Download CSLI Service Learning * Exit Meeting

Elephants Club Presentation
Results of March 4-7, 2013
Survey of Anne Arundel County Residents
By Dan Nataf, Ph.D.
Director, Center for the Study of Local Issues
Anne Arundel Community College
www2.aacc.edu/csli
[email protected]
April 25, 2013
Center for the Study of Local Issues:
Semi-annual survey
 CSLI – Part of the Sarbanes Center for Public and Community
Service
 Surveys
 Conducted each March and October
 Student volunteers participate to learn social science research
methods (engaged learning) and community service
 Involves 70+/- students as telephone interviewers
 Survey contents:
 Benchmark questions on right/wrong direction, most important
problem, the economy
 Variable questions on current policy choices and major events
 420 Anne Arundel County residents in March, 18 or over
County: Right or Wrong Direction? Spring ‘99
to Spring ‘13
70
66
62
60
57
58
54
62
60 61
58 58
55
53
51
50
57
55
51 52 51 50 52
52 52
47
49 50
50 49
47
43
41
40
34
30
31
29
36
33 32
31
29
32
33
28 27 28 28 28
27
26
25 24
25
25
24
23
23
23 22 22
21
21
21
20 19
20
20
20
19
19 18
18
18
18
17
17 17
16
16
16
15 15 14
15
14
13
12
27
20
10
27 26
0
Sp
'99
Fa
'99
Sp
'00
Fa
'00
Sp
'01
Fa
'01
Sp
'02
Fa
'02
Sp
'03
Fa
'03
Sp
'04
Fa
'04
Sp
'05
Right
Fa
'05
Sp
'06
Wrong
Fa
'06
Sp
'07
Fa
'07
Unsure
Sp
'08
Fa
'08
Sp
'09
Fa
'09
Sp
'10
Fa
'10
Sp
'11
Fa
'11
Sp
'12
Fa
'12
Sp
'13
Right/Wrong Direction –County, State, Nation, Respondent
Right Wrong
County
49
33
Unsure/
Don’t know
18
State
35
55
10
Nation
24
64
13
Respondent
74
14
12
Levels
County
State
Nation
Respondent
Dem.% “right”
Rep.
58
54
38
74
38
12
8
72
DemRep.
20
32
30
2
Unaffiliated
50
37
27
72
Most Important Problem: Fall 2006 to Spring 2013
Economy continues drop as problem in March 2013
50
48
48
45
40
38
36
33Economy
35
36
35
30
30
27
25
20
16
15
10
5
23
21
11
9
7
15
12
9
17
16
Taxes 17
16
12
10
8
23
12
9
6
4
12
10
13
11
11
8
6
5
5
6
5
6
6
4
17
89
4
7
19
8
5
4
3
2
2
0
Fall '06
Spring '07
Fall '07
Economy
Spring '08
Fall '08
High taxes
Spring '09
Fall '09
Growth
Spring '10
Fall '10
Education
Spring '11
Fall '11
Transportation
Spring '12
Fall '12
Crime
Spring '13
Economic Conditions: County, Maryland, USA
80
70
71
71
69
County
60
55
50
49
46
49
48
44
45
48
40
30
27
31
30
32
Maryland
35
51
48
49
38
33
33
30
20
11
10
11
11
11
13
16
12
9
USA
5
0
F '06
S '97
F '07
S '08
F '08
S '09
F '09
S '10
F '10
S '11
F '11
S '12
F '12
S '13
Cost of living indicators
70
Taxes too high
60
61
56
59
55
53
59
55
42
40
60
56
56
44
43
63
Cost of living
46
41
59
58
39
39
36
35
Transportation Cost
21
21
11
10
17
13
12
15
14
10
62
59
32
30
34
31
27
26 Income rise
24
21
63
59
Utilities cost
30
32
30
20
59
58
50
50
40
63
66
63
15
11
9
Housing affordability
12
0
S '08
F '08
S '09
F '09
S '10
F '10
S '11
F '11
S '12
F '12
Unable to find affordable housing
Received an income increase
Hard to afford the cost of transportation
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living
S '13
Other economic indicators
80
71
70
75
70
Losses in stocks
60
60
56
51
50
47
46
35
30
30
29
24
33
11
6
Unemployment
15
4
51
45
44
38
Health insurance
32
32
42
32
27
24
21
19
6
35
34
32
20
10
52
47
44
Delay purchases
40
60
Foreclosure
8
7
7
20
9
21
14
17
16
8
8
14
Found 11
job
4
19
14
7
0
S '08
F '08
S '09
F '09
S '10
F '10
S '11
F '11
S '12
F '12
S '13
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss
Found a new or better job recently
Facing the possibility of unemployment
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car
Economic Conditions over the next 12 Months
Spring 2013
Better
Same
Worse
31
24
9
23
39
32
32
58
24
37
52
16
Economic growth
Unemployment
Inflation
Your personal financial situation
30
22
26
Unsure/N
A
6
7
8
4
Total
100
100
101
101
22
20
14
9
7
10
6
7
0
-10
-3
Growth
Unemployment
-9
-20
-2
Personal Sit.
Inflation
-13
-30
-40
-38
-43
-50
Fall '11
Spring '12
-46
Fall '12
-43
Spring '13
Retirement Planning/Age
Age Group
18-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-65
66 and over
Overall
% Very
important
46
41
75
71
67
50
62
Age
59
41
Method of Emergency Communications: %Favor,
Works Best
45
40
County Web
site, 52
Twitter, 14
39
35
Landline call,
82
30
Facebook, 19
Email, 61
Cell phone
call, 49
25
21
20
16
Text message,
51
15
15
10
5
5
1
0
1
4
County Executive: Top Priority
Percent
Citing
Non-policy
Institutional improvements
Personal improvements
Efficiency Improvements
Policy
24
20
2
Examples
“Change the way the county has been run,” “Clean house,” “Build citizen confidence in
government,” “Pay more attention to details,” “Avoid scandal troubles,” “Deal with corruption,”
“Ethics/ethical governance,” “Honesty and awareness of what is going on”
“Improving her experience,” “Get more familiar with the county,” “Increase visibility to the
public”
“Streamline government,” “Analyze the efficiency of county government”
Economy
2
69
15
Education
Budget
12
10
Taxes
10
Transportation
Environment
Service improvements
5
3
3
Growth
Crime
Other policy improvements
2
2
7
“Gun control,” “Healthcare,” “Gas prices,” “More frequent trash pickup,” “Improve housing”
General comments
2
“Think of the general welfare of the county,” “Move the county in a positive direction”
Unsure
Total
4
99
“Jobs,” “Help small businesses,” “Jobs for young people and college students,” “Promoting
businesses”
“Maintain school funding,” “Build more/better schools,” “Make schools secure,” “Help education”
“Fiscal management,” “Get rid of excess spending,” “Control government expenditures,” “Stop
inefficient spending”
“Get a handle on taxes,” “Lower taxes,” “Change the tax cap to raise taxes,” “Lower property
taxes”
“Fix county roads,” “Deal with traffic congestion”
“Clean up the Bay,” “Take care of natural resources,” “Deal with run-off ”
“Improve police and emergency services staffing,” “Increase teacher pay,” “Upgrade county
technology,” “Improve services for the disabled”
“Stop excess development,” “Overpopulation”
“Lower crime,” “Better police protection,” “Improve public safety”
State and Local Issues
Support Oppose
Having handgun purchasers be required to
complete a safety course prior to purchase
Having handgun purchasers be
fingerprinted at the time of purchase
Having those seeking to purchase a
handgun pay a $100 fee at the time of
purchase
Repealing the death penalty and replacing it
with life without the possibility of parole
Providing curbside composting pickup
Expanding wind energy financed by a
monthly $1.50 fee on residential BGE
customers
Paying an annual fee of $85 to help pay for
storm water management and Bay clean-up
Allowing county charter schools to tap into
the same construction funding for building
facilities currently used by regular public
schools
Allowing counties to increase the sales tax
on gasoline sales to improve roads.
Unsure
No answer
82
78
45
16
19
49
2
0
3
0
4
2
39
66
43
52
27
53
7
2
5
2
4
0
36
39
61
51
2
1
9
1
21
77
3
0
State and Local Issues: By Party
Overall Dems
Having handgun purchasers be required to
complete a safety course prior to purchase
Having handgun purchasers be
fingerprinted at the time of purchase
Having those seeking to purchase a
handgun pay a $100 fee at the time of
purchase
Repealing the death penalty and replacing it
with life without the possibility of parole
Providing curbside composting pickup
Expanding wind energy financed by a
monthly $1.50 fee on residential BGE
customers
Paying an annual fee of $85 to help pay for
storm water management and Bay clean-up
Allowing county charter schools tap into
the same construction funding for building
facilities currently used by regular public
schools
Allowing counties to increase the sales tax
on gasoline sales to improve roads.
Reps
Unaffiliated
82
91
71
85
78
88
63
85
45
57
33
44
39
50
28
36
66
43
71
54
61
31
64
39
36
44
26
40
39
33
46
35
21
27
13
24
Presidential job approval
Fall 2007 to Spring 2013
70
61
60
53
50
54
47
47
30
47
43
42
40
35
32
30
28
50
40
37
45
42
44
49
44
25
24
20
10
0
Fall '07
Spring '08
Fall '08
Spring '09
Fall '09
Spring '10
CSLI
Fall '10
Spring '11
Gallup
Fall '11
Spring '12
Fall '12
Spring '13
Presidential Job Approval by Party Registration
Fall 2009 to Spring 2013
80
70
72
70
61
60
50
54
53
47
47
24
44
46
44
57
47
47
42
37
33
30
75
67
42
40
20
70
73
76
34
34
12
11
24
18
17
10
7
9
0
F '09
S '10
F '10
Overall
S '11
Democrats
F '11
Republicans
S '12
Unaffiliated
F '12
S '13
Obama’s Top Priority
Priority
Spending
Budget
Taxes
Debt/deficit
Percentage
6
16
4
6
Total
Economy
Jobs
32
24
15
Total
Bipartisanship/work with Congress
End foreign wars
Domestic policies – other
Foreign policies - other
Misc.
Total
39
7
4
7
3
8
Total overall
29
100
Trust in Political Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Neither
No opinion/other
45
42
40
37
35
30
33
31
30
37
37
34
34
38
37
34
32
32
31
30
32
26
25
20
37
34
29
28
27
38
37
37
21
20
21
21
17
17
9
9
15
10
8
7
5
8
6
7
7
7
4
4
0
Spring
Fall
2009
Spring
Fall
2010
Spring
Fall
2011
Spring
Fall
2012
Spring
Fall
2012
Spring
2013