Education, health care, illegal immigration and crime are the areas that Virginians would most like to see the General Assembly address in the 2008 session, according to a new omnibus poll conducted by Christopher Newport University. Picking from a list of pre-defined topics, respondants ranked the issues as follows (by the percentage who identified it as the No. 1 or No. 2 priority):
Public Education (40)
Health Care (29)
Illegal Immigrants (25 )
Crime (25)
Jobs (18)
Property Taxes (14)
Higher Education (16)
Veterans (12)
Abortion (7)
Virginia Tech Mental Health Recommendations (6)
The poll also identified a high level of discontent in Hampton Roads over taxes — 62 percent believe that “Virginia’s overall level of state taxes” is too high, and 72 percent believe that property taxes are too high. Northern Virginians were the most complacent about their tax level. If these poll results are any indication, Republican candidates running on tax-cutting platforms should enjoy a significant advantage in Hampton Roads but find their appeals falling flat in Northern Virginia.
In dealing with the current budget shortall, 58 percent of Virginians supported holding the line on taxes, differing mainly on where to cut spending. Remarkably, 37 percent of the population appears to be believe, even after two rounds of tax increases since 2004, that Virginians aren’t taxed enough.
P.S. Notice what’s not on the list? Transportation. Refreshing, huh?
