Local television and newspapers still dominate coverage of legislative issues for voters, according to a new statewide survey.

Talk Business Research and Hendrix College conducted an interview of 582 registered Arkansas voters to determine attitudes on a variety of political issues and elected officials. The poll was conducted on Thursday, April 21, 2011 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.1%. It will be released in full on Monday, April 25.

We asked: In the recent legislative session, where did you get most of your news about the Arkansas Legislature?

35%  Newspapers
37%  Local television
15%  Internet web sites or blogs
13%  Other

"Clearly, these traditional primary news resources remain popular for voters to learn about developments at the state capitol," said Talk Business & Politics executive editor Roby Brock. "It is important to understand where Arkansans are getting their news as it influences their perceptions about the job elected officials are doing."

Talk Business will unveil additional poll results from the most recent survey throughout the weekend through its TV and radio programs, web site (www.talkbusiness.net), social media platforms and through its content partners.

Other topics surveyed include:

  • Sen. Mark Pryor and Gov. Mike Beebe approval ratings
  • The Arkansas Legislature’s approval rating
  • Handling of the Congressional redistricting process
  • State implementation of federal health care law
  • Reaction to the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Act 1 decision

POLL BACKGROUND
This poll was conducted by Talk Business Research and Hendrix College under the direction of Dr. Jay Barth with the Hendrix College Department of Politics and International Relations. The poll, which has a margin of error of +/- 4.1%, was completed using IVR survey technology on Thursday, April 21, 2011 among 582 registered Arkansas voters statewide.

All media outlets are welcome to reprint, reproduce, or rebroadcast information from this poll with proper attribution to Talk Business and Hendrix College.

For interviews, Brock can be reached by email at roby@talkbusiness.net. Barth can be contacted at barth@hendrix.edu.