!

!
!
!
!

!!!!!!!!!!!
!
!
May!7,!2015!

Contact:! Tom!Mason,!Mason!Public!Affairs!
612B664B0570!
651B233B4230!(cell)!
tmason@masonBpublicaffairs.com!!

!
!

!!!

MEDIA!ADVISORY!

!
American!Experiments!State%of%Prosperity!poll!will!!
reveal!areas!of!surprising!bipartisan!consensus!!
!
Saint!Paul,!MN!!Center!of!the!American!Experiment!will!release!the!results!of!its!first!State%of%
Prosperity!survey!on!Friday,!May!8.!
!
The!survey!was!conducted!by!Rob!Autry,!founder!of!CharlestonBbased!Meeting!Street!Research.!
Autry!is!one!of!Americas!premier!pollsters.!Before!founding!Meeting!Street,!he!was!a!partner!
at!Public!Opinion!Strategies.!His!firm!interviewed!500!registered!voters!statewide!by!telephone!
(30!percent!by!cell!phone)!between!April!26B28.!It!has!a!margin!of!error!of!plus!or!minus!4.38!
percent.!
!
Note:!Reporters/editors!may!receive!an!embargoed!(6!a.m.!Friday,!May!8)!copy!of!the!survey!by!
emailing!tmason@masonBpublicaffairs.com.!!
!
Rob!Autry!is!available!for!interviews.!
!
!
!

###

The State of Prosperity survey

A SURPRISING

CONSENSUS
Minnesotans agree on an
unexpected number of
legislative issues

But there is a growing split

between voters in the metro and
non-metro regions
By Rob Autry, founder,
Meeting Street Research

Building a Culture of Prosperity

Building a Culture of Prosperity

s Minnesotas legislators proceed

through the final days of their 2015
session, Minnesotans appear to be surprisingly unified on issues related to the
budget, transportation, health care, and
state pensions, perhaps explained by a
strong perception of the states improving
economy.
These are some of the findings of a
survey conducted by my firm, Meeting
Street Research, on behalf of Center of
the American Experiment. We interviewed 500 registered voters statewide
by telephone (30 percent by cell phone)
between April 26-28. This survey has
a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38
percent.
Among other things, our State of
Prosperity survey revealed the following
results:
The Surplus: Minnesotans staunchly oppose using the proceeds of the
states expected $1.9 billion budget
surplus to fund new or expand existing government programs. Only 13
percent favor such spending. Voters
would rather see the surplus saved for
a rainy day (39 percent) and used to
cut future taxes (38 percent).

About the pollster

Rob Autry, founder of Meeting Street
Research, is one of the nations leading pollsters and research strategists.
The Meeting Street Research team
has 25 years of combined public opinion research experience and 2,000
research projects under its belt.
Before founding Meeting Street,
Autry was a partner at Public
Opinion Strategies.

Transportation: A whopping 94
percent of Minnesotans favor public
spending on modernizing and expanding aging roads, highways, and
bridges. They overwhelmingly favor
funding improvements through use of
existing sales tax revenue (65 percent)
over raising the gas tax (29 percent).
Health Care: When asked how best
to contain the rising costs of health
care, Minnesotans dramatically favor
increased competition in health insurance (59 percent) over single-payer
health care in which all Americans
would get their health insurance from
one health plan that is financed by
taxes (35 percent).
Public Pensions: A majority (51
percent) of Minnesotans think that the
financial solvency of the states system
of public pensions poses a potential
problem. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent)
think that public employees should
transition to a kind of 401(k)-style
pension system that is commonly used
by private sector employers.

1 The State of Prosperity survey www.americanexperiment.org

Editors Note:

Geographic definitions
When this analysis refers to
Minneapolis-St. Paul, it means
Hennepin and Ramsey counties.
Collar counties are Anoka,
Carver, Dakota, Scott, Washington,
and Wright. A reference to the
Twin Cities or metro combines
Minneapolis-St. Paul and the
collar counties.

A Tale of
Two Minnesotas?

Overall, Minnesotans exhibit a sense

of optimism about their states overall
prospects. Fifty-eight percent of voters
say things in the state are heading in the
right direction, while 36 percent believe
were off on the wrong track. Thats a
startling reversal of their feelings about
the country as a whole (34 percent right
direction, 57 percent wrong track).
But, it is important to emphasize that

They also perceive that things are better

in Minnesota than in the nation overall
(61 percent better, 31 percent worse). But
again, this positive sentiment is noticeably higher among metro residents. While
60 percent of residents of the Twin Cities
believe that the economy has improved in
the past year, only 36 percent of Greater
Minnesota agreesa significant drop off.
Whats more, the fact that 61 percent
of Minnesotans declare that their states
economy is better than other regions in
the country is similarly boosted by the
Twin Cities (71 percent) and suburbs (61
percent). Residents of Greater Minnesota
demonstrate less economic optimism:
49 percent in the northeast, 52 percent in
the south, and 58 percent in the west and
northwest.
It is also revealing that many Minnesotans believe that economic prosperity has
not extended to their personal circumstances. Only 20 percent of Minnesotans
believe that their personal financial situation has gotten better in the past year; 16
percent believe it has gotten worse. This
is an important and significant distinction.

Dont Spend
the Surplus

there is a distinct difference between the

prospective enthusiasm of residents in the
Twin Cities and its suburbs (+26 percent
right direction), and the distinctively
less upbeat attitudes of people who live
in Greater Minnesota (+15 percent right

direction).
That attitude endures in their differing
attitudes about the economy. Minnesotans believe their states economy has
improved in the last year (46 percent
gotten better, 10 percent gotten worse).

As the state legislature expects the

state to receive the proceeds of a $1.9
billion budget surplus, Minnesotans
are unambiguousand bipartisanin
expressing their opposition to spending it on new or expanded programs.
When asked to choose just one of three
optionssave it for a rainy day, use it
to cut future taxes, or spend it on new
or expanded government programs
just 13 percent opted for new spending.
The other options were split evenly:
39 percent rainy day, 38 percent future
taxes. A plurality of Independents (41
percent) and a majority of Republicans
(55 percent) prefer future tax cuts, while
more Democrats want to save for a rainy
day (43 percent). In fact, just one out of
four Democrats (26 percent) believe we
should spend the surplus on creating or
expanding government programs.

www.americanexperiment.org The State of Prosperity survey 2

Building a Culture of Prosperity

On top of this, there was deep bipartisan support (64 percent) for the notion
of limiting how much lawmakers can
increase state spending, such as limiting
the growth in spending to the growth in
inflation or personal income (36 percent
strong support, 27 percent somewhat
support). This idea enjoyed the broadest support of all the issues we tested,
cutting across all demographics: 76
percent from Republicans, 65 percent
from Independents, and 53 percent from
Democrats.
Peter Nelson, the Centers director
of policy, is an expert on legislative
budgeting in Minnesota. He says, Minnesotans expect lawmakers to spend tax

Minnesotans
oppose spending
the surplus on
new or expanded
programs.
dollars responsibly and so its not too
surprising that people across the partisan
divide support setting reasonable limits
on spending. A number of traditionally
Democratic states impose such limits,
such as California, Connecticut, New
Jersey, and Washington.

Fix the Roads

with Existing Funding

Minnesotans were similarly unequivocal about transportation issues. When

presented with a variety of transportation-related policy initiatives, from roads
to transit, they pretty much selected all
of the above. They overwhelmingly (94
percent!) support the priority of extending and modernizing Minnesotas aging
roads, highways, and bridges. To find 94
percent support of almost anything is a
rare result in polling. And while there is

high (65 percent to 29 percent) support

for making roads a priority over mass
transit projects like light rail, there remained 65 percent support for bus rapid
transit, but also 61 percent for expanding
light rail projects.
Attorney Fritz Knaak, a former state
senator and coauthor of the chapter on
transportation in the Centers Minnesota
Policy Blueprint, said the overwhelming
support for prioritizing transportation
funding is the key takeaway from this,
particularly when coupled with such a
consistent opposition to gas tax funding.
Its clear that Minnesotans expect their
leaders to find the means within the
current revenue sources to get the job
done. The Center has offered possible
solutions and the House, in particular,
has responded with a number of excellent proposals that do just this.
At the same time, Minnesotans were
just as explicit about how they wanted to
fund the states transportation projects.
When asked to choose between raising
the gas tax or choosing instead to rely
on the existing sales taxes on automobile-related expenses, they reject the gas

3 The State of Prosperity survey www.americanexperiment.org

tax by more than two-to-one (65 percent

to 29 percent). This is telling data. Republicans overwhelmingly reject the gas
tax (79 percent to 14 percent), but so did
Independents (68 percent to 24 percent).
Democrats narrowly support the gas tax
(50 percent to 45 percent).

Reducing the
Cost of Health Care

We tried to cut through the clutter

and increasing confusion about health
care by using one question to probe
possible solutions to the rising costs
of health care in Minnesota. We asked
which ONE thematic solution will better
contain those costs: a single-payer health
care system in which all Americans get
their health insurance from one health
plan that is financed by taxes OR a
health insurance market in which people
use employer contributions to choose
their own health plan?
The result: competition, by a wide
margin, 59 percent to 35 percent.
Says Peter Nelson: Various laws
on the books stifle value-enhancing
competition in health care markets, but

percent. Independent voters, who constitute about 25 percent of the Minnesota

electorate, widely prefer competition, 56
percent to 32 percent.
Answers to this question also yielded
dramatic differences by region. Voters in
the Twin Cities are split on whats best
to contain costs (48 percent increased
competition in the marketplace, 44
percent single-payer system). But, voter
preference for increased competition in
the marketplace grows the farther you
get from the city center. Those who reside in the collar counties back increased

Minnesotans
overwhelmingly
reject the gas
tax (65 percent
to 29 percent)
competition over a single-payer system
by a 59 percent to 35 percent margin,
while voters in the south (61 percent
competition, 33 percent single payer),
west/northwest (66 percent, 29 percent),
and northeast regions (74 percent, 24
percent) of the state are even more
strongly supportive of this solution.

Reform Public Pensions

its not always clear whether the public

understands this fact. Its good to see
that Minnesotans appreciate how competition can improve health care, just
as it improves so many other things in
our daily lives, like phones, cars and the

restaurants we frequent.
Opinions about health care continue to
cut by party. Republicans favor competition 82 percent to 13 percent, and
Democrats show a little more dissent by
favoring single payer 57 percent to 41

Despite the back-burner visibility

of the financial instability of pension
plans for Minnesotas state and local
government employees, almost half of
Minnesotans consider it a problem (17
percent serious, 34 percent somewhat
serious). The fact that more than 50
percent of the states residents consider
something a problem is significant,
especially, in this case, when 22 percent
of respondents admit they dont yet
know enough about the issue.
When you present the option to transition public employees to a 401(k)-

www.americanexperiment.org The State of Prosperity survey 4

Building a Culture of Prosperity

style plan, similar to private sector

employees, nearly two-thirds of Minnesotans give it support (64 percent to 26
percent). And this is heavily bipartisan.
Republicans support it 82 percent to
13 percent, Independents support it 61
percent to 23 percent, and Democrats
support it 50 percent to 39 percent.
Another interesting segment of support
can be found by age. Men aged 18-54
support the 401(k) option 64 percent
to 26 percent, while women aged 1854 percent support it 69 percent to 23
percent.

More than
50 percent view
the financial
instability of
public pensions
as a problem.
Bringing the public sector into
line with the private sector has many
virtues, says Kim Crocket, executive
vice president of Center of the American Experiment and a long-time key
advocate of pension reform. Besides
offering fully funded, mobile retirement
assets to young employees, it ends the
unsound practice of taking on new,
unfunded liabilities that are guaranteed
by taxpayers. This makes it more likely
that we can fully honor the promises
we have already made, but not fully funded, to retirees and long-time
employees. It also takes the backroom
politics out of retirement savings and
investments.

The Met Council

The Great Unknown

For an organization that exercises

substantial regional power and influ-

ence, opinions about the Metropolitan

Council are surprisingly soft. Most
Minnesotans, even those who live in
the Met Councils seven-county region,
dont really have firm opinions about it.
Among its constituents, 24 percent view

5 The State of Prosperity survey www.americanexperiment.org

it favorably, 22 percent view it unfavorably, and 33 percent have never heard

of it. These can only be considered
underwhelming image numbers. For the
record, outside of its jurisdiction, only
25 percent have heard of it (12 percent

Education Matters

Minnesotans choose education as their legislative priority.

When asked to choose
from a list of potential
obstacles to a successful
system of education in
Minnesota, 55 percent of
respondents selected parents not involved in their
kids education. (Note:
respondents could include
multiple answers.)
Whats interesting is the
high level of bipartisan
agreement on the parents
response. While Republicans (61 percent) and
Independents (52 percent)
both named it the top concern, Democrats also listed
it at 52 percent, although lack of funding (60 percent) and
poverty (55 percent) scored higher.
Mitch Pearlstein, the Centers founder and president,
says that hes pleased through not surprised that parental
involvement was seen by a clear majority of Minnesotans
as critical. Without question, though, he says, people
conceive of such engagement in different ways.Most basically it means mothers and fathers staying on top of their
children, making certain they do their homework, showing
up for parent-teacher conferences, and overall making
it clear to their boys and girls that learning is vitally more
important both for intrinsic reasons and for their future

positive, 13 percent negative).

The Met Councils support is highly
partisan: Republicans view it negatively
(32 percent to 12 percent), Democrats
view it positively (28 percent to 8
percent) and Independents are split (12
percent positive, 14 percent negative).
After providing basic information
about the Met Council, we tested basic
concepts about its new long-term plan
for its region. We received mixed and
contradictory results.

well-being and success as

adults.
He says that many
concerns about parental
involvement are even more
basic, focusing, quite
frankly, on whether some
mothers and fathers are
adequately equipped to be
effective parents in the first
place. This is especially
the case when it comes
to many kids growing up
in unstable, single-parent
situations. How do we
encourage and help such
parentswho are usually
poorly educated themselves help their children? And for manynot that these
categories are exclusive of each otherthe need for greater parental involvement has to do with affording parents
wider choices in where their children can attend school.
He cited three major surveys over the last two decades
regarding what Minnesotans think about different kinds
of educational choice, including vouchers, tax credits,
and, more recently, education savings accounts. In each
instance, endorsement of broader education freedom has
been strong, with vouchers, for example, garnering support from nearly two-thirds of all interviewees each time,
he says.

For me, the big takeaway with our

Met Council questions is that opinions
about the council and its plans are
largely unformed; among those that
do have opinions, they are very soft.
Over 50 percent have either never heard
of Met Council or have no opinion
about the it. There are different ways
to interpret this data, but I conclude
that Minnesotans have not received
sufficient information about the Met
Councils plans.

A Split on
Renewable Energy

Minnesotans expressed moderate

support for requiring electric utilities
to generate electricity from renewable
resources, even if it means residents and
businesses pay higher electrical prices.
While the intensity on either side of the
issue is a wash26 percent of Minnesotans strongly support the idea, 25 percent
strongly oppose itoverall, 54 percent
either support it strongly or somewhat.

www.americanexperiment.org The State of Prosperity survey 6

Center of the American Experiment develops and promotes policies which

encourage economic growth and a culture of individual, family and
civic responsibility. Our workfirmly rooted in conservative
and free market principlesfocuses on original research, op-eds,
public forums, legislative briefings, and various other means
for turning essential ideas into tangible action.
8441 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 350, Golden Valley, MN 55426 (612) 338-3605 AmericanExperiment.org

!
MINNESOTA STATEWIDE VOTER SURVEY
Field&Dates:&&& &
Sample&Size:& &
Margin&of&Error:&&

April&26128,&2015&
N=500&Registered&Voters&(30%&cell)&
+/14.38%&

*"Denotes"result"less"than"0.5%.""
Due"to"rounding,"some"figures"may"be"higher"or"lower"by"less"than"one;half"of"one"percent."!

!
Screener"Question"A"
Before!we!begin,!I!need!to!know!if!I!have!reached!you!on!a!cell!phone,!and!if!so,!are!you!
in!a!place!where!you!can!talk!safely!without!endangering!yourself!or!others?!
!
30%! Yes,!cell!and!in!safe!place!
70%! No,!not!on!cell!
!
"
Screener"Question"C"
Are!you!registered!to!vote!at!(IF!LAND:!this!address/IF!CELL:!your!home!address!in!
Minnesota)?!
!
100%! YES!!
!
!
Question"1"
To!start,!thinking!about!things!nationally...!
Generally!speaking,!would!you!say!that!things!in!the!country!are!going!in!the!right!
direction,!or!have!they!gotten!off!on!the!wrong!track?!
!
34%! RIGHT!DIRECTION!
57%! WRONG!TRACK!
!!9%! NO!OPINION!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!1%! REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
"

!
1!

www.meetingstreetresearch.com

Question"2"
Next,!turning!our!attention!to!things!here!in!Minnesota...!
Generally!speaking,!would!you!say!that!things!in!Minnesota!are!going!in!the!right!
direction,!or!have!they!gotten!off!on!the!wrong!track?!
!
58%! RIGHT!DIRECTION!
36%! WRONG!TRACK!
!!4%! NO!OPINION!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!2%! REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
!
Question"3"
Thinking!now!about!some!issues,!which!TWO!of!the!following!issue!areas!do!you!believe!
should!be!the!top!priorities!for!the!Governor!and!State!Legislature?!Would!it!be...!
(RANDOMIZE.&RECORD&AS&RANKED&FIRST&AND&SECOND&CHOICE)!
!
(PROMPT&IF&NEEDED)!And,!what!would!you!say!is!the!NEXT!top!priority!for!the!Governor!
and!State!Legislature?!(DO&NOT&READ&LIST&UNLESS&ASKED&TO)!
!
1st&
Comb&
22%! 36%! Education!
12%! 22%! The!economy!
12%! 20%! State!government!spending!
!!9%! 20%! Traffic!and!transportation!infrastructure!
!!9%! 18%! Taxes!!
!!8%! 17%! Jobs!here!in!Minnesota!
!!8%! 15%! Health!care!!
!!7%! 12%! Moral!issues!and!decline!of!the!family!
!!5%! !!9%! Poverty!
!!3%! !!7%! Climate!change!
!!2%! !!7%! Race!relations!
!!1%! !!5%! Crime!!
!
!!1%! !!1%! ALL!OF!THESE!(DO&NOT&READ)&!
!!1%! !!1%! NONE!OF!THE!ABOVE!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!1%! !!1%! DON'T!KNOW/!REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
!

2
2!

Question"4"
Turning!our!attention!to!the!economy!
Over!the!last!year,!do!you!think!Minnesotas!economy!has!(ROTATE&FIRST&TWO)!
!
46%! Gotten!better!
10%! Gotten!worse!
42%! Stayed!about!the!same!
!!2%! Not!sure!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!ff!
Refused!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
"
Question"5"
And,!compared!to!the!rest!of!the!country,!do!you!believe!Minnesotas!economy!is...!
(ROTATE&FIRST&TWO)!
!
61%! Better!
!!5%! Worse!
31%! Or!about!the!same!
...as!the!national!economy?!
!!4%! DONT!KNOW!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!ff!
REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
!
Question"6"
Over!the!last!year,!has!your!personal!financial!situation!(ROTATE&FIRST&TWO)!
!
20%!! Gotten!better!
16%! Gotten!worse!
63%! Stayed!about!the!same!
!!*!
Not!sure!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!*!
Refused!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
!
"
"

3
3!

Question"7"
Now,!I!want!to!turn!our!attention!to!the!Metropolitan!Council,!also!known!as!the!Met!
Council.!To!start,!please!tell!me!first!if!you!have!heard!of!the!Met!Council!and!if!your!
opinion!is!favorable!or!unfavorable.!
!
(IF&FAV/UNFAV,&ASK)!And!would!that!be!STRONGLY!(favorable/unfavorable)!or!just!
SOMEWHAT!(favorable/unfavorable)?!!
!
!!4%! Very!Favorable!
15%! Somewhat!Favorable!
!!7%! Somewhat!Unfavorable!
11%! Very!Unfavorable!
29%! Heard!of/No!Opinion!(DO&NOT&READ)!
33%! Never!Heard!of!
!!2%! Refused!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
65%$ TOTAL$HEARD$OF$
19%$ TOTAL$FAVORABLE$
18%$ TOTAL$UNFAVORABLE$
"
"

4
4!

Questions"8;11"
Thinking!some!more!about!this!
The!Met!Council!was!created!in!the!1960s!with!limited!planning!and!coordinating!
powers!over!regional!infrastructure!!mainly!sewers!and!roads!for!the!seven!counties!
that!make!up!the!Twin!Cities!metropolitan!area.!Over!the!years,!the!Councils!scope!and!
power!have!expanded!to!include!approving!local!governments!comprehensive!plans,!
allocating!federal!transportation!funds,!administering!some!affordable!housing!
programs,!and!operating!regional!transit!and!waste!water!systems.!!All!17!members!of!
the!Met!Council!are!appointed!by!the!Governor.!!Now,!having!heard!more!about!the!
Met!Council!I!am!going!to!read!you!a!series!of!different!views!about!the!Met!Councils!
plans!for!transportation!and!housing.!!After!I!read!each!view,!please!tell!me!if!you!
AGREE!or!DISAGREE!with!that!particular!viewpoint.!!The!(FIRST/NEXT)!one!is!!
&
(IF&AGREE/DISAGREE,&ASK)!And!do!you!COMPLETELY!(AGREE/DISAGREE)!or!just!MOSTLY!
(AGREE/DISAGREE)!that!view?!
!
TOT& TOT& COMPLETELY& MOSTLY&
MOSTLY&
COMPLETELY& DK/REF&
AGREE&DISAG& AGREE&&
AGREE&&
DISAGREE&
DISAGREE&
(DNR)&
!
(8)"Some!say!the!Met!Councils!plan!is!RIGHT!to!focus!public!resources!on!developing!
highfdensity!housing!along!fixed!rail!transit!lines!to!reduce!reliance!on!cars!and!
encourage!more!residents!to!take!public!transit.!
!62%& 29%& 16%! !
46%! !
17%! !
13%! !
!!9%!
&
"
(9)"Some!say!the!Met!Councils!plan!is!WRONG!to!prioritize!tax!dollars!for!light!rail!
transit!projects,!while!virtually!ignoring!congestion!relief!on!our!roads!and!highways.!
52%& 38%! 19%! !
33%! !
26%! !
12%! !
10%!
!!
"
(10)"Some!say!the!Met!Councils!plan!is!RIGHT!to!focus!on!developing!plans!to!disperse!
lowfincome!people!throughout!the!metro!area!and!require!communities!to!plan!for!and!
promote!affordable!housing!and!build!it!in!higher!income!areas.!
50%& 39%! 14%! !
35%! !
20%! !
20%! !
11%& !!
"
"
(11)"Some!say!the!Met!Councils!plan!is!WRONG!because!it!prioritizes!and!gives!funding!
preferences!to!the!urban!areas!at!the!expense!of!suburban!communities.!
48%& 37%& 16%! !
32%! !
28%! !
!!9%! !
15%

5
5!

Question"12!
Next,!I!am!going!to!give!you!a!list!of!different!factors!that!some!say!are!obstacles!to!a!
successful!education!system!in!the!state.!!After!I!read!them,!please!tell!me!which!ONES!
you!believe!are!significant!challenges!facing!Minnesotas!education!system!today.!!
(RANDOMIZE&AND&ACCEPT&MULTIPLE&RESPONSES)&
!
55%! Parents!not!involved!in!their!kids!education!
45%! Too!much!bureaucracy!
45%! Lack!of!funding!
42%! Poverty!
41%! Family!breakdown!
28%! Teacher!quality!
25%! Teachers!union!blocks!reform!efforts!
24%! Lazy!students!
16%! Not!enough!choice!and!competition!between!schools!
!
!!1%! ALL!OF!THESE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!1%! NONE!OF!THESE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!2%! REFUSED/DONT!KNOW!(DO&NOT&READ)&
&
&
&

6
6!

Questions"13;16!
Next,!were!going!to!look!at!a!series!of!proposals!dealing!with!transportation!issues!that!
might!be!considered!this!year!by!the!Governor!and!State!Legislature.!!After!I!read!each!
one,!please!tell!me!if!you!would!SUPPORT!or!OPPOSE!that!proposal.!!The!(FIRST/NEXT)!
one!is!(RANDOMIZE)!
!
(IF&SUPPORT/OPPOSE,&ASK)!And!do!you!STRONGLY!(support/oppose)!or!just!
SOMEWHAT!(support/oppose)!that!proposal?!
!
TOT& TOT& &
STRG& SMWT&&
SMWT&STRG& &
NO& DK/&
SUPPT&OPPO& &
SUPPT&SUPPT&&
OPPO& OPPO& &
DIFF& REF&
!
(15)"Modernizing!and!expanding!aging!roads,!highways!and!bridges!
94%& &&3%& &
68%! 26%! !
!!2%! !!2%! !
!!*!
!!2%!
"
"
(16)"Prioritize!funding!for!updating!roads!and!bridges!over!funding!for!mass!transit!
projects!like!light!rail!&
65%& 29%! !
33%! 32%! !
15%! 13%! !
!!2%! !!4%!
"
"
(14)"Focusing!transit!spending!on!less!costly!options,!such!as!bus!rapid!transit!
65%& 30%& &
23%! 43%! !
17%! 12%! !
!!*!
!!5%!
"
"
(13)"Expanding!light!rail!projects!!
61%& 35%! !
30%! 31%! !
14%! 21%! !
!!1%! !!3%!
!
!
!
!
!
"
"

7
7!

Question"17"
The!state!legislature!is!currently!debating!how!to!pay!to!maintain!Minnesotas!roads!and!
bridges.!!I!am!going!to!read!you!two!different!viewpoints!on!this!issue!and!after!I!read!
both!of!them,!tell!me!which!ONE!you!tend!to!support!the!most.!!(RANDOMIZE)!
!
29%! (One/Another)!side!believes!we!should!raise!the!gas!tax.!
!
while!!!
65%! (Another/One)!side!believes!we!should!not!raise!taxes!and!instead!use!the!
existing!sales!tax!on!automobile!related!expenses,!such!as!auto!parts!and!car!
rentals.!!
!
!!2%! ALL!OF!THESE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!4%! NONE!OF!THESE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!1%! DONT!KNOW/NOT!SURE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!ff!
REFUSED&!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!
!
Question"18!
Next,!Id!like!to!ask!a!couple!questions!about!public!pensions!!thats!the!pension!plan!
for!state!and!local!government!employees.!!Based!on!what!you!know,!how!serious!is!the!
current!financial!situation!with!Minnesotas!public!pensions?!!!Is!it!a!very!serious!
problem,!somewhat!serious,!not!too!serious!or!not!a!serious!problem!at!all?!
!
17%! Very!serious!problem!
34%! Somewhat!serious!!
14%! Not!too!serious!
12%! Not!a!serious!problem!at!all!
22%! DONT!KNOW/NOT!SURE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!1%! REFUSED&!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!
51%$ TOTAL$SERIOUS$PROBLEM$
27%$ TOTAL$NOT$A$SERIOUS$PROBLEM$
!
!

8
8!

Question"19"
Would!you!SUPPORT!or!OPPOSE!a!plan!to!transition!Minnesotas!public!employees!from!
their!current!pension!plan!to!the!kind!of!401!Kfstyle!pension!system!that!is!commonly!
used!by!private!sector!employers?!
!
IF&SUPPORT/OPPOSE,&ASK)!And!do!you!STRONGLY!(support/oppose)!or!just!
SOMEWHAT!(support/oppose)!that!plan?!
!
39%! STRONGLY!SUPPORT!
24%! SOMEWHAT!SUPPORT!
11%! SOMEWHAT!OPPOSE!
15%! STRONGLY!OPPOSE!
10%! DONT!KNOW/NOT!SURE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!1%! REFUSED&!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!
64%$ TOTAL$SUPPORT$
26%$ TOTAL$OPPOSE$
!
!
Question"20!
Now!lets!talk!about!health!care.!Health!care!costs!continue!to!increase!faster!than!
growth!in!the!overall!economy.!!Which!ONE!of!the!following!do!you!believe!is!a!better!
way!to!contain!rising!health!care!costs?!
!
35%! Create!a!single!payer!health!care!system!in!which!all!Americans!would!get!their!
health!insurance!from!one!health!plan!that!is!financed!by!taxes.!!
!
OR!
59%! Increase!competition!in!the!health!insurance!market!by!letting!people!use!
employer!contributions!to!choose!their!own!health!plan.!
!
!!ff!
ALL!OF!THESE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!3%! NONE!OF!THESE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!2%! DONT!KNOW/NOT!SURE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!1%! REFUSED&!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!
!

9
9!

Question"21"
Changing!topics!and!looking!at!energy!nextDo!you!SUPPORT!or!OPPOSE!requiring!
Minnesota!electric!utilities!to!generate!electricity!from!renewable!resources,!even!if!it!
means!Minnesota!residents!and!businesses!pay!higher!electricity!prices?!!
!
IF&SUPPORT/OPPOSE,&ASK)!And!do!you!STRONGLY!(support/oppose)!or!just!
SOMEWHAT!(support/oppose)!that!requirement?!
!
26%! STRONGLY!SUPPORT!
28%! SOMEWHAT!SUPPORT!
17%! SOMEWHAT!OPPOSE!
25%! STRONGLY!OPPOSE!
!!4%! DONT!KNOW/NOT!SURE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!*!
REFUSED&!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!
54%$ TOTAL$SUPPORT$
42%$ TOTAL$OPPOSE$
!
!
Question"22!
On!the!issue!of!the!state!budget!
Do!you!SUPPORT!or!OPPOSE!placing!a!limit!on!how!much!lawmakers!can!increase!state!
spending,!such!as!limiting!the!growth!in!spending!to!the!growth!in!inflation!or!personal!
income?!
!
IF&SUPPORT/OPPOSE,&ASK)!And!do!you!STRONGLY!(support/oppose)!or!just!
SOMEWHAT!(support/oppose)!the!spending!limit?!
!
36%! STRONGLY!SUPPORT!
27%! SOMEWHAT!SUPPORT!
16%! SOMEWHAT!OPPOSE!
13%! STRONGLY!OPPOSE!
!!7%! DONT!KNOW/NOT!SURE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!*!
REFUSED&!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!
64%$ TOTAL$SUPPORT$
29%$ TOTAL$OPPOSE$
$
"

10
1

Question"23"
And,!finally,!the!State!economic!forecast!says!that!the!state!is!probably!going!to!have!a!
1.9!billion!dollar!budget!surplus.!Which!ONE!of!the!following!do!you!think!should!be!the!
legislatures!top!priority!for!allocating!the!excess!funding?!!(RANDOMIZE)&
!
39%! Save!it!for!a!rainy!day!
38%! Use!it!to!cut!future!taxes!
13%! Spend!it!on!new!and!expanded!government!programs!
!!7%! NONE!OF!THESE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!2%! DONT!KNOW/NOT!SURE!(DO&NOT&READ)&
!!*!
REFUSED&!(DO&NOT&READ)&

11
1

!Question"D1!
In!what!year!were!you!born?!
!
15%! 18f34!
20%! 35f44!
21%! 45f54!
21%! 55f64!
22%! 65+!
!!1%! REFUSED!
!
!
Question"D2"
GENDER!(BY&OBSERVATION,&BUT&ASK&EVERYONE)!Are!you!currently!employed,!a!
student,!a!homemaker,!retired,!or!unemployed!and!looking!for!work?!
!
(ASK&IF&EMPLOYED)!And!are!you!now!employed!fullftime!or!partftime?!
!
31%! MALE/EMPLOYED!FULLfTIME!
!!2%! MALE/EMPLOYED!PARTfTIME!
!!1%! MALE/HOMEMAKER!
12%! MALE/RETIRED/STUDENT/UNEMPLOYED!
!!*!
MALE/REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
25%! FEMALE/EMPLOYED!FULLfTIME!
!!7%! FEMALE/EMPLOYED!PARTfTIME!
!!4%! FEMALE/HOMEMAKER!
17%! FEMALE/RETIRED/STUDENT/UNEMPLOYED!
!!1%! FEMALE/REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
"
47%$ TOTAL$MALE$
53%$ TOTAL$FEMALE$
&

12
1

Question"D4"
And!what!is!the!last!grade!you!completed!in!school?!(DO&NOT&READ&CHOICES)!
!
!!1%! SOME!GRADE!SCHOOL!(GRADES!1f8)!
!!2%! SOME!HIGH!SCHOOL!(GRADES!9f11)!
20%! GRADUATED!HIGH!SCHOOL!(GRADE!12)!
!!7%! TECHNICAL/VOCATIONAL!SCHOOL!
22%! SOME!COLLEGE!!
31%! GRADUATED!COLLEGE!!
16%! POSTfGRADUATE!
!!1%! REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)&
&
23%$ HIGH$SCHOOL$OR$LESS$
29%$ SOME$COLLEGE$
47%$ COLLEGE+$
!
!
Question"D5"
Which!of!the!following!best!describes!your!household...!(ROTATE&TOP&TO&
BOTTOM/BOTTOM&TO&TOP)!
!
!!3%! UPPER!CLASS!
18%! UPPER!MIDDLE!CLASS!
51%! MIDDLE!CLASS!
17%! LOWER!MIDDLE!CLASS!
!!7%! LOWER!CLASS!
!!2%! DONT!KNOW!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!2%! REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
21%$ UPPER/UPPER$MIDDLE$CLASS$
51%$ MIDDLE$CLASS$$
24%$ LOWER/LOWER$MIDDLE$CLASS$
$
!

13
1

Question"D6!
In!politics!today,!do!you!usually!think!of!yourself!as!(ROTATE&FIRST&TWO)!a!Republican,!
a!Democrat,!an!Independent!or!something!else?!
!
(IF&REPUBLICAN/DEMOCRAT,&ASK)!Would!you!call!yourself!a!STRONG!
(Republican/Democrat)!or!a!NOTfSOfSTRONG!(Republican/Democrat)?!
!
(IF&INDEPENDENT/SOMETHING&ELSE/NO&PREFERENCE,&ASK)!Do!you!think!of!yourself!as!
closer!to!the!Republican!Party!or!the!Democrat!Party?!
!
13%! STRONG!REPUBLICAN!
!!7%! NOTfSOfSTRONG!REPUBLICAN!
14%! LEAN!REPUBLICAN!
25%! INDEPENDENT!/!SOMETHING!ELSE!
!!9%! LEAN!DEMOCRAT!
11%! NOTfSOfSTRONG!DEMOCRAT!
18%! STRONG!DEMOCRAT!!
!!2%! NOT!SURE/REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
34%$ TOTAL$REPUBLICAN$
39%$ TOTAL$DEMOCRAT$
!
"
Question"D7!
Generally!speaking,!on!most!political!issues,!do!you!consider!yourself!to!be!(ROTATE&
TOP&TO&BOTTOM,&BOTTOM&TO&TOP)!conservative,!moderate!or!liberal!on!most!issues?!!
!
(IF&CONSERVATIVE/LIBERAL,&ASK)!And!would!you!say!you!are!VERY!
(CONSERVATIVE/LIBERAL),!or!just!SOMEWHAT!(CONSERVATIVE/LIBERAL)?!
!
15%! VERY!CONSERVATIVE!
23%! SOMEWHAT!CONSERVATIVE!!
34%! MODERATE!
12%! SOMEWHAT!LIBERAL!!
12%! VERY!LIBERAL!!
!!2%! DON'T!KNOW!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!2%! REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
38%$ TOTAL$CONSERVATIVE$
24%$ TOTAL$LIBERAL$
!
!
!

14
1

Question"D8!
And,!thinking!back!to!the!2012!presidential!election...Regardless!of!how!you!may!feel!
today...for!which!of!the!following!candidates!did!you!vote!for!President...!(ROTATE&
PUNCHES&112)!
!
Voted& Total&
45%! 39%! Mitt!Romney!
53%! 46%! Barack!Obama!
!!ff!
!!!ff! Gary!Johnson!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!3%! !!3%! SOMEONE!ELSE!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!ff!
!!*!
TOO!YOUNG!TO!VOTE!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!ff!
!!2%! DID!NOT!VOTE!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!ff!
!!4%! DONT!KNOW/DONT!RECALL!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!ff!
!!6%! REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!
&
Question"D9&
How!would!you!describe!the!area!where!you!currently!live?!
!
23%! A!city!
35%! A!suburban!area!
22%! A!small!town!
18%! A!rural!area!
!!*!
DON'T!KNOW/NOT!SURE!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!!2%! REFUSED!(DO&NOT&READ)!
!

15
1