Often politicians live and move and form their opinions and strategies from like-minded constituents.
This seems particularly true in Mississippi where politicians too seldom visit what they perceive as “enemy territory.” The result can lead to a distorted view on what Mississippians think, what they want and what they expect from their elected leaders.
Even fair-minded officials may be deceived by the views that emanate from the echo chambers they occupy.
What do rank-and-file Mississippians across all demographics really want from their government? Until recently, there has been no real measure.
That is why we commend Millsaps College, which has collaborated with Chism Strategies, to produce its first “State of the State Survey.”
The survey was conducted Sept. 14-18 with a sample size of 509 with 32% cell phone interviews. The margin of error was 4.4%. Results weighted to reflect 2015 general election turnout for age, race, gender and partisanship.
Among the more interesting findings is that a plurality of Mississippians (40 percent) believe the state is on the “wrong track.”
According to the survey, fixing roads and bridges should be the state’s top priority (30 percent), our state’s schools are underfunded (55.6 percent).
These are not earth-shattering revelations.
But there are some results that might be considered a surprise.
For example, Mississippians are open to tax increases for top wage earners (43.7 percent approve to 40.1 percent opposed) and corporations (45.8 percent to 40.1 percent). The numbers contradict the view of Lt. Gov. and presumed GOP gubernatorial candidate Tate Reeves, who pushed through the largest corporate tax cut in state history two years ago.
Reeves, by the way, was the least popular of three state-wide figures who were included in the survey, with an overall approval rating of 38.4 percent.
Meanwhile, Gov. Phil Bryant (53.5 percent) and Attorney General Jim Hood, the only Democrat to hold statewide office (52.3 percent) fare better.
On another note, while most say fixing roads and bridges is a priority, respondents listed reducing the size of state government as the second most important priority.
What does all this mean?
It means that the state is not quite as monolithic as our legislators might have assumed. While the Republican Party holds a super-majority in both chambers of the Legislature and controls all but one state-wide office, some of the results show that the state is not in lock-step with GOP ideology.
Whatever conclusions are to be drawn from this, we believe this survey is a useful tool for legislators as they prepare for the 2018 legislative session.
We hope legislators, no matter their political orientation, will listen to what the people are saying through this survey.
They should.
Just 26.5 percent of those surveyed approve of the Legislature’s performance.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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