Summary: Most Texans said they do not believe state leaders in Austin are serving them well, according to a new poll by the University of Texas at Austin/Texas Politics Project.
Latest Update: Friday, 23 December, 2022
Poll: Most Texans have dim outlook on state government, CNHI, Weatherford Democrat,
CNHI, 19 December 2022, Excerpts
Most Texans said they do not believe state leaders in Austin are serving them well, according to a new poll by the University of Texas at Austin/Texas Politics Project.
The poll, released Monday, surveyed 1,200 self-declared registered voters between Dec. 2-11. It sought attitudes among Texans prior to the next legislative session set to convene in January.
It found that most Texans — 46% — said they believe state leaders in Austin “mostly ignore the needs of Texas residents” while 37% said they “mostly address” Texans' needs.
In 2017, when asked the same question, responses were inverted, when 49% said state government mostly addressed the needs of Texans, and 38% said it mostly ignored their needs.
However, the latest poll did find that views on the trajectory of Texas improved since a poll taken in October.
Now, 46% of Texans said they think the state is on the wrong track, while 39% said the state is headed in the right direction. In October, 59% said they believed Texas was heading in the wrong direction, while 31% said the right direction.
This is the first time the “wrong track” share dipped below 50% since February of this year, the poll said. While there was improvement, in the long-term, Texans still view the direction of Texas negatively, it said.
Additionally, the poll sought Texans’ favorability toward state leaders. In November, Texas statewide Republicans won re-election bids handily. This momentum has improved favorability of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt.. Gov. Dan Patrick, it said.
Abbott hit a 2022 job approval rating high following his re-election with 49% of those surveyed saying they approve of his job as governor. About 41% said they disapproved.
The last time Abbott hit such a high job approval rating was in June 2020, and his approval rating among non-Republicans improved slightly since an October survey, including a 5% approval increase from Democrats and Independents each, the poll said.
Patrick also saw an upswing in his approval rating as he prepares to lead the Texas Senate. Of those surveyed, 43% approved, while 36% disapproved of his job performance. This is the first time Patrick’s job approval ratings have registered net positive since February 2021, it said.
On top legislative issues, most Texans said immigration and border security was the greatest problem facing the state. It was also the top issue among Republicans while political corruption and leadership was cited as the top issues among Texas Democrats.
Additionally, nearly two-thirds of Texas voters, 65%, expressed support for expanding Medicaid eligibility, largely unchanged from when the question was last asked in June, the poll said.
While most Democrats — 91% — supported the expansion of Medicaid, including 71% who said they strongly support the effort, only 42% of Republicans were supportive and 43% were opposed.
As the legislative session nears, lawmakers continue to file bills. In addition to border operations and Medicaid expansion, Texas leaders are also looking to address rising property taxes, school safety and several other key topics.
The legislative session begins Jan. 10.
Commentaires