6.10.24 – KTALnews.com – by: Allison Bruhl – BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)
Results from this year’s Louisiana Survey show how people living in the state feel overall about government, economy and what they identify as top problems.
The LSU Reilly Center conducted the survey by phone and online, with researchers focusing on results from the traditional phone method with probability sampling.
Results found that most residents, 61%, think the state is heading in the wrong direction for the third year in a row. Researchers said this view “is widespread across gender, racial and ethnic background, social and economic class, and even political beliefs.”
Residents who took the survey identified crime as a top problem in Louisiana. According to researchers, 28% reported it as the most important problem for the state government to solve, an increase from 19% last year.
Following behind crime, survey results listed economy (18%) and infrastructure (9%) as top problems.Louisiana one of the worst states for LGBTQ equality, report finds
Results show a rise in confidence in state government with 36% saying they are “very confident” or “somewhat confident.” Researchers said this year’s results are 8% higher compared to a year ago.
The report said 34% are “not very confident” and 27% are “not at all confident” in the Louisiana government.
Economically, researchers said the state index of consumer sentiment is 57.8, an increase from 53.5 last year and 50.3 in 2022. They said two facts stood out in this year’s figure.
“First, Louisiana residents tend to have more sour views than do Americans generally. Second, Louisiana residents are feeling better about the economy now than in either of the past two years of the survey,” the survey said.
Forty-two percent of residents said they are worse off financially than they were a year ago. Researchers noted this is roughly the same as last year. Fourteen percent said they are better off, according to the results.
Researchers said some Louisiana residents remain pessimistic about the future with 18% expecting they’ll be worse off a year from now. But many are more optimistic.
“The share who expects to be better off over the next year is about the same in 2024 (28%) as in 2023 (26%), while the share who expect their financial situation to remain about the same rose slightly from 43% in 2023 to 48% this year,” according to the survey.Louisiana city one of top 20 ‘dirtiest’ cities in America, according to study
Residents’ results show that 24% of residents expect to see continuous good times over the next five years, an increase from 18% last year. However, within personal financial situations, 47% believe it is a bad time to make large purchases for their homes like furniture or appliances.
The survey rated the quality of life in their neighborhoods and state colleges high. However, researchers said other aspects of life, such as public K-12 schools, state economic development efforts and transportation infrastructure, got the lowest grades.