State Policy Network is excited to announce the launch of State Voices, a monthly public opinion study that will track Americans’ attitudes towards government and policy solutions. State Voices provides valuable insight for local policymakers and state think tanks on how Americans feel about key issues in the states—including education, state budgets, healthcare, and election integrity.
Each month, State Policy Network is conducting an online survey with 2,000 registered voters nationwide. The survey asks participants about trust in government and institutions, attitudes towards the role of government, and thoughts on specific policy solutions. SPN is updating the data monthly with new data points and trends, and readers will be able to see what these trends look like over time.
In addition to those long-term questions, State Voices will also tell you how Americans feel about current events, including the coronavirus, inflation, and timely federal legislation such as the Build Back Better Act.
The study also includes monthly spotlights on specific states that give further analysis on how residents feel towards events and policies specific to that state.
At SPN and across the network of state-based think tanks, we believe that policy decisions made closer to home better serve American families. That’s why, each day, across the country, state think tanks are working to advance state and local policies that improve the lives of the people in their communities.
But we don’t always have the latest data on how Americans feel about the policies we’re advancing and supporting. In addition, this Network often creates innovative ideas and solutions to important public policy problems, but we don’t have a grasp of how Americans feel about those either.
That’s where State Voices comes in. State Voices gives state think tanks an understanding about how Americans feel about specific policies. For example, the latest State Voices data considered how Tennesseans feel about Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), a policy that allows parents to use state-supervised funds to pay for a wide variety of education options. The data found half of Tennessee voters think any ESA program should be universal and not tied to an average income threshold.
State Voices is led by Lee Family Fellow and Senior Messaging Strategist Erin Norman. Norman joined SPN in October 2021 to guide the Network on questions related to polling, market research, and messaging.
State Voices gives state think tanks timely public opinion data on the policies they are advancing in their state. With this data in hand, state think tanks can educate lawmakers and the public about American attitudes towards specific policies. It will also help state think tanks build support for specific proposals—or better understand what policies are most important to the people they are trying to help.
State Voices also gives state think tanks the opportunity to send SPN questions they want asked in the monthly survey. State think tanks can send any ideas to Erin Norman at enorman@spn.org. Norman added:
“This study is designed to help the groups in the Network take their work to the next level—to provide this resource that might not be available because of time or other resource constraints.”
Further, with this information, state and local leaders can make policy decisions that better serve the needs of their communities and constituents.
You can find the State Voices data at spn.org/state-voices. State Policy Network will release new data every month. If you have any questions about this study, please contact Erin Norman (enorman@spn.org).
