Survey of 400 Registered Voters in Illinois

Conducted August 29 September 5, 2011 By Douglas E. Schoen, LLC for the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and the Illinois Policy Institute The following slides represent select survey results. Complete survey results can be found on www.illinoispolicy.org

Mood of the Country

1) Generally speaking, do you think the economy in your state is headed in the right direc<on or on the wrong track?
74%

53% 39% 23% 28% 19%

51%

10% 3% Illinois Right direc<on Indiana Wrong track Wisconsin Not sure 3

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

2) How ecient would you say your state government is?

56% 44% 32% 22% 20% 11% 2% Illinois Very ecient Not at all ecient 1% 5% 7% 42% 28% 15% 8% 6%

Indiana Somewhat ecient Not sure

Wisconsin Not very ecient

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

Public Sector Employees

5) If your state and local governments did not have enough money to pay the salaries and benets of current public employees, would you be willing to have taxes raised so that the salaries and benets could be paid at current levels?
Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

6) If they did not have enough money to pay the salaries and benets of current public employees, would you be willing to have social-services programs provided by your state cut so that the salaries and benets could be paid at current levels?
Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

Collec<ve Bargaining

19) Some people say that tenure for teachers should be phased out because tenure protects bad teachers from being red while making it harder to bring in new and be[er teachers. Other say that teacher tenure is a longstanding right for public school teachers and it would be unfair for it to be taken away from them. Which opinion is closer to your view?
Tenure for teachers should be phased out because tenure protects bad teachers from being red while making it harder to bring in new and be:er teachers Teacher tenure is a longstanding right for public school teachers and it would be unfair for it to be taken away from them

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

Pension Plans

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21) Some people say that giving public employees the opportunity to par<cipate in a dened contribu<on plan, which gives the employee the power to make decisions and the ability to take the plan with them as they move around from job-to-job because dened contribu<on plans oer investor choice and portability. Do you favor or oppose giving public employees a choice between par<cipa<ng in a dened benet plan or a dened contribu<on plan to increase investor choice and portability?

22) Do you favor or oppose moving all new public employees from a dened benet plan to a dened contribu<on plan?
Not sure; 10% Somewhat oppose; 15% Strongly oppose; 12%

Not sure; 14% Somewhat oppose; 9% Strongly oppose; 10% Somewhat favor; 22%

Strongly favor; 46%

Strongly favor; 44%

Somewhat favor; 19%

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Labor Unions

12

23) In general, do you think the salaries and benets of most public employees are too high for the work that they do, too low for the work that they do or are their salaries and benets about right for the work that they do?
Too high

Too low

About right

Not sure
Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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24) Do you think police ocers and reghters should be able to re<re aaer 25 years of service and begin collec<ng pension checks, even if they are in their for<es or aies, or should they have to be older than that to re<re and collect pension checks regardless of the number of years they have served?
They should be able to re=re a>er 25 years and begin collec=ng pension checks, even if they are in their for=es or >ies.

They should have to be older than that to re=re and collect pension checks

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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25) Do you think teachers should be able to re<re aaer a set period of service and begin collec<ng pension checks even if they are younger than 65, or should they not be able to do this?

They should be able to re=re and collect pension checks even if they are younger than 65

They should not be able to

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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26) Public employee unions lobby and elect public ocials with whom they later nego<ate in the collec<ve bargaining process. Do you think this gives them too much inuence, or it this not really a concern?

This gives them too much inuence

This is not really a concern

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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Outcomes of Reform

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27) Reforming public employees salaries and benets will equalize private and public sector salaries.

Much more likely to support reform

Somewhat more likely

Not more likely

Not sure
Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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28) Reforming public employees salaries and benets will make government more ecient and eec<ve.

Much more likely to support reform Somewhat more likely

Not more likely

Not sure
Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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29) Reforming public employees salaries and benets will help preserve key social programs by making government more ecient.
Much more likely to support reform

Somewhat more likely

Not more likely

Not sure
Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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30) Reforming public employees salaries and benets will hold the line on taxes.

Much more likely to support reform

Somewhat more likely

Not more likely

Not sure
Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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31) We have just asked about outcomes from reforming wages and salaries. Collec<ve bargaining is the process of how these wages and salaries are nego<ated. If there is collec<ve bargaining reform, do you think it will make government more ecient and eec<ve, or will it not make it more ecient and eec<ve?

Government will become more ecient and eec=ve

It will not become more ecient and eec=ve

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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32) We have just asked about outcomes from reforming wages and salaries. Collec<ve bargaining is the process by which these wages and salaries are nego<ated. If there is collec<ve bargaining reform, do you think it will equalize private and public sector salaries?

Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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33) We have just asked about outcomes from reforming wages and salaries. Collec<ve bargaining is the process by which these wages and salaries are nego<ated. If there is collec<ve bargaining reform, do you think it will help preserve key social programs by making government more ecient?

Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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34) Do you think collec<ve bargaining reform will make state budgets more resilient?

Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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35) Which is more important to improving the states nances: reforming the collec<ve bargaining process or reforming the way public employees are compensated and the benets they receive?

Reforming collec=ve bargaining

Reforming public employees salaries and benets

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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Ques<ons about Illinois

27

36) How familiar are you with the budget crisis Illinois faced this year?

Very familiar Somewhat familiar

Not very familiar Not at all familiar Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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37) Illinois addressed its budget crisis not by decreasing spending, but by delaying the payment of billions of dollars in unpaid bills and by raising state income taxes. Do you favor or oppose this plan?
Strongly favor Somewhat favor

Strongly oppose Somewhat oppose Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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38) Do you think that government employees should have the op<on of not joining a union when they work for the State of Illinois?

Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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39) Do you feel that public employees in Illinois are paying their fair share towards re<rement costs, including health care?

Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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40) Do you feel that public employee unions have done their fair share to solve the budget crisis in Illinois?

Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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41) Have you heard about the lawsuit between the American Federa<on of State, County and Municipal Employees and the State of Illinois?

Yes

No

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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42) [If yes] Who do you side with, the state government or the union employees?

State government

Union employees

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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43) In the lawsuit, the union claims that its contract guarantees a pay increase, but the state has proposed a pay freeze at some agencies because of the current budget crisis. Do you favor a pay freeze instead or a pay increase?

Pay freeze

Pay increase

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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44) Lawmakers in Springeld recently increased income taxes by more than $7 billion, moving the individual tax rate from 3% to 5%, as a means of addressing Illinois budget crisis. Do you favor or oppose this increase?
Strongly favor Somewhat favor

Strongly oppose Somewhat oppose Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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45) How familiar are you with the funding crisis facing state and local pension funds in Illinois?

Very familiar Somewhat familiar

Not very familiar Not at all familiar Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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46) To address the pension crisis, a plan has been introduced that would freeze in place benets earned to date, but would change the structure of addi<onal pension benets earned going forward. Employees could choose to contribute more from their salary to keep earning the same benets, contribute the same amount they are currently contribu<ng but earn more modest benets or con<nue contribu<ng the same amount they are currently contribu<ng and open an employee-controlled re<rement account? Do you favor or oppose this plan?

Strongly favor Somewhat favor

Strongly oppose Somewhat oppose Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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47) If your state representa<ve voted in favor of this reform, would you be more or less likely to vote for him or her, or would this not aect your opinion?

More likely

Less likely

Would not impact my opinion

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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48) Do you favor or oppose a na<onwide federal bailout of states and their pension funds?

Strongly favor Somewhat favor

Strongly oppose Somewhat oppose Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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49) Would you favor or oppose paying higher federal taxes to bail out another states unfunded pension system?

Strongly favor Somewhat favor

Strongly oppose Somewhat oppose Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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50) Given the pension crisis facing Illinois, do you think it is fair or unfair to ask current public employees to earn a less generous set of benets in the future if their benets for work already completed are secure?

Fair

Unfair

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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51) Chicago Public Schools have a shorter school day than schools in most major ci<es across the country and in Illinois. The mayor is asking for employees to work a longer day. This and other issues have led the head of the Chicago Teachers Union to threaten a strike. Do you think the union is within its right to say they will strike to protect a shorter work day, or do you think they are ac<ng beyond what is fair and reasonable under the circumstances? The union is within its right to say they will strike They are ac=ng beyond what is fair and reasonable

Not sure

Poll conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC

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