SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Rhode Islanders feel that state and local K-12 education funding should increase and support investment in the blue economy but they overwhelmingly distrust government, according to a new poll put together by the University of Rhode Island.
The poll, URI said Thursday, is the first from the Rhode Island Survey Initiative, an effort launched by various university researchers to gauge public opinion in the Ocean State. The initiative partnered with international polling firm YouGov PLC to ask residents about public education, trust in government and elections, and political media consumption.
Approximately 500 Rhode Island residents ages 18 and older were surveyed between Aug. 17 and Sept. 6, URI said, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The full survey results can be found here.
According to the survey’s findings, 68% of polled residents feel state and/or local funding levels for K-12 should increase. Additionally, 64% of those polled either strongly support or somewhat support changing the statewide funding formula for allocating funds more equitably to better serve historically disadvantaged school districts in Rhode Island.
When asked if teachers unions in Rhode Island are too powerful or not powerful enough, results were split, according to the poll.
URI’s poll also showed most respondents support increased state-level spending on aiding the poor, infrastructure improvements and more housing. However, the poll shows that 49% say the state’s economy is either very weak or somewhat weak. Just 17% say it’s strong, while 34% said the economy is “neither strong nor weak.”
Regarding the blue economy – a state initiative that URI wants to be a major player in – 73% of survey respondents feel it’s important for Rhode Island to invest in blue economy initiatives, including offshore wind.
Respondents’ opinions of Gov. Daniel J. McKee are mixed. Poll results show that 27% of respondents give McKee a seal of approval, while 27% disapprove. Close to half – 45% -said they neither approve nor disapprove or do not know.
Trust in government is very low, per the survey results. Just 14% of respondents said they either have “a great deal” or “a lot” of trust in their local governments; 11% in state government; and 10% in the federal government.
“We hope the survey data will be a tool for other researchers, policymakers, the media, and others interested in understanding where Rhode Islanders stand on key issues,” URI Harrington School of Communication and Media Director Ammina Kothari said in a statement.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
