89% of Texans believe "Focusing on growing the economy to
provide job opportunities” is best way to combat poverty.
AUSTIN – As the Prosperity and Poverty Summit gets underway in Austin, Texas, the Texas Public Policy Foundation today released a major statewide poll from Baselice & Associates on the causes and solutions for poverty in the Lone Star State. The full poll with crosstabs is available online here: http://www.texaspolicy.com/prosperity-summit-live
Major findings from the poll include:
- 89% of Texans believe "Focusing on growing the economy to provide job opportunities” is the best way to combat poverty.
- 58% believe "government efforts/programs have increased … the number of people in poverty in Texas.”
- 91% of all Texans believe "A growing economy” "would help reduce poverty."
- 87% of all Texans believe "Better educational opportunities through school choice for all children” "would help reduce poverty.”
- 61% believe "minorities in Texas have some of the lowest poverty rates among the ten most populous states” because "Traditional values … are stronger in Texas."
“The results of this poll are nothing short of extraordinary,” said Brooke Rollins, President and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “What we see in these numbers is simply an affirmation of the traditional American dream: that hard work, individual initiative, neighborly charity, and limited government are the ways to create prosperity and reduce poverty in every community. Texans understand what Americans have always known: that ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ — not big government and more spending of taxpayer dollars — are the means for lifting up even the least among us."
“When we look at this poll, we can be confident that Texans have paid attention to the lessons of history — and they have understood them,” said Chuck DeVore, Vice President for Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “The takeaway for Texas state government, especially as we move toward the 84th Texas Legislative Session, is clear: the people of Texas know that lower taxes, less reliance on government programs, and more freedom mean more prosperity for themselves and the Lone Star State.”
The poll was conducted on 8-14 October 2014, with a sample of 801 Texas adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 points.
Brooke L. Rollins is President and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Honorable Chuck DeVore is vice president for policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. From 2004 to 2010, he served in the California State Assembly, where he was the vice chairman of the committee on revenue and taxation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.