It was announced earlier this week in the latest survey conducted on behalf of Stand for Children that voters now believe that Education has surpassed Immigration and Border Issues as the top issue facing the state. This marks the first time since the start of the great recession that Education has been at the top of the list. Our discovery of this dramatic shift in opinion is covered also in this article from the Arizona Republic
HighGround has more than a decade of experience in determining and measuring statewide, regional, and local voter behavior. Since 2010, our team has been tracking a set of key issues facing the state through several of the statewide surveys we have conducted. We thought it would be helpful to share the historic track to see how certain issues have played out over the past five years.
As you can see, immigration and the state budget were the top issues heading into the 2010 Gubernatorial Election. For the next two years, both issues were eclipsed by concerns regarding jobs and the economy which lasted through the 2012 Presidential Election. However, as the awareness of the issue of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border increased between 2013 and 2014, immigration and border issues reclaimed the top spot.
For most of this time, concerns regarding education remained somewhere between 15% to 20% of the electorate. However, as we head into the 2016 cycle, attention has intensified around the issue climbing to 35% – more than one third of all respondents. Only time will tell if it continues to tend upwards or starts to level off.
At HighGround, we are able to conduct accurate and affordable survey research with quicker turn around times and a better understanding of the Arizona electorate. Our team is committed to unbiased research telling our clients the good, the bad, and the ugly. We believe that clients deserve the impartial truth. If you are looking for a survey partner, contact us to see the difference.