New GBPI/UGA Poll Shows Georgians Support State Investments to Boost Health, Education, and Economic Mobility

A new poll commissioned by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) and the University of Georgia (UGA) shows that most Georgians support increased funding for people-first priorities that help every community thrive.

As a nonpartisan research and policy institute, GBPI is proud to be a trusted resource for data and analysis that influences the debate and guides policy frameworks that govern the daily lives of Georgians. Our advocacy is grounded in learning from communities and pushing for standards that ensure resources are equitably distributed.

The pandemic and its economic fallout have exposed decades of glaring systemic challenges impacting education, health care and economic justice in our state. But GBPI’s experts remain on the front lines to raise awareness and allow passionate, locally informed voices to be heard.

We know that many people in our communities struggle to pay rent, put food on the table and give their children a quality education. For the first time in our state’s history, Georgia has nearly $7 billion in excess funds that leaders can use to expand supports for education, health care, jobs, housing and other areas where critical investments have gone underfunded, flat-funded or flat-out never funded.

The poll of more than a thousand respondents taken between January 19-24, 2023 makes clear that issues like full Medicaid expansion, further support for low-income schools, and implementation of a Georgia work credit are widely popular.

Poll highlights include:

  • Overwhelming support for increased funding for education
    • The highest support among all poll questions (78.1 percent) was for increasing state funding from the lottery to offer universal pre-K to all Georgia children.
    • 73.3 percent of Georgians polled also support an opportunity weight formula that would provide additional funding for K-12 schools serving families at or near the poverty level.
  • 71.4 percent of Georgians support Medicaid expansion to provide health care access for more than 500,000 people across the state.
  • 70.4 percent of Georgians support creating a state-level Earned Income Tax Credit, which would help reduce the amount of income tax low- and middle-income Georgians owe and help them save.
  • Nearly half of all Georgians (46.8 percent) believe that leaders should invest the state’s surplus funds in creating more resources for state programs–like health care and public education–rather than giving out one-time tax rebates.

***Survey respondents are representative of the state’s population of registered voters.

See the full results below:

Question 1: The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a federal benefit that reduces the amount of income tax owed by low to middle-income tax filers. Credits are available to families earning up to about $60,000 annually, and if the credit a recipient is eligible for exceeds the amount they owe in income taxes, the remainder is provided as a tax refund. Thirty states have created their own versions of the EITC to further reduce the amount of taxes that low and middle-income residents pay. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose creating a state-level Earned Income Tax Credit?

Question 2: Georgia currently has one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation, with the state’s tax of 37 cents per pack of cigarettes ranking 49th out of 50 states. Nationwide, the average state sales tax is $1.91 per pack. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose Georgia raising its tobacco tax to at least the national average?

Question 3: Over the past 15 years, the state has reduced its full-time workforce by nearly 30 percent, from 83,000 to less than 60,000 employees. This gap has left state agencies with less workers to respond to the needs of Georgians, even as the state’s population has grown by over one million residents. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose increasing agency funding to hire more workers in high-demand areas?

Question 4: As of 2022, the state of Georgia recorded its highest-ever rate of annual employee turnover, with over 25 percent of employees leaving their positions and the number of applicants for state positions at an all-time low. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose increasing salaries for state workers in-line with the market average to help improve employee retention?

Question 5: Georgia is one of 11 states that has not yet expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Fully expanding Medicaid would allow the state to provide health coverage to an additional 500,000 Georgians with low incomes at a cost to the state of approximately $300 million per year, or about 1 percent of the state budget. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose fully expanding Medicaid?

Question 6: Georgia is one of six states that does not provide additional money to K-12 public schools that serve students from families with low incomes. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose providing additional funding for K-12 schools tied to the number of students they serve from families at or near the poverty level?

Question 7: Funding for transportation to and from public schools (school buses, etc.) is provided through a combination of state and local resources. Since the 1990s, the state funded share of transportation costs has dropped from around 50 percent to about 20 percent, requiring local school districts to cover the vast majority of $1.1 billion in estimated annual costs. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose requiring the state to cover an equal share of the costs of transportation for public school students?

Question 8: Georgia’s pre-K program is operated through a lottery that allows parents of 4-year-old children to apply for slots. Currently, there are not enough slots available to serve all eligible children, with the greatest gaps in rural and low-income areas. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose increasing state funding from the lottery to offer universal pre-K to all Georgia children?

Question 9: Georgia is one of two states across the nation that does not offer needs-based scholarships for higher education, and instead only offers students aid through the merit-based HOPE scholarship. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose funding a needs-based scholarship for higher education that would be applied based on income-level?

Question 10: In Georgia, undocumented students cannot qualify for in-state tuition or the HOPE scholarship regardless of if they graduate from a state high school. Instead, they are required to pay substantially higher out-of-state tuition rates. This includes DACA recipients who are protected from deportation under current federal policy. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose allowing undocumented graduates of Georgia high schools to qualify for in-state tuition?

Question 11: Nationally, Georgia ranks as the state with the largest percentage of its population under correctional control, either in prison facilities or on probation or parole. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose implementing reforms to the state’s criminal justice system that would reduce the number of people under correctional control?

Question 12: Georgia cities and counties use fines and fees to help pay for court operations, police departments and other services. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose legislative efforts to reform how fines and fees are assessed to limit the ability of local governments to generate profit through the state’s legal system?

Question 13: During economic downturns, some local governments increase their reliance on fines and fees to compensate for lost revenue, placing heavier burdens on those charged to generate increased revenue. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose legislative efforts to reform how fines and fees are assessed to Georgians who experience economic hardship?

Question 14: Over the last two years, Georgia has generated increasingly large budget surpluses, in which the amount of revenue collected by the state exceeds the amount it spends. At $5.2 billion, the state’s savings account is currently full, leaving an additional $6.6 billion in surplus funds that can be spent. This is the most cash on hand that the state of Georgia has ever held. The following series of questions asks if, and how, the state should allocate these funds. Would you prefer state leaders to allocate surplus funds for one-time uses, such as tax rebates, or to use these funds to increase resources for recurring state programs in areas like health care and public education?

Question 15: One proposal is to use $1 billion of the state’s surplus funds to deliver one-time tax rebates of up to $250 for single taxpayers and $500 for married filers. A similar program was implemented last year. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose this proposal?

Download the full poll results here. 

 

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