Sooner Survey Vol 23 Num 2

5/28/2018 Sooner Survey Vol 23 Num 2

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VOLUME 23 March

By: Pat McFerron, President, Cole Hargrave Snodgrass and Associates, Inc.

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S O O N E RS U R V E Y

Voters Embrace Charter School ExpansionOklahomans view competition as a way to improve schools

Fully 75% of Oklahoma voters want to giverural families the ability to send their children toa public charter school. This support covers theentire state with 78% of those in the Oklahoma Citymarket being supportive as are 74% of those in theTulsa market. While Republicans (82% favor) and

Tea Party adherents (87% favor) lead the charge,they are joined by minority voters (80%), registeredDemocrats (68% favor vs. 16% oppose), Tea Partyopponents (66% favor vs. 24% oppose) as well ascritical swing voters such as Republicans whosupport the more moderate candidate in a primary(79% favor) and Democrats giving PresidentObama poor job performance marks (78% favor).

As one might expect, support for expansion

of charter schools to rural Oklahoma is greatestamong those voters most likely to have a school-age

child. Among those under 65 years of age, supportis 82%. This drops to 68% among those between theages of 65 and 74 and to 59% among those over 75.However, among NO age group does oppositionreach even 20%. Older voters are much less likelythan their younger counterparts to hold a position.

While not the sole reason, much of thesupport for expanding availability of charter schoolsis a strong belief among voters that competitionhelps improve public schools. By better thana three-to-one margin, voters believe that

competition, such as that offered by charter sccan improve our schools (68% competition impschools; 21% competition does not improve sch

As one would expect, this free-market ty

approach appeals to those with a history of votRepublican primaries (73% competition helps

the 34% of Oklahoma voters who support theParty (81%); however, these groups are suppby others across the spectrum, including 66% o29% of Oklahomans who disagree with the Tea 63% of Democrat primary voters and 61% of who say societal issues such as education and h

care are the most important to them. The becompetition in schools so permeates the electthat it is overwhelmingly embraced by both thinking Barack Obama is doing an excellent jobcompetition helps vs. 19% competition does not


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and those thinking the President isdoing poorly (73% competition helpsvs. 17% competition does not help).

Aside from partisanship andideology, the other great divide inOklahoma is geographic. When itcomes to wanting competition as a

tool for improving schools, however,we see broad support. Whethersomeone defines themselves asliving in an urban neighborhood(72% competition helps); suburbancommunity (64% competition helps),small town (70% competition helps)or a rural part of the state (69%competition helps) we see each

part of the state with overwhelmingsupport and no more than a quarterof the electorate in any of theseregions holding the opposite view.Using our traditional divide of the twometro areas against the rest of thestate, we see those outside the areaslightly more supportive (70% helps).

Further education aboutcharter schools will undoubtedlyimprove the support for expansion.More than a third of voters indicatethey are not at all familiar withcharters (36%), but those who aremore familiar are the most adamant

they be expanded. Even among thosewho are familiar, there is significantmisunderstanding. Only 29% ofOklahoma voters can correctly saythat charter schools are funded withtax dollars like other schools, while8% incorrectly assert they are fundedby parent-paid tuition. A plurality

of Oklahomans (44%) mistakenlybelieves that these schools are paidby a mixture of tax dollars and parenttuition. With this misconceptioncleared-up, one can readily seesupport for expansion also improving.

At the end of the day, the

reason voters support charter schoolexpansion is because they wantbetter educational opportunities forthe states children. Those able to ratecharter schools see them as doing abetter job than traditional schoolsstatewide or even their local school.Overall, 90% of voters are able torate public schools throughout

Oklahoma with 25% giving thema grade of an A or a B and 18%giving them a grade of a D (13%)or an F (5%). When it comes topublic schools in your community,we see much higher grades withhalf giving A (13%) or B (37%)grades and only 13% giving D or F.

While only half of voters areable to rate charter schools, amongthose giving grades, 63% give chartersan A or B with 12% giving them a D

or an F. Charter schools receive theirhighest grades in central Oklahomawhere 61% are able to grade charterschools and among those who do,73% give them either an A or a B.

Similarly, among minority voters,65% are able to rate charter schoolsand 51% give an A or B rating.

For decades in the past, andlikely decades to come, education hasbeen one of the top three issues forOklahoma voters. This study revealsthat voters want competition and

charter schools to be a key componentof improvement. This aspect ofeducation can provide any candidatefor office, regardless of ideological,partisan or geographic persuasion, theability to connect with voters withoutbroaching the more controversialissues of taxation and spending.

S O O N E R S U R V E Y

Key

Facts Support for cha

schools transce

traditional

ideological divas minoirties jo

with Tea Party

enthusiasts in

intense support

Republicanprimary voters

among the mo

supportive.

By better than

3-to-1 margin,

voters support

allowing charte

in rural Oklaho

Those able to rcharter schools

give them bette

grades than the

do public schoo

on the whole a

public schools

in their own

community.

Education is stineeded as mos

Oklahomans

believe parents

have to pay at

least some tuiti

to attend these

public schools.


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M a r c h 2 0 1 4

1. People have different ideas about competition among public schools. Which of the

following is closer to what you think? (Rotate) Some people believe that competition

can help improve all schools, while other people believe that competition hurts scho

Which do you believe?

Competition can help improve all schools 68%

Competition wont help improve public schools 21%Undecided (vol) 11%

2. Would you favor or oppose allowing families in rural Oklahoma being allowed to se

their children to free public charter schools?

Favor 75%Oppose 13%

Undecided (vol.) 12%

3. What is your understanding of how charter schools are funded? Please choose wha

think is the best answer.

Parents pay tuition

Charter schools receive tax funds like other Oklahoma public schools

Mixture of parent tuition and tax funds 4

Undecided (vol.)

-10%

10%

30%

50%

70%

90%

All Men Women Urban Rural Republican Democrat Minority Tea Party

68% 75%

62% 66%70%

74%

65%

77% 81%

21%17%

25%21%

22%15%

25%20%

11%

Can Improv

Cannot Imp

Can Competition Improve Public Schools?


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During his more than 20 years with Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates, Pat McFerron has supervised p

and telephone voter contact programs in more than 40 states including polling for numerous successfulgubernatorial, U.S. Senate, congressional and legislative clients throughout the nation. McFerron has been pollster for all of the recent successful OKC initiatives, including Big League City, MAPs for Kids and MAPs 3,

as Oklahomas historic right-to-work effort and many other state questions. McFerron also oversees markeresearch projects for CHS clients who range from Fortune 100 companies to non-profits, universities and

entrepreneurial start-ups.

Cole Hargrave Snodgrass and Associates

Phone: (405) 415-3017

E-Mail: [email protected]

Address: Post Office Box 2034

Oklahoma City, OK 73101

S O O N E R S U R V E Y

This edition of Sooner Survey was taken February 23-28, 2014. It was a telephone survey of 500 registered

voters in Oklahoma, including those on mobile lines. Theconfidence interval associated with this sample is that

95% of the time, the results are within 4.3% of the true

values.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

All OKCMedia

TulsaMedia

UrbanComm.

Suburb.Comm.

SmallTown

Rural

75% 78% 74% 76% 77% 69% 81%

13% 11% 15%

13% 16% 14% 8%

Favor

Oppose

-1

1

3

5

7

9

All Minority White Tea Support Tea Oppose AlwaysCons. In

GOP Primary

Moderate inGOP Primary

75% 80%

75% 87%

66%85%

79%

13% 12% 13% 7%24%

8%16%

Favor

Oppose

Allow Rural Charter Schools?

Favor or Oppose Rural Charter Schools?

Sooner Survey Vol 23 Num 2

Documents

Transcript of Sooner Survey Vol 23 Num 2