Simon Poll shows voters more optimistic about direction of state, reforms

By Brandi Courtois, Staff Writer

The latest Simon Poll asked Illinois voters what they thought of the direction the state of Illinois is heading, minimum wage increases and possible reforms to the state of Illinois.

The poll was put on by SIU’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and found Illinois voters polled think the direction the country and the state are going has improved since last spring, according to a press release from the institute.

The poll said 67% of Illinois voters thought things in the state of Illinois were off track and moving in the wrong direction, compared to the 84% from last year.

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22% of those polled said Illinois is moving in the right direction, compared to 9% last spring.

Regional differences exist regarding the direction of the state, according to a news release release from the institute.

27% of respondents from the city of Chicago said the state is heading in the right direction. Of those polled downstate, 17% of respondents said the state was going in the right direction.

For Democratic respondents, 36% said the state was going in the right direction, compared to 14% of independents and 10% of Republicans.

Respondents were also asked about the direction the U.S. is headed. 30% felt that the country is headed in the right direction, compared to 61% of those who felt that the country is going in the wrong direction.

Support for legislative term limits on the House of Representatives, the State Senate, or both was supported by 84% of voters, according to the release.

Leadership term limits for legislators such as the Speaker of the House or President of the Senate were supported by 85% of those polled.

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(See more: Public Policy Institute releases approval ratings for select Illinois officials, Trump)

A proposed constitutional amendment to have legislative district maps created by an independent commission, rather than legislature, received 67% support, according to the release. Fewer than one in four voters opposed the redistricting proposal.

Respondents were asked whether they “support or oppose incremental increases in the state’s minimum wage,” according to the release. Two-thirds of those polled supported the minimum wage increase, about a third opposed it.

The poll was based on a statewide sample of 1,000 registered voters and was conducted March 11 through March 17. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1%.

Staff writer Brandi Courtois can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Brandi_Courtois.

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