics of the Legislature. To receive a copy of survey highlights, call graduate assistant Carol Nemnich at (208) 426-1835, or view and download the full report after April 1 from the SSRC Web site: http://sspa.boisestate.edu/ssrc.

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James Weatherby Carol Nemnich

Social Science Research Center Social Science Research Center

(208) 426-4018 (208) 426-1835

Kathleen Craven

communications and marketing

(208) 426-3275

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