Sacred Heart University Poll: Half Of State's Higher Earners May Leave In Next Five Years

FAIRFIELD, Conn., Oct. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a statewide poll conducted this month by Sacred Heart University's new Institute for Public Policy, Connecticut residents overwhelmingly indicated significant anxiety over the State's budget woes and proposed cuts to essential services. To close the gap, residents favor alternative tax revenue sources, including highway tolls and legalizing and taxing marijuana.

Results from 1,000 residents across the state show that one out of three (30.3 percent) believes the overall quality of life in Connecticut is "declining." Also, three out of four, or 76.4 percent, agree the State should offer more incentives in tax credits and rebates to retain and attract businesses; and the majority of residents polled (84.4 percent) believe that towns should merge and consolidate services to cut costs.

Other findings include:

• More than three of five respondents are finding it "very" or "somewhat difficult" to maintain their standard of living
• Nearly half of respondents earning more than $150,000 annually are considering moving out of Connecticut within the next five years
• Regardless of their demographic profile, residents agree that "creating new sources of revenue" is the preferred method of addressing the State's budget woes, rather than cutting funding to services or raising existing taxes
• The areas of greatest concern are the "high overall cost of living" and "high overall tax burden"

"The State is at a critical crossroads, and it appears obvious from the results of this survey that residents are experiencing a high degree of anxiety over the State's budget battles, taxes and the cost of living in Connecticut," reflected Lesley A. DeNardis, director of the SHU Institute for Public Policy, and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at Sacred Heart University, launching in fall 2018.

The Institute partnered with GreatBlue Research, Inc. of Cromwell, Conn., in coordinating this poll. Great Blue Research will conduct quarterly polls on behalf of SHU's Institute for Public Policy. Polls will solicit thoughts on the quality of life in Connecticut, visions of how the state can address current issues and challenges, ideas for how Connecticut can become more "business friendly," concerns over retail prices, income and the cost of living and confidence in local, state and federal government.

A PDF file of complete polling results is available at http://www.sacredheart.edu/academics/collegeofartssciences/instituteforpublicpolicy. The next SHU Institute for Public Policy poll is slated for December 2017.

EXPERTS AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT
Lesley A. DeNardis, director, Master of Public Administration, Sacred Heart University, Department of Government, Politics and Global Studies.

Email:  [email protected]                         Phone:  203/371-7834

Michael J. Vigeant, CEO, GreatBlue Research

Email:    [email protected]             Phone: 860/740-4000

How the Poll Was Conducted
The Sacred Heart University Public Policy Polling Institute, in collaboration with GreatBlue Research, completed 1,000 interviews with residents statewide between October 3 and October 12, 2017. The sample was generated proportional to population contribution throughout the state. Statistically, a sample of 1,000 completed telephone interviews represents a margin for error of +/-3.02 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

SOURCE Sacred Heart University

Related Links

http://www.sacredheart.edu