Not a major secret that job creation is a top priority right now, but it’s interesting to see it on paper. Here are the results of a recent survey about Hoosiers’ priorities from Ball State:
Job creation, upgrading K-12 education and improving government efficiency are the top priorities for the Indiana state legislature and Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2011, a new public opinion survey from Ball State University reveals.
The Hoosier Survey 2010 produced by Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs found that 77 percent of Indiana residents questioned believe that job creation is the state’s top priority, up from 73 percent last year. The complete survey may be found at www.bsu.edu/bowencenter.
Each year the Hoosier Survey provides Indiana lawmakers with public opinion on a variety of highly charged issues to be considered next session. The 2011 legislative term will include developing a new two-year budget for the state.
The Bowen Center contracted with Princeton Survey Research Associates to sample 600 voting-age adults.
The survey’s findings will be announced publicly at 8:10 a.m. Dec. 2 at the annual Bingham McHale Legislative Conference at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
Improving government efficiency finished second in this year’s results at 61 percent, just ahead of improving schools (58 percent) and making health care more affordable (52 percent).
"Creating jobs is a hot issue for many people simply because Indiana has suffered in the recent recession as the state has lost thousands of good-paying jobs," said Hoosier Survey co-author Ray Scheele, a political science professor and co-director of the Bowen Center. The survey team also includes Joe Losco, chair of the political science department, and Sally Jo Vasicko, a political science professor and center co-director.
"For the last generation or two, governors across the nation have branded themselves as job creators and Gov. Daniels is no exception," Scheele said. "In the last few years, Gov. Daniels has traveled overseas to talk to foreign businesses about investing in Indiana and he has been successful in bringing Honda production facilities to the state. I think people believe he is responsible for creating new jobs for people of all education and skill levels."