Texans say they still believe in the Lone Star State, but are becoming more worried about its future, according to a new poll.
Texans say Texas is best place to raise a family, but worry about the future
By the numbers:
While six in ten voters say Texas is a better place than the rest of the country to raise a family, only 39% believe Texas leadership is taking the right steps to remain the best state to live, work and raise a family 20 years from now.
Democrats (85%) outpace other groups in feeling extremely or very concerned about Texas, but the feeling is bipartisan, with 58% of Republicans saying the same thing. Republican concern has jumped 15 points compared to last year.
The numbers come from a Texas 2036 poll of Texas voters conducted Aug. 22-26 by Baselice and Associates.
Despite these numbers, a majority of voters (56%) expect the Texas economy to outperform the rest of the country over the next four years. Even more (59.4%) believe there will be more opportunities for people like them.
Texas voters are still making decisions on who to vote for in November
By the numbers:
Around two-thirds of Texas voters say they are still making decisions on how they will vote in November. Around 21% of voters say they are still mostly or fully undecided.
Only half of those asked say they will vote for a straight ticket in November. Data from 2018, the last election with verifiable straight-ticket data, shows 67% of ballots cast in the 40 most populous counties were straight-ticket votes.
Around 16.7% of voters say they are not affiliated with a party, and they are undecided on their vote. In all, nearly half (49.9%) of voters said they were unaffiliated, but 33.2% said they had made up their mind for November.
These issues motivate Texas voters
The poll shows that issues like education and rising costs were issues that mattered most to Texas voters.
The positions most likely to increase support for a candidate were:
- Ensuring students can read and do math at grade level: 85%
- Reducing health care prices: 83%
- Preparing students for college or a career: 83%
- Reducing residential electricity bills: 82%
- Building water infrastructure: 81%
- Reducing homeowners’ insurance costs: 79%
- Reducing property taxes: 77%
Among those who say they are undecided and unaffiliated with a party, the most important issue is reducing healthcare costs.
Those voters say they are more likely to vote for a candidate that campaigns on:
- Reducing healthcare costs: 83.5%
- Reducing the price of electric bills: 80.9%
- Ensuring all Texas students can read and do math at grade level: 80.7%
- Ensure Texas high school students graduate ready for college or a career: 79.6%
- Building water infrastructure: 78.7%
- Reducing homeowner's insurance costs: 75.1%
The Source: The numbers come from a Texas 2036 poll of Texas voters conducted Aug. 22-26 by Baselice and Associates. The poll included 1,369 interviews, with an effective sample size of 1,001 and a margin of error of 3.1%.