Crumbling infrastructure is Michigan’s top problem, moreso than education or the economy, according to a new poll released today.
Nearly 31 percent of voters in the survey said fixing the state’s infrastructure is the No. 1 issue facing the state. Improving the quality of education was cited by 19 percent, and improving the economy and creating more jobs was next at 13 percent.
The statewide survey of 600 Michigan voters, conducted Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 by Lansing-based EPIC-MRA, was commissioned by FixMIState, a campaign led by the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association (MITA), which represents the state’s road builders and excavation companies.
“The Flint water crisis and the Fraser sinkhole, followed by literally years if not decades of driving on some of the nation’s worst roads and bridges, have galvanized the attention of Michigan voters from all areas of the state and across nearly every demographic and geographic group that we measure as pollsters,” said EPIC-MRA’s Bernie Porn.
“While we may be more divided than ever before on many issues, there is broad agreement among all groups of voters that infrastructure is the single top problem facing Michigan.”
Infrastructure worries also topped issues such as crime, taxes, government spending and affordable healthcare.
In fact, the survey found universal agreement that infrastructure is the top concern — among voters in every geographic region of the state; at all income levels; in all age groups; among those with and without college degrees; among men and women; among Republicans, Democrats and Independents; among all religious groups; for voters with and without a union member in their household; among voters who support and oppose the Tea Party; and voters who do and don’t have children in their households.
The poll showed that voters are particularly concerned about how failing infrastructure can taint community drinking water systems, imperil safety for motorists on roads and bridges, and pollute rivers and lakes with sewage overflows.
Hackle where you at ????
Stand with OUR sign !
Save Lake St.Clair !!!!
The money has to come from “somewhere” . In Michigan, representatives want to roll back the state’s income tax to 3.9 percent in 2018, and decrease it by 0.1 percent each year beginning in 2019 until it reached zero. Local governments suffer slashes to revenue sharing from the state. The Federal government has to address infrastructure chaos in all 50 states. It appears to be a situation of waiting till a crisis hits, and then addressing it ; instead of a pro-active stance to rebuild a strong Michigan.