SLU/YouGov Poll Analysis on How Missourians Viewed Various Issues
SLU's Kenneth Warren, Ph.D., provides expert analysis of the results of the latest SLU/YouGov Poll, examining where Missourians stand on a variety of issues.
In our last August 2023 SLU/YouGov poll, we asked likely Missouri voters to tell us what the top priority of the Missouri state government should be. Forty-four percent said the economy should be the state鈥檚 top priority.
In our February 2024 SLU/YouGov poll, respondents also noted that the economy should be the state鈥檚 top priority, with 42% saying so. This is no surprise since Americans across the nation normally rank the economy as their greatest concern. Health care was prioritized second, along with infrastructure at 17%, followed by education at 15% and other at 9%.
Republicans were much more likely to say that the economy should be the state鈥檚 top priority with 62% saying so, as compared to only 21% for Democrats. A perfect downward pattern was seen by educational level with the least educated saying the economy should be the state鈥檚 top priority, 48%; followed by those with some college, 44%; 4-year college, 38%; and post-graduate, 33%. Black Missourians were almost twice as likely to say that health care should be the state鈥檚 top priority, 31%, than white Missourians, 16%.
Crime in their communities was considered a problem for most likely Missouri voters, with the majority ranking the problem as 鈥渇air,鈥� 30%, to 鈥減oor,鈥� 29%. Only 8% said it was 鈥渆xcellent鈥� with 31% saying 鈥済ood."
Those living in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas were most likely to perceive the crime problem as worse with both areas ranking the crime problem as 鈥渇air鈥� to 鈥減oor鈥� (66%). Black respondents were much more likely to rank the crime problem as 鈥渇air鈥� to 鈥減oor鈥� than white respondents, 85% to 42% respectively. Democrats were more likely to rate the crime problem 鈥渇air鈥� to 鈥減oor鈥� than Republicans, 64% to 53%. Of course, these respondents tend to be the same people. That is, Black voters being more Democrat and living in the two metro areas of the state.
Likely Missouri voters were quite evenly split over how they perceive race relations in their communities, with 49% saying 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent鈥� and 46% answering 鈥渇air鈥� to 鈥減oor."
However, race relations were seen very differently by Republicans versus Democrats, those of different races, those with different educational levels and those living in metro versus rural areas. Republicans were much more likely to see race relations in their communities as 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent鈥� than Democrats, 67% to 29%.
White voters rated race relations in their communities much better than Black voters with 53% of white respondents ranking race relations as 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent鈥� and only 20% of Black respondents ranking race relations as 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent.鈥�
Those with the lowest educational level, less than high school, rated race relations more positively than those with the highest educational level, post-graduate, 55% to 42% 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent鈥� respectively.
Those in rural areas of Missouri were more likely to rank race relations in their communities much more positively than those living in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas with a 60% average 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent鈥� average for rural areas compared to a 41.5% for the two metro areas. Of course, demographic statistics show that rural Missouri has very few minority residents, so race relations is not much of an issue in rural Missouri.
As in our past polls, roads and infrastructure are considered a serious problem by likely voters in Missouri. Only 20% of our respondents rated roads and infrastructure in Missouri as 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent鈥� with only 2% saying 鈥渆xcellent.鈥�
Eighty percent ranked roads and infrastructure as 鈥渇air鈥� to 鈥減oor." Republicans were more likely than Democrats to rate roads and infrastructure in Missouri as 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent," 24% to 12%; although only 2% of Democrats and 1% of Republicans rated roads and infrastructure in Missouri as 鈥渆xcellent."
White respondents rated roads and infrastructure more positively than Black respondents with 21% of white respondents rating roads and infrastructure 鈥済ood鈥� to 鈥渆xcellent鈥� compared to 9% for Black respondents.
Those in the Kansas City area were much more likely to rank roads and infrastructure 鈥渇air鈥� to 鈥減oor," 92%, than those living in all other areas of the state. Next to the Kansas City area were the St. Louis metro and northeast Missouri areas, with respondents in both areas giving a 79% 鈥渇air鈥� to 鈥減oor鈥� rating to roads and infrastructure. State officials should not ignore these very negative ratings of roads and infrastructure by its citizenry.
On a more national topic, Missouri鈥檚 likely voters expressed great concern for the situation at the U.S.-Mexican border. When asked: 鈥淒o you agree or disagree that the U.S.-Mexican border situation is a crisis that needs to be resolved immediately?鈥�, 75% said 鈥渁gree鈥�; only 18% said 鈥渄isagree鈥� with 8% answering 鈥渘ot sure.鈥�
Democrats, younger voters (ages 18-44), Black voters, highest income and educational levels and metro Missourians were least likely to 鈥渁gree鈥� at 47%, 62%, 68%, 68%, 62%, and 68.5% respectively. However, regardless of the differences in demographics, Missourians overwhelmingly perceive the U.S.-Mexican border issue as a serious problem that will likely present an electability problem for President Biden among Missouri鈥檚 voters.
This analysis is based on data from the February 2024 SLU/YouGov poll and reflects the opinion of the author.