Poll Shows Public has No Appetite for Cuts in Services

Voters believe cuts to public services will further damage Connecticut's economy

SEBAC

A newly released poll shows that broad majorities of Connecticut voters say that cutting services like health care, education, and road maintenance during a time of recession will further damage the economy and that job layoffs, whether in the public sector or the private sector, will do the same.

"With significant media attention given to state employees and the state budget, we wanted to find out how voters in Connecticut viewed the services provided by state workers, how they felt about the public service workers themselves, and what the voters believe would be the best way to begin to rebuild Connecticut’s damaged economy," said Andrew Myers of Myers Research, Strategic Services, LLC.

Most compelling is that when voters are asked to choose between making large, across-the-board cuts to all public services, laying off a large portion of public service workers, or increasing taxes on the wealthiest and big corporations, a strong majority (54 percent) choose to increase taxes in order to balance Connecticut’s budget.

"The findings in this survey are crystal clear in that Connecticut voters inherently understand just what many Nobel Prize-winning economists have been saying -- that is, cutting public services in an economic downturn further damages an already fragile economy" Myers said.

"Every day we hear from people who thank us for our services," says state trooper Steven Rief, a 20-year veteran of the force and President of the Connecticut State Police Union. "It's a true honor to serve the people of our state, and I'm very heartened by the poll results that show that our services are so highly valued."

The poll also provided a roadmap for how Connecticut voters prefer to raise new revenue to fund critical services. Specifically, topping the list are plans to eliminate corporate tax loopholes, followed by strong majority support for raising taxes on the wealthiest.

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