Do Rhode Islanders trust their government? Here's what a new URI poll found.

PROVIDENCE – In its first big foray into public-opinion polling, the state-funded University of Rhode Island found majority support for more public spending on education, significant distrust for government at all levels and a nothing-to-brag-about 27% job approval rating for Gov. Dan McKee, who hails education as his top priority.

The survey of what URI described as "a representative sample of 500 Rhode Islanders ages 18 and older" was conducted by "researchers from the University of Rhode Island and the polling firm YouGov," via the internet, between Aug. 17 and Sept. 6.

The goal?

To give students a "hands-on experience" in polling and fill the gap in public polling that was glaringly evident in the run-up to the crowded Democratic primary contest in September for Rhode Island's open congressional seat.

What did the Rhode Island poll find?

Among the most head-shaking findings: 38% of those who "opted-in" to the digital survey said they did not vote in the last presidential election. Only 17% were able to correctly answer this question: "Do you happen to know what job or political office is now held by Joe Shekarchi?" (Spoiler: He's the Rhode Island House Speaker.)

Among the other findings of the survey:

• 27% approve of how Democratic Gov. McKee handles his job, 27% disapprove and 45% gave no opinion.
• All but 17% have some to a "great deal" of trust that Rhode Island elections are fair; only 10% said they have “a great deal” or “a lot” of trust in the federal government, 11% in state government and 14% in local government.
• More than half of those surveyed – 58% – "have at least a moderate amount of trust in traditional media outlets, while fewer, 31%, trust the news they get on social media."
• In general, without any mention of the $1 billion-plus that Rhode Island taxpayers are spending now, 68% said state or local funding levels for K-12 should increase; 42% said they were very or somewhat satisfied with their own community’s K-12 schools; only 21% said they were not satisfied.
• Out of several choices, the biggest single concern in K-12 public schools in Rhode Island for those who responded: "Poor standardized test scores in reading and math (59%)."
• Education initiatives recently introduced in the Rhode Island General Assembly – including a constitutional right to education (72%), universal pre-K (58%), and free lunches in all schools (68%) – all have support, though the highest scorer was a requirement that all public high schools provide "technical and vocational training (76%)."
• Asked more broadly if "Rhode Island K-12 public schools should teach about the historical mistreatment of minorities" – a flashpoint for some GOP activists – 59% said yes. Only 15% said no, while others were either neutral or had no opinion.
• Without mention of how much Rhode Island has already committed to spending, a majority favor increased state spending on education, housing, infrastructure, and aid to the poor.
• Only 17% view the Rhode Island economy as strong or somewhat strong, and 73% said it was important for Rhode Island to invest in blue economy initiatives like offshore wind farms and other economic sectors linked to the ocean or coasts.

The poll was administered by YouGov, an internet-based market research and data analytics firm. URI's Harrington School of Communication and Media paid YouGov survey $10,000 for the survey, according to a URI spokesman.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points, according to URI.

It is not entirely clear how the sample was chosen. But URI spokesman Anthony LaRoche said: "YouGov has an opt-in panel of U.S. residents who completed the online survey. YouGov recruits millions of panelists through a variety of methods such as web search based advertising, member referrals, and telephone-to-web recruitment. "

In this case, "YouGov interviewed over 500 Rhode Islanders, 18 and older, which was matched down to a sampling frame, and then the sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, and 2020 presidential vote choice. " No further information was available on how this worked.

Asked how those surveyed could meaningfully respond to a question about the need for more state and local funding without being told how much taxpayers are already spending on education, LaRoche said: "These questions are meant to measure the general attitudes about spending on education."

Faculty and students from URI identified the survey’s issue areas, formulated questions, and analyzed the results.

“We’re able to give our students hands-on experience in the public opinion research process,” said Emily Lynch, an associate teaching professor of political science. “For students to be able to apply what they learn in the classroom in a real-world setting is incredibly valuable.”

Julie Keller, an associate professor of sociology and director of URI's Social Science Institute for Research, Education, and Policy, said the survey initiative reflects the institute’s goal of providing evidence-based insights to communities across Rhode Island.

The new "Rhode Island Survey Initiative" is led by the University of Rhode Island’s Harrington Schoolfor Communication and Media; the Social Science Institute for Research, Education, and Policy; and the Department of Political Science.

The plan is to issue one poll each year, surveying a wide range of issues impacting life in the state.