Poll: Most Arizonans would rather cut programs than raise taxes to fix budget

by Adnan Alam
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  • Sidebar: Facts about poll.

By ALYSSA NEWCOMB
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX – Most Arizonans would prefer to see lawmakers cut programs before they tax or borrow to balance the budget, but only if the essentials such as K-12 education and Medicaid are protected, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

The joint poll, conducted by the Pew Center on the States and the Public Policy Institute of California, measured the public attitudes in five states regarding budgets. The other four states surveyed were California, Florida, Illinois and New York.

While Arizonans list budget cuts as their first choice for balancing the budget, 83 percent say they’re at least somewhat worried about the impact of cutting programs and services, the poll found.

“Lawmakers face conflicting pressures to cut,” said Rodolfo Espino, an assistant professor at Arizona State University’s School of Politics and Global Studies.

He said it’s especially an acute problem in an election year, when “they’ll promise you the moon and a mission to Mars.”

Despite preferring cuts to balance the budget, the poll found that Arizonans want essential services protected, even if it means having to pay more taxes.

Mirroring other states, 71 percent of Arizonans said they would be willing to pay higher taxes in order to protect the current level of funding for essential services, while 57 percent would be willing to accept a tax increase in order to protect Medicaid.

“Even if they personally don’t use these programs, people derive indirect benefits from them,” Espino said.

The poll found that the least popular solution to balancing the budget is borrowing.

Across the five states surveyed, 5 to 11 percent of people chose borrowing as their first choice for times of fiscal austerity.

Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, said in a news release that policy makers will have to make unpopular decisions to help their states recover.

But Espino said taxpayers also need to take a look at their role in states’ budget problems.

“We’re having our cake, eating it and not paying for it,” he said.

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Key results from poll:

What people would pay higher taxes to maintain:
– K-12 Education: 71 percent
– Health and Human Services: 57 percent
– Higher Education: 42 percent
– Prisons and Corrections: 27 percent
– Transportation: 20 percent

Those in favor of making the recent sales tax increase permanent:
– 29 percent

Those who say the budget process needs changes:
– 63 percent