September 22, 2003
Report & Analysis · Data · Other Poll Releases
Georgians generally have a very positive impression of the HOPE Scholarship program but at the same time are open to options to scale back the awards in light of funding concerns currently under examination, according to the latest Peach State Poll. The public's affection for HOPE is in large part based on the fact that the program is supported by lottery revenue and not from state taxes. The most widely supported limitation is to restrict HOPE awards to a maximum of four years (supported by 74 percent of the public).
Data from the Peach State Poll-a statewide quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government-show that the public is very ambivalent as to whether or not there should be a needs-based component in addition to the merit component tied to HOPE awards. Forty-seven percent of respondents were closer to the opinion that the level of funding for each individual who qualifies for the scholarship should be based on need than to the opinion that the scholarship funds should go equally to all qualified students regardless of need (49 percent).
Other survey results:
* The public has a good understanding of the HOPE program. In an open-ended question, 72 percent of respondents were able to identify the lottery as the source of HOPE funding. Fifty-eight percent of respondents answered correctly when asked if the HOPE award fully covered tuition and mandatory fees at public colleges and universities.
* Georgians in the highest income brackets have the most favorable impression of HOPE; 56 percent of those with household incomes of $50,000 or greater have an extremely positive impression of the program as opposed to only 39 percent of those with household income beneath $50,000.
* A large majority of the public (76 percent) believes that the primary purpose of HOPE should be to create the opportunity for all of Georgia's youth to attend college; only about one in five respondents (21 percent) believe that the primary purpose should be to keep Georgia's best students in the state.
* The public is divided about whether or not there should be an income cap on HOPE eligibility; the public is evenly divided on restoring the original income cap of $66,000, and only a slim majority (53 percent) support returning to an income cap of $100,000.
These data are taken from a Peach State Poll survey conducted between August 8 and August 17, 2003. The poll included 804 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.
