The latest edition of the Wisconsin Economic Scorecard finds a majority of state residents feel Wisconsin is headed in the right direction, an increase compared to the last quarter.
The survey found 51.1 percent of the 594 people surveyed feel Wisconsin is going in the “right direction,” compated to 41.9 percent who see the state “on the wrong track.” This is a change from last quarter, when residents were evenly split on the question.
Residents once again cite “unemployment/jobs” as the most important economic issue facing the state, with 51.3 percent of responses falling into that category. Health care at 5.8 percent and taxes at 4.6 percent were the second and third most frequently‐cited issues.
The Wisconsin Economic Scorecard is a quarterly poll of Wisconsin residents conducted by the UWM Center for Urban Initiatives and Research, in cooperation with Milwaukee public radio station WUWM and WisBusiness.com. The poll, conducted July 9-12, has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
The survey also found:
* Following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, 44.0 percent of Wisconsin residents think the Act will hurt the state economy in the long run, while 33.1 percent think it will help. When it comes to the Act’s impact on personal health care costs, residents are most likely to express the view that they will not be affected (43.3 percent).
* Most Wisconsin residents rate the current state economy as “Fair” (51.9 percent) or “Poor” (25.7 percent). These figures are unchanged from the previous quarter.
* Wisconsin residents are less optimistic about the future performance of the state economy than they were last quarter. In March, 45.3 percent felt the state economy would “get better” over the next year. Now, 42.7 percent say the state economy will “stay about the same” over the next year.
* Most residents rate their personal finances as “good” (39.8 percent) or “fair” (33.8 percent). However, about half (51.2 percent) report having experienced at least one of the following major financial problems over the last six months: affording rent or mortgage; keeping a job; getting a loan or credit; saving or paying for retirement; paying for utilities.
