State policymakers looking for the least painful ways to fix a major budget problem won’t find much help from a new poll that shows many voters against both tax increases and spending cuts in major areas.
The poll of 800 registered voters, conducted between Sept. 9 and Oct. 8 for the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, lays out the tough choices lawmakers face to deal with a budget billions of dollars in the red.
The results largely mirror the fence-sitting seen a year ago when the institute first polled on these issues.
More than 56 percent polled believe spending cuts in government can fix the Illinois’ budget problems. Fewer than 10 percent think more revenue, such as through tax increases, is the answer. Another 27 percent say a combination of both more money and cuts are needed. The poll had a 3.4 percentage point error margin.
Despite that strong support for cuts, voters in large numbers object to scaling back spending on education, public safety and other major programs where cuts would be required to close the gap.
The poll of 800 registered voters, conducted between Sept. 9 and Oct. 8 for the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, lays out the tough choices lawmakers face to deal with a budget billions of dollars in the red.
The results largely mirror the fence-sitting seen a year ago when the institute first polled on these issues.
More than 56 percent polled believe spending cuts in government can fix the Illinois’ budget problems. Fewer than 10 percent think more revenue, such as through tax increases, is the answer. Another 27 percent say a combination of both more money and cuts are needed. The poll had a 3.4 percentage point error margin.
Despite that strong support for cuts, voters in large numbers object to scaling back spending on education, public safety and other major programs where cuts would be required to close the gap.
