Poll: R.I. voters in favor of bond requests

VOTERS vote up or down referendum questions on Election Day./ PBN GRAPHIC/LISA LAGRECA
VOTERS vote up or down referendum questions on Election Day./ PBN GRAPHIC/LISA LAGRECA

SMITHFIELD – Respondents in a poll commissioned by Bryant University generally favored the bond requests that will be considered by voters in the Nov. 8 general election, with two-thirds or more saying they would approve state borrowing directed to veterans’ housing and environmental improvements.

The poll of 400 registered voters, conducted by Fleming & Associates, was conducted by telephone. Nearly half of the respondents, or 48 percent, were reached by cell phone.

When asked whether they would accept or reject the various spending items on the ballot, respondents favored all five of the bond requests.

The largest margin went to a request for $27 million to complete the new Veterans Home, which was favored by 84 percent of the poll takers. The request for $35 million to improve environmental and recreational resources across Rhode Island was favored by 65.5 percent of respondents.

- Advertisement -

The bond request with the smallest margin of approval was a request for $50 million to improve infrastructure at the port of Davisville and $20 million for the port of Providence. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents said they would approve that.

Nearly 61 percent of respondents said they are in favor of a $45.5 million project to finish the upgrades to the University of Rhode Island’s engineering college as well as creating an innovation center connected to URI. Thirty-one percent were against it.

And, nearly 60 percent said they were in favor of a $50 million bond to create more affordable housing.

In other questions, respondents had a pessimistic view of Rhode Island’s progress.

A broadly worded question, “do you feel things in the State of Rhode Island are moving in the right direction or do you feel that things have moved in the wrong direction?” elicited a response of 36.3 percent favorable, or “right direction,” and 43.3 percent unfavorable.

Two questions were directed at Providence and its financial status. Sixty-three percent of respondents said the fiscal condition of Providence was “very important” to the state. And 51 percent said they would favor state intervention if the city’s financial situation deteriorates.

Overall, poll respondents were more heavily female than male, by 52.8 percent to 47.3 percent. They identified primarily as Democrats, at 38.5 percent, or Independents, at 41.8 percent.

Household incomes were a mixture, with 32 percent reporting total household income last year of less than $50,000, another 31 percent between $50,000 and $100,000, and 23.3 percent at $100,000 or more.

No posts to display