* A poll conducted July 3rd through August 15th of registered voters who weren’t asked all four candidates’ names has precisely zero value when discussing the September 26th campaign climate. Some of those results are almost three months old, for crying out loud. So, we’re skipping the Illinois Issues Survey’s campaign results. They never should’ve even bothered to release them.

Instead, let’s look at the issues that were polled. Not a lot of surprises here…

• Term limits popular
Eight in ten (80%) of those surveyed support legislative term limits compared to just 14% who oppose them. Democratic respondents are only slightly less likely to support limits (77%) than Republicans (85%) or independents (84%).

• Many think Illinois is on the wrong track, nearly half say state is doing about the same as last year
Nearly Three-quarters (74%) of respondents think Illinois is off on the wrong track compared to 14% who say it is headed in the right direction and 11% who can’t say. But not as many respondents think things are worse now than one year ago; nearly half (47%) say that the state is doing about the same as last year while 37% say it is getting worse and 13% say the state is doing better than one year ago.

• Half say they have considered leaving, youngest most likely to say so
When asked if they have considered leaving the state in the past year, just over half (53%) of those surveyed say “yes.” Those between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely (67%) to say so than those 35 or older (51%).

• A majority favor a graduated income tax
Overall, 57% of survey respondents say they favor a proposed graduated income tax in which those with higher incomes are taxed at a higher rate while 36% favor the current flat-rate tax system. Majorities of Democrats (69%) and independents (56%) favor graduated income tax whereas a minority of Republicans (41%) do.

• Most say immigrants help Illinois rather than hurt it
Over three times as many respondents say they believe immigrants help (63%) rather than hurt (20%) Illinois. Republicans (36%) are much less likely than Democrats (83%) or independents (62%) to say immigrants help Illinois.

* Some other items of note with highlights by me…

• Respondents say funding higher education a priority as high cost and uncertainty of state funding drives high school grads away
Over three-quarters (76%) say that increasing state funding to public colleges and universities to keep the cost of tuition from growing is a “high priority.” Regarding high school graduates leaving the state, four in ten (40%) say the reason these individuals are doing this is because college in Illinois is too expensive while 37% say state funding to colleges is uncertain in Illinois. […]

• Respondents split on whether they trust others, the mass media Slightly fewer of those polled say they trust others (44%) than say you cannot be too careful in dealing with people (50%). The breakdown is similar regarding the media; about half (48%) of those surveyed say they trust the media either a “great deal” or a “fair amount” to report the news “fully, accurately, and fairly,” and half (50%) say they have “not very much” trust or “none at all.” Democrats (67%) are much more likely than either independents (47%) or Republicans (27%) to say they trust the mass media. […]

When asked whether things in Illinois are heading in the right direction or off on the wrong track, nearly three- quarters (74%) say things are off on the wrong track, while only 14% think things are going in the right direction. […]

The survey also asks respondents whether they think that compared to one year ago, Illinois is getting better, is about the same, or is getting worse. The survey finds that most respondents think Illinois is about the same as it was last year (47%) or getting worse (37%), while a small minority (13%) think Illinois is doing better compared to one year ago.

That 14 percent “right track” and 13 percent “Illinois is doing better” are slim pickings, indeed.

And, by the way the college is too expensive and state funding is uncertain answers are basically the same thing.

* Back to the people who say they’ve thought of leaving…

Because of the fact that the state of Illinois lost nearly 34,000 individuals from 2016 to 2017, the survey asked respondents about whether they have considered leaving the state.5 Overall, just over half (53%) of those surveyed report considering leaving in the past year and it is those who are younger who are most likely to say this. Survey respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to say they have considered leaving (67%) than those in other age cohorts. Those who are at least 65 years old, the typical age for retirement, are the least likely to say they have considered leaving (32%).

In addition to age, other factors — such as having more income — appear to play a role in whether respondents have considered leaving Illinois. While 46% of those with household income of less than $30,000 have considered leaving, nearly two-thirds (64%) of those earning between $60,000 and $100,000 and 59% of those with income of more than $100,000 have considered leaving the state. […]

Those who say they are considering leaving were asked to provide a “primary reason” for why they have considered doing so. Many respondents (39%) mention lower taxes as the primary reason, whereas 14% cite state government or politics, 15% cite better job opportunities and 7% say the primary reason they have considered leaving is lower crime. Additionally, some say better weather elsewhere (7%) or a family or personal reason (10%) is the primary reason they’ve considered going elsewhere.

Lots more in there, so click here.