The Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University is pleased to partner again this
year with WISH- TV, Channel 8, in Indianapolis, in presenting the eighth annual Hoosier
Survey. The Hoosier Survey is designed to provide Indiana citizens and policymakers with a
measure of public opinion on current issues facing our state in the coming year. The results of
this non-partisan survey are delivered to every member of the Indiana General Assembly and
top state government administration officials before the start of the calendar year so that
lawmakers can gauge public views about issues they are likely to face in the upcoming
legislative session.
The survey was conducted for WISH TV/Ball State University by Princeton Survey Research
International during the period October 8-13, 2015. Results are based on 602 completed
interviews with 362 landline respondents and 240 cell phone (including 137 adults with no
landline) respondents. The margin of error is ±5.2%. Complete findings and methodology are
available at www.bowencenterforpublicaffairs.org.
Major findings in the 2015 Hoosier Survey include:

Top Priorities: Job creation, improving schools, and reducing crime continue to be
the top priorities this year as they were last year for Hoosiers who believe these
issues should top the legislative agenda in 2016. Issues rising in importance included
improving highways and roads (up 11 percentage points from last year) and
protecting the environment (up 5 percentage points from last year). Reducing illegal
immigration and improving public transportation followed in importance.
 Right Track/Wrong Track: Overall, 51.4% of Hoosiers believe that Indiana is headed
in the right direction. Thirty-six percent say the state is on the wrong track. There is
wide variation by party affiliation but little difference by region.
 Jobs: A majority of Hoosiers (57%) express satisfaction with the record of Indiana in
attracting jobs to the state. However, only 26% say they are financially better-off
today than they were four years ago. A plurality (45%) believes their financial
condition has not much changed over the last four year. Expressing discontent
regarding wages, a majority (64%) supports an increase in the minimum wage to
$10.10 an hour. Support is greatest among Independents and Democrats but nearly
46% of Republicans also support the measure.
 LGBT Rights: A majority of Hoosiers (57%) support amending the state’s civil rights
laws to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Support
comes from all regions of the state. While large majorities of Independents and
Democrats support such legislation, only 38% of self-identified Republicans do so. A
majority of Hoosiers (52%) also believes that businesses providing wedding services
to same sex couples should be required to provide these services regardless of
religious reservations. Support for this position holds across all regions of the state
and among all partisan identifiers. A clear majority (64%) believes that the media
were to blame for adverse public reaction to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
(RFRA) controversy earlier this year rather than the Governor or the General
Assembly.





Roads and Infrastructure: The condition of the state’s highways and roads rose as a
top priority for Hoosiers this year. When asked about the preferred source of
increased road funding, a near majority (45%) said funds should come from the
general fund. Only 14% supported an increase in the gasoline tax and only 7%
wanted the funds to come from a mileage tax.
Drugs and Needle Exchange: Responding to concern over drug and health issues in
southern Indiana, Hoosiers strongly support (72%) expanding a needle exchange
program to all Indiana counties in order to prevent the spread of disease. With
regard to drug policy, Hoosiers support treatment (63%) over prosecution (26%) for
people who use illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine. This finding holds across
both political parties and in all regions of the state although support for prosecution
over treatment is somewhat stronger in rural areas of the state than in urban and
suburban centers.
Schools: Hoosiers continue to express high levels of satisfaction with public schools,
with two-thirds (67.5%) saying they are very or somewhat satisfied with public
education. However, Hoosiers by and large (50%) believe there is too much emphasis
on standardized testing and testing comes in dead last among a number of measures
Hoosiers believe are necessary to improve public education. Support for the use of
vouchers for private and charter schools stands at 39%, a 12 percentage point
increase over 2012. However, a clear majority (58%) continues to prefer that tax
dollars go directly to public schools. This finding holds for Democrats and
Independents. There is more support for charter funding among Republicans.
Guns: There is strong support for three out of four gun control measures being
advanced nationally in the wake of a series of mass shootings. Hoosiers support
measures to prevent the mentally-ill from purchasing guns (83%), making private gun
sales at gun shows subject to background checks (83%), and creating a federal
database to track all gun sales (70%). Support holds across political parties, regions
of the state, and community type. Support is somewhat lower for a ban on assault
weapon sales (51%) and there is greater variation on this measure across parties and
regions.
Approval Ratings: Approval for the job Mike Pence is doing as governor stands at
47%, a 15 percentage point drop from last year. His approval rating is down among
all partisan identifiers including Republicans where his approval slipped by 17
percentage points since last year. Support for the job the General Assembly is doing
is also down by 12 percentage points from last year.
In addition to providing results for the state as a whole, some findings also are broken down
by the three major regions of the state: Northern, Central, and Southern. The maps below
illustrate the counties in each region.
Full results, including our methodology report, are available at
www.bowencenterforpublicaffairs.org.
For further information about the Bowen Center for Public Affairs and the Hoosier Survey,
contact:
Dr. Joseph Losco, Director, 765-285-8785. [email protected].
TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Job creation continues as the number one priority for Hoosiers with 70% placing job creation
at the top of the legislative agenda for lawmakers. However, in a sign of an improving
economy, this number was somewhat smaller than last year’s and 13 percentage points lower
than it was two years ago. Reducing crime continued as the second highest priority at 69%
with improving local schools coming in third at 68% and showing little change from last year.
There were two noteworthy increases. The percentage citing improving highways and roads
as a top priority rose by 11 percentage points over last year, a sign that Hoosiers may be
noticing such matters as the bridge closing for repairs along I-65 North earlier this year.
Increasing by 5 percentage points was the number of Hoosiers citing environmental
protection as a top priority. Reducing immigration and funding for public transportation
continued to trail the other priorities
Top Priorities
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
83
70
73
69
68
44
71
67
50
45
48
35 36
42
34
37
21 25
21
2013
69
2014
2015
RIGHT TRACK/WRONG TRACK
This year, for the first time, we asked Hoosiers if they thought things in Indiana are generally
headed in the right direction or whether they believed the state was off on the wrong track. A
bare majority (51.4%) said Indiana is on the right track with 36.7% disagreeing. Republicans
were more positive about the state’s direction (68.9%) than either Independents (50.7%) or
Democrats (36.5%). There were no significant regional differences.
Right Track/Wrong Track
60%
51.4%
50%
36.1%
40%
30%
20%
10%
5.1%
0%
Right Direction
Wrong Track
Mixed
JOBS, WELL-BEING, AND MINIMUM WAGE
Reflecting an improved economy, a majority of Hoosiers (57%) express satisfaction (very or
somewhat satisfied) with the record of Indiana in attracting jobs to the state. This holds for
Republicans (69%) and Independents (55%). Democrats are evenly divided (49% satisfied,
48% not satisfied) regarding job creation. Central county residents expressed the highest level
of satisfaction (65%) compared to Northern (54%) and Southern Counties (59%). Nevertheless,
only 26% say they are financially better-off today than they were four years ago. A plurality
(45%) believes their financial condition has not much changed over the last four year. Income
insecurity can be seen in another measure: support for increasing the minimum wage.
Expressing concern over wage-stagnation, a majority (64%) supports an increase in the
minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Support is greatest among Independents and Democrats
but nearly 46% of Republicans also support the measure.
Satisfaction with Attracting Jobs
80
70
68.9
54.7
60
50
48.5 47.9
40.9
Satisfied
40
30
24.1
Not Satisfied
20
10
0
Republican
Independent
Democrat
Favor Minimum Wage Increase by
Party ID
100
82
80
60
64.1
45.9
Favor
40
20
0
Republican
Independent
Democrat
RFRA AND LGBT RIGHTS
A majority of Hoosiers (57%) supports amending the state’s civil rights laws to include
protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Support comes from all regions of the
state. While large majorities of Independents and Democrats support such legislation, only
38% of self-identified Republicans do so. A majority of Hoosiers (52%) also believes that
businesses providing wedding services to same sex couples should be required to provide these
services regardless of religious reservations. Support for this position holds across all regions of
the state and among Democrats and Independents. Sixty-seven percent of Republicans believe
business with religious objections should be allowed to refuse services. A clear majority of all
Hoosiers (64%) believes that the media were principally to blame for adverse public reaction to
the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) controversy earlier this year as opposed to the
Governor or the General Assembly.
Favor LGBT Civil Rights Protection
by Party ID
80
70.3
70
61.2
60
50
40
38
30
20
10
0
Republican
Independent
Democrat
Favor LGBT Civil Right Protection by
Region
70
60
60.3
56.2
54
50
37.5
35.4
40
32.8
30
Favor
Oppose
20
10
0
Northern
Central
Southern
Should a business providing wedding services be
allowed to refuse services for same-sex couples for
religious reasons or be required to provide?
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
67
63.6
62.5
30
33
Allowed to Refuse
31
Required to Provide
Republican
Insdependent
Democrat
Should a business providing wedding services be
allowed to refuse sevices for same-sex couples for
religious reasons or be required to provide?
60
50
54.3
49.7
44.1
40.4
50
43.7
40
30
Allowed to Refuse
20
Required to Provide
10
0
Northern
Central
Southern
Who's to Blame for RFRA Fallout?
By Party
100
77 73.6
80
60
Republican
36.5
40
20
40.7
10.313.3
5.7 4.3
Independents
Democrats
11.3
0
Pence
General Assembly
Media
ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Perhaps as a result of recent stories like the partial closure of I-65 North due to safety
concerns about the Wildcat Creek Bridge, Hoosiers are expressing greater concern for
highway and road safety this year. The Governor and the General Assembly have
acknowledged this concern and offered a variety of funding solutions. When asked the
preferred source of increased funding to address the issue, a near majority (45%) said money
should come from the general fund. Only 14% supported an increase in the gasoline tax and
only 7% wanted the funds to come from a mileage tax as has been proposed by some
lawmakers.
Preferred Source for Road and Bridge Funding
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
44.8
18
14.3
6.8
Increase Gas Tax
Funding from
Budget
Increase Tolls
Mileage Fee
DRUGS AND NEEDLE EXCHANGE
Responding to concern over drug and health issues in southern Indiana, Hoosiers strongly
support (72%) expanding a needle exchange program to all Indiana counties in order to
prevent the spread of disease. This finding holds across Northern (66% support), Central (72%
support) and Southern (67% support) counties. With regard to drug policy, Hoosiers support
treatment (63%) over prosecution (26%) for people who use illegal drugs such as heroin and
cocaine. This finding holds for Independents (68%) and Democrats (77%) while Republicans
favor treatment over prosecution by 10% (48% to 38%). Majorities in all regions support
treatment over prosecution. Support for prosecution over treatment is somewhat stronger in
rural areas of the state than in urban and suburban centers.
Favor Expanding Needle Exchange to
All Counties
74
72.2
72
70
68
66
66.9
65.7
64
62
Northern
Central
Southern
Drug Policy Focus
70
63.3
60
50
40
30
26
20
7.1
10
0
Prosecution
Treatment
Both
Drug Policy Focus by Community
Type
80
70
61
67
60
50
40
30
46
Rural
39
Suburban
26 28
20
12
10
Urban
7
3
0
Prosecution
Treatment
Both
SCHOOLS
Hoosiers continue to express high levels of satisfaction with public schools, with two-thirds
(67.5%) saying they are very or somewhat satisfied with public education. However, Hoosiers
by and large (50%) believe there is too much emphasis on standardized testing (somewhat
fewer than the national figures supplied below) and testing comes in dead last among a
number of measures Hoosiers believe are necessary to improve public education. Support for
the use of vouchers for private and charter schools stands at 39%, a 12 percentage point
increase over 2012. However, a clear majority of all Hoosiers (58%) continues to prefer that
tax dollars go directly to public schools. This finding holds for Democrats and Independents.
There is more support for charter funding among Republicans.
Satisfaction with Public Schools
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
79%
70%
66%
Satisfied
27%
Not Satisfied
26%
14%
Northern
Central
Southern
Testing in Schools
70
60
50
64
49.9
40
31.7
30
Indiana
19
20
11.7
10
Nation*
7
0
Too Much
Emphasis
Not Enough
Emphasis
About Right
Amount
*National Data from PDK/Gallup September 2015
Testing in Schools by Region
60
50
53.2
45.4
50
40
30.4 31.7
33.8
Northern
30
17
20
Central
9.8 7.7
10
Southern
0
Too Much
Emphasis
Not Enough
Emphasis
About Right
Amount
Most Important Factors in
Education Success
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
90.8
82.1
68.2
61.6
51.6
38.3
Teacher
Quality
Parent
Learning
Principal
Involvement Expectations Effectiveness
Money
Testing
Support for Vouchers/Public Schools
by Party
80
70
70
60
61
52
45
50
Vouchers for
Private/Charters
38
40
28
30
Money to Public Schools
20
10
0
Republican
Independent
Democrat
GUNS
There is strong support for three out of four gun control measures being advanced nationally
in the wake of a series of mass shootings. Hoosiers support measures to prevent the
mentally-ill from purchasing guns (83%), making private gun sales at gun shows subject to
background checks (83%), and creating a federal database to track all gun sales (70%). Overall
support for these measures matches the national averages as measured by the Pew Research
Center, July 14-20, 2015. Support holds across political parties, regions of the state, and
community type. Support is somewhat lower for a ban on assault weapon sales (51%) and
there is greater variation across parties and regions.
Indiana/Nation on Gun Control
(% Favor)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
83.3
79
83.3 85
69.2 70
51.3
57
Indiana
National
Prevent
Menally Ill from
Purchasing
Gun Show
Background
Check
Ban Assault
Weapon Sales
Federal
Database
National Figures: Pew Research Center, July 14-20, 2015
Gun Control by Community Type
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
79
85 85
81 85 83
49 48
64 68
57
74
Rural
Suburban
Urban
Prevent
Menally Ill
from
Purchasing
Gun Show
Ban Assault
Background Weapon Sales
Check
Federal
Database
Gun Control by Region
100
87
81 82
85 83 81
80
60
46
75
67
53 57
60
40
Northern
20
Central
Southern
0
Prevent
Menally Ill
from
Purchasing
Gun Show
Ban Assault
Background Weapon Sales
Check
Federal
Database
Gun Control By Party ID
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
86.8
84.3 84.4
82
74.1
69.4
50.2
Republican
39.6
Independent
85.1
Ban Sales
Mental
Illness
90.9
51.4
75.6
Ban Gun Ban Assualt Federal Data
Show Sales
Rifles
Bank
Democrat
APPROVAL RATINGS
Approval for the job Mike Pence is doing as governor stands at 47%, a 15 percentage point
drop from last year. His approval rating is down among all partisan identifiers including
Republicans where his approval slipped by 17 percentage points since last year. Support for
the job the General Assembly is doing is also down by 12 percentage points from last year.
Approval Ratings (Overall)
70
62
57
60
50
46.6
44.6
40
2015
30
2014
20
10
0
Mike Pence
General Assembly
Pence Approval Rating by Party by
Year
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
81
63.7
60
44
40.2
26.1
Republican
Independent
Democrat
2015
2014