Poll Results: Family Problems and Government Solutions in Illinois

In the autumn of 2006, we asked Illinois residents to select the top three problems facing families in the state, from a menu of 16 options. Moreover, we undertook a small experiment to try to learn about both (a) what problems people perceive to be important and (b) what problems they would like to see the state government address.

Half of our respondents were asked to consider a list of things that some people believe the state should do to help families in Illinois. They were instructed to choose a first, second, and third priority. Items were worded to suggest state action, as in supporting good nutrition and exercise, reducing crime, and assistance for minority groups.

The other half of respondents were shown a comparable list, but asked about problems for families in Illinois today and then instructed Imagine that you had the power to fix three of these things. Which would you fix first [second, third]? Items thus identified problems, not actions, as in poor nutrition and exercise, crime, and problems faced by minority groups.

By splitting our sample in this manner, we tried to distinguish between issues that people regard as problems that the state government can potentially solve and issues that they regard as serious problems, but that cannot necessarily be addressed successfully by the government. There need not be any differences, of course. But if there are differences, presumably they will reflect respondents beliefs about what sorts of problems the state is better or worse at fixing.

Precise question wording is found at the end of this note. Table 1 shows, for the problem-only version of the question, the percentages of respondents selecting each of various possible answers as first, second, or third choice, and, in the final column, what percentage chose that item as any of the three priorities. (Hence, the first three columns total 100 percent while the third column totals 300 percent, subject to slight variation from rounding). Table 2 is the analogue of Table 1 for the state-help version of the question.

Two items stand out in both versions, having been picked as top-three priorities by about half of our respondents: (reducing) health care costs, and (improving) the quality of public schools. These are not terribly surprising picks: both are frequently identified as large problems by pundits and politicians, and neither is easily solved. They are, however, regarded by the public as essential issues to be addressed by the state.

Table 1. Problems for Families in Illinois

Table 2. Problems for Families that the State Should Help Solve

The biggest contrast occurs with the issue of jobs. Whereas inadequate job opportunities was selected by only 7 percent as the top issue and by 29 percent as one of the top three, increasing job opportunities was the top pick for 16 percent and a top-three pick for 49 percent. The public evidently thinks either that the state is good at creating jobs, or that this is a core task for state government, even when it is not a pressing problem. The flip-side of this contrast is the general category of working families problems. Three of our items focused not on specific problems but on problems (whatever they might be) faced by sub-groups of the population, namely working families, immigrant families, and minority groups. Only the issues particular to working families drew much support. Interestingly, problems faced by working families was a far more popular selection than its counterpart, assistance for working families. We can perhaps infer that many people Illinois feel strongly that working families face unique challenges, some of which cannot be solved by Springfield.

Reducing crime and reducing high property taxes were the other most popular options, the latter being slightly more often cited as a priority for state government than as a generic worry. Actions related to mental health, basic nutrition and exercise, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse were only very rarely chosen. Comparatively speaking, these ailments strike few respondents either as grave crises or as matters on which the General Assembly ought to focus attention.

There are, of course, a few necessary caveats. We asked respondents to select from specific problems, and, thus, may have omitted topics that could have commanded high levels of support under either frame. One might also quibble with our exact phrases, and worry, for instance that, some of the options were too vague or limiting. For instance, a respondent concerned that property taxes are too low could not offer that view here. Nonetheless, these few questions shed some light on what the public regards as pressing issues, both for society at large and for lawmakers in Springfield, charged with making life better.

Appendix: Precise Question Wording.

Respondents were randomly assigned to only one of two items shown below. Responses were randomly ordered, except that Dont Know was always located at the bottom of the list. Respondents were instructed to choose three times. After the first selection, it was removed from the list, and the respondent was prompted And which should be the second highest priority for your state senator and representative? Likewise, after the second selection, it was removed from the list, and the respondent was prompted And which should be the third highest priority for your state senator and representative?

A. Below is a list of things that some people believe the state should do to help families in Illinois. Were interested in which of these you think should be the top three priorities for your state senator and representative. First, which would say should be the top priority?

• Supporting good nutrition and exercise
• Making health care more affordable
• Making good health care easier to find
• Promoting childrens mental health
• Reducing crime
• Reducing drug abuse
• Reducing alcohol abuse
• Reducing property taxes
• Improving the quality of public schools
• Assistance for minority groups
• Assistance for immigrant families
• Assistance for working families
• Increasing the supply of affordable housing
• Increasing job opportunities
• Better preparing youth for the workforce
• Helping parents raise children to have good character
• Dont know

B. Below is a list of things that some people believe are problems for families in Illinois today. Imagine that you had the power to fix three of these things. Which would you fix first?

• Poor nutrition and exercise
• High cost of health care
• Lack of good quality health care
• Lack of support for childrens mental health
• Crime
• Drug abuse
• Alcohol abuse
• High property taxes
• Poor quality of public schools
• Problems faced by minority groups
• Problems faced by immigrant families
• Problems facedparation of youth for the workforce
• Lack of good character in Illinois children
• Dont know

The poll was conducted by Polimetrix for the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. For technical details on the polls sampling, please see the companion document on the Illinois Opinion Monitor / Cooperative Congressional Election Study.