December 1, 2002
Georgians remain optimistic about their future finances even in the face of the state's ailing economy, according to a recent Peach State Poll. Georgians are nearly as likely to say that their fellow Georgians are financially worse off today (38 percent) as to say they are just about the same (40 percent) as four years ago. Only 15 percent of respondents say that Georgians are better off today. Additionally, 62 percent of Georgians rate the current economy as either fair (46.4 percent) or poor (15.3 percent). This negative perspective notwithstanding, almost half of the poll's respondents (47 percent) expect to be better off financially next year, showing optimism about their personal financial situations.
The Peach State Poll is a statewide quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
The economy is second to education among major concerns of state residents. Twenty-five percent of respondents cited education as the most important problem facing the state, and 15 percent cite the economy or jobs as the most important problem.
Other survey results:
* One-third of all respondents (33 percent) say that they are better off financially today than they were four years ago, and another 40 percent say they are about the same as four years ago.
* Blacks in Georgia see the economy as the most important problem facing the state. Eighteen percent of blacks cited the economy and jobs, and 14 percent of blacks cited education as the most important problem.
* The public appears more ambivalent about the death penalty today than a year earlier. In December 2001, 53 percent chose the death penalty over life imprisonment (39 percent) as the most appropriate punishment for murder; in the September 2002 Peach State Poll, 44 percent chose the death penalty over life imprisonment (42 percent).
* Twenty-five percent of whites and 61 percent of blacks in the state believe that the death penalty is applied unfairly.
These data are taken from a Peach State Poll conducted between September 18 and September 24, 2002. The poll included 800 telephone interviews of randomly selected adults in Georgia. For a sample of this size, the margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level is +/- 3.5 percent.
