Pennsylvania Poll: 24% of Voters See ‘Government, Politicians’ as State’s Top Problem
Pennsylvania State Capitol
Also 52% of registered voters feel that the Keystone State is on the wrong track.
Pennsylvania voters view government and politicians as the state’s top problem, according to survey results released Thursday.
The latest Franklin & Marshall College Poll found that 24 percent of registered voters in the state see elected leaders and government as “the most important problem facing Pennsylvania today.” That figure is down from February of last year when it checked in at 47 percent.
Since August 2015, voters have identified politicians and government as the state’s leading problem. Education and schools commonly came out on top in prior polls dating back to 2013.
In the latest survey results, 16 percent of voters identified education and schools as the most important problem confronting Pennsylvania, 12 percent said unemployment and personal finances, 11 percent taxes and 5 percent crime, drugs, violence and guns.
Fifty-two percent of registered voters believe Pennsylvania is “on the wrong track.” Their job approval rating for Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, was 38 percent.
Looking to the national level, 66 percent of the state’s registered voters believe that the U.S. is “on the wrong track” and 41 percent view government and politicians as the most important problem facing the country. Sixty-one percent of Republicans and 9 percent of Democrats said President Trump is doing an excellent or good job in office.
The poll’s findings are based on interviews conducted from Feb. 15 to 19. Respondents included 816 registered Pennsylvania voters, including 391 Democrats, 310 Republicans and 114 Independents. The sample error is +/- 5 percentage points.
Formerly called the Keystone Poll, the Franklin & Marshall College Poll originated in the early 1990s and is the longest running statewide poll directed and produced in Pennsylvania.
A full copy of the latest results can be found here.
Bill Lucia is a Reporter at Government Executive's Route Fifty and is based in Washington, D.C.
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