* From a new Public Opinion Strategies poll…
(W)ould you say that things in Illinois are going in the right direction, or have they pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?
12% RIGHT DIRECTION
82% WRONG TRACK
4% NO OPINION (DO NOT READ)
2% REFUSED (DO NOT READ)
As I’ve said before, I’d really like to know who those 12 percent are.
* Anyway, the American Beverage Association sent me this poll because they wanted to share the results of this question…
As you may know there is a proposal in the Illinois State Legislature to put a one cent per ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages including all full-calorie soft drinks and any juice drinks, sports drinks, teas, or flavored waters containing added sugar. For example, under this proposal a ninety nine cent, two-liter bottle of sugar-sweetened drink will be taxed an additional sixty eight cents. This new tax is estimated to raise between $390 to $560 million dollars a year. The revenues would be put into the general fund to help close the five point three billion dollar budget deficit.
Do you favor or oppose this proposed one cent per ounce tax on sweetened beverages? (IF FAVOR/OPPOSE, ASK:) And would you say you STRONGLY (favor/oppose) or just SOMEWHAT (favor/oppose) the tax?
That’s quite different from another poll result I shared with you the other day. In that poll, taken for the American Heart Association, the tax was supported 56-41.
* Check out this question…
Every time government faces a problem the first reaction is to take our money with new taxes. And, when the state runs low on money, the tax will go up and up. The Illinois legislature needs to trim their budget fat and leave our grocery budgets alone.
83 percent found that argument convincing, with 62 percent saying it was very convincing.
* After a bunch of those negative statements, they asked the question about the pop tax again and 73 percent would up opposed while just 26 percent were in favor.
* Methodology…
Public Opinion Strategies conducted a statewide telephone survey of registered voters in Illinois on behalf of the American Beverage Association. The survey was completed March 10-13, 2017, among 600 registered voters, including 240 cell phone respondents. The margin of error for a survey of N=600 is ±4.0% in 95 out of 100 cases.
- Blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 1:59 pm:
Are we in Kansas City? What the heck is ‘pop
- allknowingmasterofracoondom - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
Nice Rich. All this (and the trump campaign) tells me polls are just that, polls. They are only capturing a moment of time.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
===I’d really like to know who those 12 percent are===
13th Warders.
- Judgment Day - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:03 pm:
“As I’ve said before, I’d really like to know who those 12 percent are.”
Maybe, Relocation specialists and moving company employees.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:04 pm:
Could these folks add up to 12%?
– Hold SOI bonds.
– Have an interest in companies that buy old Illinois bills.
– Are vendors liquid enough to get paid late with interest.
– .Want to see the social safety infrastructure and public higher ed downsized through social Darwinism.
– have interests in profitable companies still receiving tax credits despite runaway deficits.
For those groups, things are going swell.
- Saluki Matt - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:05 pm:
Rich, I think the 12% are Rauner’s most ardent supporters.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:05 pm:
Those 12 percent are the Munger employees who landed softly with the administration.
- Walter Concrete - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:06 pm:
This unpopular tax may be enough to swing some votes against incumbent politicians who support it.
Chicago has already taxed soft drinks (Cook County is set follow suit this summer).
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:09 pm:
Yes Rauner’s most ardent supporters are totally on board without a single reform passing and Madigan’s agenda continuing unchanged for the next two years.
- William j Kelly - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:10 pm:
I guarantee you that 12% will not be enough to for Rauner to win his Republican primary next year.
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:13 pm:
===After a bunch of those negative statements, they asked the question about the pop tax again and 73 percent would up opposed while just 26 percent were in favor.===
Yeah, basically a poll taken to justify an opinion. Not one that is supposed to be a true measure of how people feel.
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:17 pm:
@William J Kelly
So what are you going to do about it? Bust the caps and drop out? I’ve seen your show already.
- il prof - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:19 pm:
I can’t imagine who the people are who think IL is on the right track!?
Madigan will beat Rauner in this fight. He always was going to “win.” A gov. can’t hurt the state and not take the damage politically.
The question is how many casualties are there before Rauner goes down? And what the heck is he doin now? Is he just tryin to take down a bunch of universities and social services because he can. Or does he still think he’s going to find a victory somewhere, something better than the grand bargain? Does he look at this numbers and still think he can win by running against Madigan?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:24 pm:
LOL, LP, what is your planet of origin?
I’m curious in what world an incumbent governor is immune from any accountability when 82% of the populace thinks a state is on the wrong track?
You think “that mean little old man won’t let me” is a winner? At best, it’s an admission of impotence.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:29 pm:
==- Blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 1:59 pm:==
Pop is the term used by most people in the state to describe a carbonated soft drink.
http://popvssoda.com/
- don the legend - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:41 pm:
82% wrong track. Let that sink in and then repeat after me, “Pat Quinn failed”.
- blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 2:55 pm:
Polling data conducted by the Simon Institute revealed the following:
Illinois residents calling it ‘pop’=12%.
Illinois residents calling it Soda=12%
Chicago residents calling it. Coke=100%
- City Zen - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 3:23 pm:
==As I’ve said before, I’d really like to know who those 12 percent are.==
14% of the state population is over 65 and living on tax-exempt retirement income. If you paid zero in state income taxes, why rock the boat?
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 3:56 pm:
Pop is dominant in the largest population centers of Illinois. The rest of you can pretend to live in the South all you want.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 3:57 pm:
Precinct Captain–thank you! I forgot the link.
- Enviro - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 4:02 pm:
The proposed tax on sweetened beverages would raise much needed revenue and offset the cost of health care caused by these beverages.
- Mr. Smith - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 4:15 pm:
Blue Dog Dem @ 1:59pm:
Now, now. Be nice to Kansas City. Everything IS up to date there…
- Anonymous - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 4:18 pm:
We’re going the wrong way, Bruce.
- 61571 - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 5:25 pm:
12 % still less than proportion of general population with mental health issues.
- Liberty - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 6:16 pm:
The trouble is we have too many trains all going in different directions with a traffic jam at the station.
- The Dude Abides - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 7:50 pm:
That 12% are die hard Conservatives and stalwart Rauner supporters who are just as stubborn as Rauner is.
- 4 percent - Thursday, Mar 16, 17 @ 8:17 pm:
The initial POS poll question is fair and straightforward. Definitely not a push.
Let’s see the Heart Association poll question. I didn’t see it in your article.
- Arock - Friday, Mar 17, 17 @ 8:16 am:
The 12% seem to be the Madigan crowd as Illinois is following the same direction it has been the last two decades of running business off and not having a truly balanced budget. Failing to properly fund education, being late in paying their vendors all the same MO of Madigan’s failed leadership.
And No to the beverage tax, we have a free needle exchange for drug addicts(which is a good thing) but you want to tax beverages that contain sugar, with the middle class taxpayer probably taking the brunt of the hit.