UCA News
UCA poll indicates voters would approve lottery, severance tax increase
Posted in UCA Today Archive on March 13, 2008
According to a public opinion survey released Wednesday by the University of Central Arkansas, voters in Arkansas would approve two proposed ballot initiatives that would create a state lottery to fund college scholarships and raise the state severance tax on natural gas production to fund higher education, highway improvements and local governments.
The poll also indicates that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, U.S. Senator John McCain, would defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in Arkansas (43 percent to 27 percent, with 26 percent “don’t know/undecided”), but would lose the state to Democratic U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (51 percent to 36 percent, with 10 percent “don’t know/undecided”).
Those surveyed had mostly positive attitudes toward the state’s top elected officials, giving Governor Mike Beebe an 82 percent favorable rating (6 percent unfavorable), U.S. Senator Mark Pryor a 72 percent favorable rating (10 percent unfavorable), U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln a 60 percent favorable rating (17 percent unfavorable), and former Governor Mike Huckabee a 65 percent favorable rating (25 percent unfavorable).
UCA President Lu Hardin commissioned the survey as part of a seminar he is teaching this semester about the 2008 elections. Students in the class participated in crafting questions for the poll, which was conducted this week by Opinion Research of Little Rock.
A random sample of 500 statewide respondents was interviewed by telephone from March 6 through March 11, and the sample was equally distributed among the state’s four congressional districts, with a margin of error of ±4.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. (A more detailed explanation of the methodology is included in the survey report.)
Asked if they would vote for a state constitutional amendment that would establish a lottery to fund college scholarships for Arkansas citizens, 64 percent said they would vote to approve it, 29 percent would vote against it, and 7 percent were undecided.
Three questions were posed about the proposal to raise the state severance tax on natural gas production. After clarifying the nature of the tax and explaining that the tax proceeds would be divided among highways, cities and counties, and higher education, 66 percent said they would vote for the measure, 24 percent would vote against it, and 11 percent were undecided.
The poll also indicates that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, U.S. Senator John McCain, would defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in Arkansas (43 percent to 27 percent, with 26 percent “don’t know/undecided”), but would lose the state to Democratic U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (51 percent to 36 percent, with 10 percent “don’t know/undecided”).
Those surveyed had mostly positive attitudes toward the state’s top elected officials, giving Governor Mike Beebe an 82 percent favorable rating (6 percent unfavorable), U.S. Senator Mark Pryor a 72 percent favorable rating (10 percent unfavorable), U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln a 60 percent favorable rating (17 percent unfavorable), and former Governor Mike Huckabee a 65 percent favorable rating (25 percent unfavorable).
UCA President Lu Hardin commissioned the survey as part of a seminar he is teaching this semester about the 2008 elections. Students in the class participated in crafting questions for the poll, which was conducted this week by Opinion Research of Little Rock.
A random sample of 500 statewide respondents was interviewed by telephone from March 6 through March 11, and the sample was equally distributed among the state’s four congressional districts, with a margin of error of ±4.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. (A more detailed explanation of the methodology is included in the survey report.)
Asked if they would vote for a state constitutional amendment that would establish a lottery to fund college scholarships for Arkansas citizens, 64 percent said they would vote to approve it, 29 percent would vote against it, and 7 percent were undecided.
Three questions were posed about the proposal to raise the state severance tax on natural gas production. After clarifying the nature of the tax and explaining that the tax proceeds would be divided among highways, cities and counties, and higher education, 66 percent said they would vote for the measure, 24 percent would vote against it, and 11 percent were undecided.