PHILADELPHIA VOTER SURVEY
1.) Are the problems with Philadelphia City Schools caused mainly by a lack of money, or have the schools been poorly run?
15% Lack of Money
40% Poorly Run
28% Both
4% Neither
12% Don’t Know/Refused
2.) Do you think state government should pay a greater share of education costs?
77% Yes
14% No
9% Don’t Know
3.) Do you believe teacher salaries are too high, about right, or too low?
13% Too High
33% About Right
37% Too Low
16% Don’t Know
4.) In your opinion, is too much, about the right amount, or not enough tax money presently being spent on public education in Pennsylvania today?
14% Too Much
18% About the Right Amount
56% Not Enough
12% Don’t Know
1% Refused
5.) Do you favor or oppose school choice which would give parents the option of sending their children to the PUBLIC school of their choice?
72% Favor
21% Oppose
6% Don’t Know
1% Refused
6.) Do you favor or oppose a school choice plan that would allow parents to send their children to the PUBLIC or PRIVATE school of their choice?
66% Favor
26% Oppose
6% Don’t Know
1% Refused
7.) Do you favor or oppose a voucher system whereby parents would get money from the government to send their children to any school of their choice?
56% Favor
37% Oppose
7% Don’t Know
9.) Many Philadelphia businesses have left the city in the past decade. Which of the following factors do you think is most responsible?
58% Taxes
19% Crime
3% Schools
16% All of the Above
6% No Opinion
10.) If the City of Philadelphia were to REDUCE one tax, which of the following do you think should be reduced?
45% Wage
13% Business
22% Property
13% Real Estate Transfer
3% All of the Above
1% None of the Above
3% Don’t Know
11.) Do you favor or oppose replacing property taxes with a LOCAL earned income tax?
33% Favor
42% Oppose
23% Don’t Know
1% Refused
12.) Would you favor or oppose replacing property taxes with a sales tax?
31% Favor
55% Oppose
12% Don’t Know
1% Refused
13.) If property taxes HAD to be replaced by another tax, which would you favor, a local earned income tax or a local sales tax?
26% Income Tax
42% Sales Tax
1% Combination
20% Neither
11% Don’t Know/Refused
14.) Generally speaking, do you feel safer in your neighborhood than you did a year ago?
22% More Safe
34% About the Same
44% Less Safe
1% Don’t Know
15.) Do you think the Philadelphia Police Department is on the right track or the wrong track when it comes to combating crime in your neighborhood.
65% Right Track
27% Wrong Track
8% Don’t Know
1% Refused
16.) In your opinion, are drugs a problem in your neighborhood?
57% Yes
39% No
4% Don’t Know
17.) Do you think additional laws are needed to curb the sale of guns or do you think current laws are sufficient?
66% More Laws Needed
29% Current Laws Sufficient
5% Don’t Know/Refused
18.) Do you favor allowing private business to provide city government services if private businesses can provide such services at a lower cost?
69% Yes
22% No
11% Don’t Know/Refused
19.) Should unions be forbidden from deducting money from union workers’ pay without their permission, then using that money for political purposes?
68% Yes
28% No
5% Don’t Know/Refused
20.) Do you favor or oppose enactment of a Right to Work Law. Where a worker cannot be fired for either joining or not joining a labor union?
70% Favor
26% Oppose
5% Don’t Know/Refused
21.) Do you think the right balance has been struck between improving Center City and improving the city’s neighborhoods?
28% Yes
66% No
6% Don’t Know/Refused
(Of those saying the right balance has not been struck:)
22.) Where do you think too much emphasis has been placed, Center City or the neighborhoods?
65% Center City
1% Neighborhoods
1% Don’t Know
23.) How important is development of the Philadelphia shipyard to the future of the city’s economy?
58% Very Important
29% Somewhat Important
6% Somewhat Unimportant
1% Very Unimportant
5% Don’t Know
24.) How important are efforts to bolster tourism to the future of Philadelphia’s economy?
63% Very Important
28% Somewhat Important
3% Somewhat Unimportant
2% Very Unimportant
3% Don’t Know
The Pulse Poll of City of Philadelphia voters was conducted for the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc. by Precision Marketing, Inc. of Easton, Pennsylvania on June 3 and June 7, 1999. A total of 316 voters were sampled. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.
