The new quarterly Wisconsin Economic Scorecard poll shows broad
support for a higher minimum wage tied to inflation and more renewable
energy.
But registered voters want to maintain tourism advertising levels, are
divided on how to solve a future transportation shortfall and opposed
to helping build a new Milwaukee Bucks arena or even helping with
related infrastructure.
When asked to specify an ideal minimum wage, the most common answer
among Wisconsin voters was $10 an hour. And about 70 percent of
Wisconsin voters support tying future increases in the state minimum
wage to the rate of inflation.
Likewise, big majorities supported maintaining the amount the state
spends on tourism advertising (61 percent) and increasing state
efforts to spur more renewable energy (68 percent).
But registered voters in the poll were divided on how to solve a
looming shortfall in the state transportation fund. None of the
offered options — delaying construction projects, introducing toll
roads, or increasing taxes and user fees — garnered a majority.
And voters were clear in opposing help for a new ownership group to
build a new Milwaukee Bucks arena. Spending state funds on a new arena
for the Milwaukee Bucks was supported by just 24 percent of statewide
voters and 34 of Milwaukee-area voters.
Spending on associated infrastructure was only slightly more popular
statewide (37 percent).
While evaluations of personal financial situations are unchanged,
evaluations of the broader economy, the pace of job creation, and the overall
direction of the state all moved in a positive direction during the second
quarter of 2014.
The Wisconsin Economic Scorecard is a quarterly poll of Wisconsin residents
conducted by the UW-Milwaukee Center for Urban Initiatives and Research in
cooperation with WisBusiness.com and Milwaukee Public Radio (WUWM 89.7).
This tracking poll measures perceptions of the health of Wisconsin’s economy,
personal economic circumstances of Wisconsin residents, and public opinion
regarding important state economic issues.
The second quarter 2014 Wisconsin Economic Scorecard poll was a random
digit dial landline/mobile telephone survey of 569 Wisconsin
residents, including 526 registered voters, conducted by the research
center from June 2-5. The
sampling margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent for the broader
sample and plus or minus 4.3 percent for the registered voter
questions.
