Idahoans cite education as top concern

BOISE – People may be upset about property taxes, but it’s education that still tops the list as the most important issue facing Idaho today, according to the annual BSU Public Policy Survey.

The 17th annual statewide survey was released Friday and found that education was Idahoans’ top concern, followed by the economy and then growth. Taxes came in fourth.

“Education has always been a top concern of Idahoans throughout our history of surveying,” said Boise State University political scientist Jim Weatherby, who announced the results at a news conference in the state Capitol.

The annual survey, conducted by the Social Science Research Center at Boise State, asked a random sample of 534 Idaho adults about issues of public policy concern in the state. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The survey showed concern about property taxes, but not to the point of eclipsing issues long important to Idahoans.

“I was surprised that there wasn’t more evidence of support for a property tax revolt in Idaho,” Weatherby said. “There is obviously a lot of anger around the state at the property tax. But I don’t see, in these results, evidence to say that we have a property tax revolt upon us today.”

When asked how important it is that the governor and Legislature deal with certain specific issues this year, the largest numbers – nearly 80 percent – called public school funding and health care costs “extremely important” or “very important.” Property tax reform drew those ratings from 59.6 percent of respondents, while prison overcrowding was at 42 percent and same-sex marriage or civil unions were at 31 percent.

The survey showed that Idahoans still consider the local property tax the least fair tax – 22.6 percent chose the property tax as least fair, while 6 percent selected the state income tax, and 8 percent chose the state sales tax. However, 18 percent responded that all taxes are equally unfair – the same number that named the federal income tax as most unfair. Another 12.1 percent named the Social Security payroll tax.

Weatherby said he likes to call that part of the survey the “Weatherby hatred scale,” adding in deadpan, “The least-favorite tax is therefore the most popular tax.”

The survey also found that a majority of Idahoans – 55.8 percent – would support a 1 percent property tax cap initiative.

Other results from the survey included:

•A small majority, 50.4 percent, said the property tax they pay now is too high, while 44.9 percent said it’s about right. Just 1.2 percent said it’s too low.

•Most said their property’s assessed value was fair, with 43.6 percent saying it’s about the same as a fair selling price and 26.4 percent saying the assessed value is lower than a fair selling price.

•Support for a 1 percent property tax cap initiative was highest in North Idaho and in the Pocatello area, with 65.1 percent favoring it in the Panhandle and 62.1 percent in the Pocatello region.

•Forty-two percent opposed breaching the four lower Snake River dams to restore salmon runs, while 35 percent supported the idea. But when opponents were asked if they would back breaching, if lost barging and hydroelectric power could be replaced with alternatives at a similar price to the public, 17 percent changed positions and backed breaching, while 10 percent became undecided.

•Nearly two-thirds – 63.6 percent – said they believe the state is headed in the right direction, which is consistent with past years’ surveys but much higher than similar polls in most other states.