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Wisconsin Economic Scorecard released for fourth quarter of 2013

By sruder@uwm.edu

A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) poll shows a patient electorate when it comes to problems with the Affordable Care Act rollout, growing support for a proposed Kenosha casino and overwhelming support for a state minimum wage increase.

The Wisconsin Economic Scorecard released for the fourth quarter of 2013 reveals that a majority of Wisconsin voters (56%) feel it is too soon to tell whether the Affordable Care Act is a failure or not, and those who think current problems with the law will be fixed (53%) outnumber those who do not (43%). The poll also shows that the proposed Menominee tribal casino in Kenosha now enjoys support from 53% of registered voters (up from 44% last quarter). And there is overwhelming support for an increase in the state’s minimum wage (76% of registered voters).

The Wisconsin Economic Scorecard is a quarterly poll of Wisconsin residents conducted by the UWM Center for Urban Initiatives and Research (CUIR) in cooperation with Milwaukee Public Radio (WUWM 89.7) and WisBusiness.com. The survey measures perceptions of the health of Wisconsin’s economy, personal economic circumstances of Wisconsin residents and public opinion regarding important state economic issues.

The research brief for the scorecard is available at:

http://uwm.edu/cuir/research/wi-econ-scorecard.cfm

Other major findings:

  • While 58% of Wisconsin residents say the state is “headed in the right direction,” just 35% describe Wisconsin’s recent economic performance in positive terms.
  • Regarding the pace of job creation in the state, 50% of residents express satisfaction, while the other 50% say they are dissatisfied. About 24% say they are “very dissatisfied,” compared to 7% who say they are “very satisfied.”
  • Among working-age Wisconsin residents, only those from households with a total annual income of $80,000 or more are likely to describe their personal financial situation in positive terms.
  • When compared with last year, those planning to spend less this holiday season outnumber those who say they will spend more, 36% to 12% (51% plan to spend about the same).

This poll is a random digit dial telephone survey of 498 Wisconsin residents conducted Dec. 2-5. Margin of error: all respondents ±4.4%; registered voters ±4.5%.

 

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CONTACT: Joseph Cera, manager of the CUIR Survey Center, is available Thursday, Dec. 12, and Friday, Dec. 13, at 414-517-5015 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or email jacera@uwm.edu.