June 15, 2005
Georgians still say that terrorism and security issues are the most important problem facing the nation, followed by the economy, according to the latest Peach State Poll. Concern about both security issues and the economy declined significantly from the February 2005 poll, however, and dissatisfaction with government rose from 9 percent to 14 percent, its highest level in the four-year history of the Peach State Poll.
The Peach State Poll is a quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
Other Peach State Poll results:
* Both Democrats and Republicans chose terrorism and security as the most important issue facing America. The numbers for Democrats (29 percent) and Republicans (28 percent) are virtually equal on this issue, compared with a wide partisan difference that existed between the two in the February poll (Republicans, 47 percent; Democrats, 27 percent).
* Georgians still rank education as the most important problem facing the state. Jobs and the economy (15 percent) was the second most important issue. Dissatisfaction with government continues to be seen as the third most important concern, at slightly over 10 percent. While still relatively small, the percentage of Georgians who view urban sprawl (9 percent) and crime and drugs (9 percent) as most important increased several percentage points from the previous poll.
* A slight majority of Georgians (53 percent) believes that the state is headed in the right direction, while one-third feels the state is on the wrong track (34 percent). While a large majority of Republicans (71 percent) believe the state is headed in the right direction, this figure is down somewhat from February (78 percent). A plurality of Democrats (46 percent) says the state is on the wrong track.
* Georgians are almost evenly split on whether the state economy is getting better (42 percent) or getting worse (39 percent). Opinions on the direction of the economy fall along predictable party lines, with Republicans indicating more optimism than Democrats.
The data presented in this report are taken from a Peach State Poll conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government between April 28 and May 7, 2005. The poll included 803 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.
The Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a public service and outreach unit of the University of Georgia, has as part of its mission to provide policymakers with systematic, objective research to inform policy decisions. In accordance with that mission, the Peach State Poll aims to give voice to the public on important policy matters and issues pertaining to political, social, and economic life in Georgia.
