Public Sector Consultants, Inc. (PSC) recently celebrated its 35th year as a Michigan corporation, which means we have officially entered middle age – we can’t be lumped into the coveted 18-34 age bracket anymore! As Michigan voters prepare for the fall and start paying attention to the general election, PSC asked them to consider a gamut of relevant topics ranging from debates to immigration and privacy. 600 likely voters were surveyed between September 11-13, 2014, with a margin of error of plus/minus 4%, including 120 respondents by cell phone. Perhaps apropos to PSC’s graduation to middle age, younger voters in particular differentiated themselves on these topics.
Governor Snyder and Democratic challenger Mark Schauer have debated about whether or not to debate, deciding on a moderated town hall. Earlier in the month, PSC wondered—does it really matter? The survey results answer: probably not much. A majority of Michigan voters (56%) feel that a debate among candidates will have little or no effect on their decision. These feelings were consistent among men and women, as well as Democrats and Republicans. But among younger voters (age 18-34) there was a slight majority (52%) that felt it would have a moderate or large effect on their decision.
The debates weren’t the only questions where voters were rather evenly mixed. There were, however, some obvious differences by age and political affiliation:
- Overall, Michigan voters were evenly split on whether the United States had a moral obligation to offer asylum to those fleeing violence or political persecution, with 42% saying yes and 44% saying no. Again, younger voters had significantly different opinions, with 58% saying yes compared to just 36% of those age 50 or older.
- About half (46%) of Michigan voters feel that Michigan is no more or less tolerant than the U.S. as a whole, with 31% saying Michigan is more tolerant and 10% less tolerant. Republicans (55%) are most likely to say Michigan is on par with the rest of the country (compared to 40% of Democrats), while 46% of younger voters are most likely to say Michigan is more tolerant (compared to 26% of those age 50 or older).
- About half of Michigan voters (44%) feel that immigration hasn’t made much of a difference for the state, with 26% saying it has been bad and 20% good. Democrats (28%) and younger voters (26%) were more likely to think immigration was good for Michigan, compared to 17% of voters age 65 or older and 15% of Republicans.
- Respondents believe that the Michigan legislature has the same effectiveness with term limits as it had without (35% see no difference between now and the pre-term limit era … while a third say term limits made the legislature more effective … and a third said the pre-term limit legislature was more effective. How’s that for clarity!)
- By a slim margin, respondents believe that the state should actively recruit military veterans to live or attend college in Michigan through special programs (51%).
Survey respondents finally came out of their shell on questions of privacy, what entity is truly responsible for Michigan’s K-12 education system, and extending Medicaid benefits to legally immigrating children.
- When asked whom they trust more with their private information, nearly half of Michigan voters (45%) said neither the government nor private business. While slightly more trusting, 38% of younger voters trust neither group, compared to 45% of those age 65 or older. Democrats (29%) are about twice as likely to trust the government compared to Republicans (13%), while Republicans (44%) were about twice as likely to trust private business compared to Democrats (18%).
- By a wide margin, respondents believe that the State Board of Education is ultimately accountable for Michigan’s K-12 education system (41%). Far fewer named the Governor (19%) or the Legislature (15%), with little meaningful variation between demographic subgroups.
- A strong majority (54% support, 39% oppose) favor expanding Michigan’s existing Medicaid program to immigrant children who have legally migrated to Michigan with their families. More Democrats (68%) than Republicans (40%) favored the expansion, as did younger voters (74%) compared to voters age 50 and over (48%).
Finally, in honor of the season, we asked Michigan voters what signaled the arrival of Fall. Almost half (43%) consider students going back to school, with attending a college football game (14%) and raking leaves (14%) the closest challengers, ahead of visiting an apple orchard or pumpkin patch (12%) and purchasing cider and donuts (11%). And because we just couldn’t resist, we also know that two out of every three Michigan voters expect Michigan State to beat Michigan in the “big game” this year (sorry big brother!).
Methodology:
This was a Public Sector Consultants survey of the Michigan electorate, conducted by Denno Research. 600 respondents in the state of Michigan were surveyed between September 11-13, 2014, with a margin of error of plus/minus 4%, and the participation was stratified based on census data and past voter behavior. 120 respondents (20%) were from cell phone users, in an attempt to gather younger voters who do not have a land line. A screen was employed to include only those participants who said they would vote, either at the polls or by absentee ballot, in the November 2014 General Election. All numbers are rounded and may exceed 100%.
Attention Media:
For attribution purposes, please recognize all the organizations involved in this project:
- Public Sector Consultants (PSC)
- Denno Research.
