Fifth Annual Arkansas Poll Examines Education Reform, E-Government And Elder Care

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For the fifth consecutive year, researchers at the University of Arkansas are conducting the Arkansas Poll — a random-sample telephone survey of adult Arkansans on political and policy issues. Calling for the poll commences Sunday, Oct. 5, and will wrap up on or before Thursday, Oct. 16. Results from the poll will be released to the news media statewide on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

"Each year, the Arkansas Poll presents a chance for the University to serve the community and state," said Janine Parry, assistant professor of political science and director of the poll. As a land-grant institution, the University of Arkansas has a responsibility not just to impart knowledge to its students, Parry said, but to distribute knowledge among all Arkansans in a way that both informs and empowers.

By opening a line of communication between citizens and policymakers, the Arkansas Poll enables both to make more informed decisions about politics and the direction of progress in the state.

Consisting of 70 questions, the 2003 poll addresses a series of critical issues, including education finance and reform, use of on-line government services and care for Arkansas’ elderly citizens. It also collects standard information on demographics and party affiliation for each participant and approval ratings for various public officials.

Sponsored by the Diane D. Blair Center for Southern Politics and Society, the Arkansas Poll is designed primarily by researchers in the UA political science department and administered by the University’s Survey Research Center. Using a computer-aided telephone interviewing (CATI) system, trained interviewers place thousands of calls in order to obtain 750 completed surveys. Each respondent is screened to make sure they are at least 18 years of age and an Arkansas citizen.

Over the past five years, the poll has identified and tracked numerous critical issues in Arkansas, collecting public opinion data on affirmative action, property taxes, abortion, medical marijuana, environmental policy, the economy and the role of women in public office, among other topics.

The 2003 poll marks the second year that education reform has appeared on the Arkansas Poll. With a solution yet to be agreed upon — and considering the issue’s statewide impact, socially and financially — the UA researchers are working to offer Arkansas policymakers the most up-to-date public opinion data available.

"In light of this January’s deadline and the constantly changing nature of the debate, more people are paying attention to the issue of education reform. Revisiting, even expanding, our education questions of last year was our top priority," Parry said. "From the Supreme Court’s perspective and from that of the average citizen, there is simply no more pressing issue facing Arkansas than reforming public education."

Last year the Arkansas Supreme Court declared the state’s public education finance system unconstitutional. Arkansas now faces the prospect of pumping an additional $800 million into its education budget annually. While people statewide seem to agree that reform measures are necessary, there’s little consensus on how to pay for them.

Results from the 2002 poll indicated that Arkansans favored raising teacher salaries, increasing access to state-funded pre-schools, improving school facilities and expanding career education opportunities. But when presented with proposals on how to finance such reforms, findings were mixed. Just 38 percent of those polled approved of raising sales taxes, and even lower percentages approved of increasing income or property taxes. But a solid majority, 58 percent, supported increases to at least one of the three revenue sources, Parry noted.

"Last year’s poll illustrated that we have a big wish list for improving public education, if somewhat less enthusiasm for paying for it. With the past year’s increased attention to the crisis, I expect we’ll find people being a bit more realistic about both," Parry said.

In addition to education reform, the 2003 poll addresses issues poised to become increasingly relevant to Arkansas citizens. Questions about government Web sites, posed by researchers in the Walton College of Business, reflect the growing importance of technology in conducting civic and governmental business. And a section addressing care for the elderly in Arkansas will help researchers in the School of Human Environmental Sciences understand how people statewide are preparing for late-life decisions. Such information could be valuable to policymakers who must prepare state services to handle a growing elderly population.

Providing a record of public opinion on these and other issues represents one of the primary functions of the Arkansas Poll. Over the past five years, the poll has generated a substantial database — a compendium of attitudes and opinions across the state that scholars will be able to use for decades to come, not just to examine political sentiment but also to identify social trends and to provide context around historical events.

In addition to providing data for scholarly research, the poll serves Arkansas leaders by connecting them to the values and outlooks of their constituents. Such insight can help officials better serve citizens and more effectively represent their views.

"If we expect our system of government to be truly representative, it must first be responsive — with elected officials and policymakers reacting to the needs and concerns of the people they serve," Parry explained. "There’s a relationship between policymakers and the public, and the only way for that relationship to be mutually beneficial is for communication and feedback to flow both ways."

In this way, the Arkansas Poll acts as a voice for citizens throughout the state — an opportunity for individuals to give their opinions and feel confident that their values, their concerns and their needs have been heard.

Results from the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 polls can be accessed online at http://plsc.uark.edu/arkpoll/.

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