New poll asks Alaskans about state's budget shortfall

On Thursday, the Rasmuson Foundation released the results of a poll gauging Alaskans’ knowledge of the state’s budget shortfall and their opinions on how to deal with it.

The poll was conducted in mid-to-late July by the firm Strategies 360, and has a sample size of just over 1,200. One of the first questions asked respondents, without prompting, to list one or more issues facing the state that the governor and legislature should address. The economy and the state budget were each mentioned by more than thirty percent of people polled. When respondents were directly asked about the state’s multi-billion dollar budget shortfall, more than eighty-five-percent said they had heard about it.

Additionally, more than sixty percent say they believe the economy is in fair or poor shape, and two thirds showed low levels of trust in elected state officials to “do the right thing for Alaska residents.” Governor Bill Walker fared better than the state legislature in the poll, with an approval rating of fifty-three percent. Legislators, collectively, received an approval rating just less than one-third.

When it comes to solving the state budget problem, a majority of Alaskans polled say that some form of new revenue is necessary, and many believe it should accompany budget cuts. The Rasmuson poll presented sales tax, income tax, reduction in oil tax credits, capping the Permanent Fund Dividend, and use of the Permanent Fund’s earnings reserve as potential revenue streams for the state. Of those, only a personal state income tax saw majority disapproval.