The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –
While Tennessee residents say they believe overall things are going well in the state, they also say they are worse off than a year before in a recent poll.
A Beacon Center poll of 1,120 residents across the political spectrum said that 55% were satisfied with how things are going in the state while 38% are not satisfied.
But just 14% of Tennessee residents said they are better off than last year while 46% said that they are worse off than at the same time in 2022 and 41% said they were the same.
The poll asked residents a wide variety of questions between June 14 and June 22.
Of those polled, 31% said that paying their mortgage or rent was a regular concern while 37% said it was a concern sometimes and 32% said it was rarely or never a concern.
The poll specifically pointed to earlier in the year, when Tennessee House Republicans voted to expel both Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, after the pair broke House rules during a protest for gun control laws.
Just 39% of those polled supported the expulsion while 17% did not have an opinion and 39% also disapproved of the decision. Of those polled, 61% of Republicans approved the move and 15% disapproved while just 23% of Democrats approved the move and 63% disapproved.
The poll also asked if Tennessee was a good model for other states, with 53% saying no and 38% saying yes. The public said that 34% disapproved how the Tennessee Legislature was doing while 23% approved.
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
4 Responses
2022 was a bust for me and 2023 is getting worse. My best years happened when Donald Trump held office. As far as Tennessee goes, I don’t see things getting better anytime soon or at all. Our Representatives are not representing us and haven’t for a long time. Grass root politicians are no better. We elect them to represent them and as soon as their in office all the promises go out the window in favor of big business.
The problem with polls is that you can’t really evaluate the results unless you know how competent those who take the poll are. In my opnion, most voters in Tennessee have no idea what is going on in our legislature so how can they judge how good the legislature is doing. I would also say that their judgement pertaining to how well the state is doing is strongly affected by how well the country is doing rather that how well the state is doing.
Out of control inflation, fuel prices, food prices, it’s a no brainer like the one in the WH.
Housing inflation (both rent and housing prices) are a big concern for me.