Arkansas Poll: Voters Express Record Levels of Pessimism
by October 23, 2013 9:06 am 88 views
Arkansas residents are more pessimistic about the future, according to a new public opinion poll released Wednesday by the University of Arkansas.
The 15th annual Arkansas Poll revealed only 63 percent of respondents felt Arkansas is generally headed in the right direction, 10 points lower than last year.
The only time confidence levels have polled this low was in 2003, when the rate was also 63 percent.
The poll, which was conducted Oct. 10-17 during the federal government shutdown, also showed a historic low of 14 percent of people being better off financially as compared to a year ago, down from 23 percent last year.
Only 18 percent of respondents expected their financial situation to be better next year, the lowest level of confidence since this question was first asked in 1999. An unprecedented 24 percent of respondents expect finances to be worse, up from 13 percent last year, and well above the most pessimistic past response of 20 percent in 2010.
When it came to the federal shutdown, which ran Oct. 1-17, Arkansans blamed the president and his party. A full 37 percent of respondents and 39 percent of likely voters blamed President Obama and the Democrats for the shutdown.
Only 26 percent of respondents and 27 percent of likely voters blamed the Republicans in Congress.
The poll results also showed Arkansas as a right-leaning state. There was no significant change in the percentage of likely voters who identify themselves as Democrats — 30 percent in 2012 and 31 percent in 2013 — or liberal — 12 percent in 2012 and 14 percent in 2013.
A slight decline in the percentage of Republicans – 32 percent in 2012 to 27 percent in 2013 – was matched by an increase in self-identified Independents – 32 percent in 2012 up to 36 percent in 2013.
Of the Independents, 51 percent of likely voters lean Republican versus 22 percent who lean Democratic.