We just completed our annual end of year informal political survey with our Indy Politics audiences. We did things a little differently this year and exclusively focused on our Indy Politics audience as determined by subscribers to our Cheat Sheet and Statewide Summary. We label them as the ultimate “insiders”. And after receiving nearly 500 responses, here’s what we found…
- Forty-two percent of you said the nation was on the right track, while 40 percent said it wasn’t as opposed to 63 percent said the state was on the right track compared to 30 percent who said it was on the wrong track.
- Sixty percent did not agree with the impeachment of Donald Trump, but only 46 percent say he should be re-elected.
- Governor Eric Holcomb got overall positive remarks, 57 percent graded his performance as a “B” or better and 55 percent said he should be re-elected.
- When asked who would be Holcomb’s strongest challenger, 23 percent said Sen. Eddie Melton, 16 percent chose Dr. Woody Meyers, 11 percent said tech businessman Josh Owens. Thirty-five percent responded “someone else”.
- Infrastructure and teacher pay both tied at 19 percent for what should be the most important issue in the 2020 race for Governor, 18 percent said workforce development.
- Only 33 percent thought their Congressperson should be re-elected. That number was 49 percent for State Senators and 44 percent for House members.
- Nearly 50 percent said it was either unlikely or very unlikely that they would vote for a third party, 30 percent said it was likely or very likely.
- The audience was somewhat divided over the issue of teacher pay. When asked whether teachers deserve a raise, 48 percent said “yes”, 44 percent said it depends on the teacher and how well they do their job.
- Less than four percent thought teachers should get automatic “step” raises. However, nearly 60 percent thought there should a mix of performance-based raises coupled with automatic increases.
- Forty-two percent said the average teacher’s salary in Indiana should be between $55,000 – $60,000 annually. 35 percent said it should between $45,000 – $50,000.
- Fifty-five percent thought the state put too many rules and regulations on teachers.
- And nearly 70 percent said it’s the job of the local school board to raise teacher pay, not the state.
- Fifty-three percent thought marijuana should be legalized for both recreational and medicinal purposes. 21 percent said it should be legalized for medicinal purposes only.
- Nearly half did not think Pete Buttigieg would make a good president and nearly 71 percent did not think Curtis Hill should be re-elected, Attorney General.
- Of those who said the lived in Indianapolis, 42 percent thought the members of the City-County Council deserved a raise, 42 percent opposed it. And for 53 percent, crime was the number one issue the city should tackle in 2020 while 25 percent said roads and infrastructure.
Our informal surveys are made possible in part with support from our partners at Indianapolis Public Schools, Hirons Communications and the Institute for Quality Education.
