A new statewide Florida poll shows most Floridians feel the state is heading in the right direction. The poll was conducted at the tail end of 2021, lasting from November 30 through December 9 and was facilitated by TargetSmart.
According to the poll, 50 percent of voters responded saying Florida is heading in the right direction, 39 percent said it is on the wrong track, and only 11 percent were unsure. When broken down by party, Republicans overwhelmingly felt Florida is on the right track at 74 percent. Sixty-three percent of Democrats felt the state is going the wrong way, and Independents were split right down the middle at 41 percent each.
When organized by demographic, white males encompassed the largest segment of the population that felt the best about the state while blacks were the most unsatisfied. However, 53 percent of Hispanics agreed that Florida is on the right track.
The poll also included which issues Florida voters felt were most important heading into the legislative session. The runaway most important issue was the COVID pandemic, garnering 17 percent of top issue selections. However, the poll did not distinguish if the voters desired more COVID restrictions or if the state legislature should work to prevent policies like vaccine passports.
The second most important issue is “Economy/jobs” at nine percent, then “Inflation/prices/cost of living” at eight percent.
Surprisingly, voters across party lines said they were in favor of various kinds of tax increases on the wealthy.
“Florida voters support increased taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations and oppose tax increases on low to middle-income families and small business,” the reports’ findings said.
Specifically, over 50 percent of voters said increasing taxes “on large corporations and the state’s wealthiest residents” would be better for families and the economy. Along party lines, Democrats favored the same proposal by over 80 percent, yet only approximately 30 percent of Republicans felt lowering taxes on the same groups would be better for families and the economy.
Floridians were also supportive of increasing “sin” taxes on products like tobacco, marijuana, and legalized sports betting. But the least popular tax proposal was increasing sales taxes.
On criminal justice reforms, young voters and minorities responded most to supporting the policies and 81 percent of Democrats support reducing the non-violent prison population.
The margin of error for the poll is +/- 3.6 percent.
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Ron DeSantis” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Tampa” by Robert Neff. CC BY 2.0.
