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Residents skeptical about state’s economic direction

By a huge margin, Montana voters rank the economy as the single most important issue facing Montana, a new Lee Newspapers poll shows.

By CHARLES S. JOHNSON – IR State Bureau

And Montana voters, by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, believe the Montana economy is on the wrong track. The poll showed 48 percent of voters believe Montana’s economy is on the wrong track, 28 percent believe it’s on the right track and 24 percent aren’t sure.

Another question asked voters how their family finances compared now to three years ago. Only 20 percent say their personal finances are better than they were three years ago, while 25 percent say they are worse and 54 percent said they are about the same. The remaining 1 percent were undecided.

Men were more likely to say their finances were better or worse, while women were more likely to say their family’s finances were about the same.

The Lee poll, taken by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Dec. 8-10, surveyed 625 registered Montana voters statewide by telephone. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll asked voters this question: ”What do you think is the single most important issue facing Montana today?”

Voters’ answers were put in these categories, which were not read to them:

-Economy, jobs, economic development, 52 percent. -Taxes, government spending, budget, 11 percent. -Environment, development, 8 percent. -Education, schools, 7 percent. -Health care, 4 percent. -Farm, agricultural issues, 3 percent. -Social, moral issues, 2 percent. -Utility bills, electric power, energy, 2 percent. -Crime, prison, drugs, 1 percent. -Roads, infrastructure, transportation, 1 percent. -Gun rights, gun control, 1 percent. -Other, 3 percent. -Not sure, 5 percent.

Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, said economy usually tops the list when his polling company asks the same question in other states, but not with the same intensity as in Montana.

”I’ve never seen it at 50 percent on a list of 10-12 items,” he said. ”In Montana, that is without question the supreme issue.”

Republicans have controlled the Montana governor’s office since 1989 and both chambers of the Montana Legislature since 1995.

”Funny, you’ve got these strong numbers going Republican, but almost by 2-to-1, you’ve got people saying the economy is on the wrong track,” Coker said.

http://helenair.com/articles/2003/12/14/helena_top/a09121403_01.txt

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