Poll finds strong support for measure aimed at raising cigarette tax, lowering college tuition
If a proposed initiative to raise Idaho’s cigarette tax by $1.50 a pack and use most of the proceeds to lower state college and university tuition were to make the ballot, it’d have an easy shot at passage, according to a new poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates. The poll of 586 Idahoans was conducted Sept. 22-30, Idaho Politics Weekly reports; it has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.05 percent.
The poll found that if the measure were on the ballot today, 65 percent of Idahoans would “definitely” or “probably” vote for it. Thirty-two percent said they’d vote against it, and 4 percent said they didn’t know. Support for the measure was 65 percent among Republican respondents, 78 percent among Democrats, and 60 percent among independents; men backed it by 57 percent, women by 71 percent; and among those 18-29 years old, support was at 80 percent. There’s more info here at Idaho Politics Weekly, an online publication sponsored by Zions Bank that publishes Idaho polling results from the Utah polling firm.
The group StopTuitionHikes.com is attempting to gather the required 47,000 signatures to get the cigarette tax/tuition measure on the 2016 ballot.
The same poll also queried Idahoans about whether Idaho should take in Syrian refugees, and found a split, with 46 percent in favor, 47 percent against, and 7 percent saying they don’t know.