2014 Georgia’s
State of the State Poll executive Summary The Department of Government and Sociology at Georgia College has conducted its first Georgia’s State of the State Poll to find out about key issues facing the state and information about our political leaders. The survey was conducted by SSI, a national research leader in this area, from Feb. 5-18, 2014. The margin of error for the weighted sample is +/4.4 percentage points. among the respondents, the key highlights are: • Georgians are optimistic about the direction of the state. • Jobs, education and health care are the three most important issues facing the state. For minority residents, the issues of race and immigration are additional concerns. • Georgians do not expect significant changes in the economy during the coming year and would like to see greater effort on the economic development front. • Gov. Nathan Deal (Republican) and former Gov.Roy Barnes (Democrat) are the two politicians Georgians trust most. • The majority of Georgians are greatly dissatisfied with public education and would be willing to invest more money to improve the system. • Democrats have a slight advantage over Republicans to lead the state in the next four years. • A little over half of Georgians blame both the executive and legislative branches of government in Washington, D.C. for the recent federal shutdown (Oct. 1-16, 2013), followed by the president, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. • A strong majority of Georgians oppose the use of public funds to support professional stadium facilities (e.g. Atlanta Falcons/Atlanta Braves). • Over half of Georgians oppose the decision to decline Medicaid expansion. • Most Georgians strongly oppose the ObamaCare: Affordable Care Act. • One-third of Georgians report being impacted by recent cuts in state programs and services, with women being most affected. • Georgians support the deepening of the Savannah Port.
2014 Georgia’s State of the State Poll | 3