Poll: Southern Illiniosans unhappy with government

CARBONDALE - For the first time, a poll has been conducted solely of Southern Illinois residents, showing how people in the region feel about many important issues. And the general consensus is they don't feel good.

The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute released on Tuesday the first results of the Southern Illinois Poll, which focuses on an 18-county region spanning the southern part of the state. It is the first such poll conducted on a local level by the institute.

Among the poll results: 69.8 percent of respondents believe the country is headed in the wrong direction; 85.3 percent believe the state is headed in the wrong direction; 59.6 percent disapprove of the job done by President Barack Obama; and 54.6 percent disap-prove of the job done by Gov. Pat Quinn.

"I'm struck by what a bad mood people are in," said institute Director David Yepsen said. "People think things are headed in the wrong direction in the country, overwhelmingly so in the state, and it's pretty clear to me that people of Southern Illinois are in a bad mood."

The poll asked questions of 401 registered voters across Southern Illinois between April 5 and 13, and it has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

A majority of those polled called themselves conservative, a fact that is reflected in many results. More people said they would vote for Republican Bill Brady than Quinn in the governor's race, and in the U.S. Senate race, Republican Mark Kirk received more support than Democrat Alexi Giannoulias.

John Jackson, visiting professor at the institute, said when he moved into Southern Illinois "four decades ago," it was an area that largely supported the Democratic Party. Now, poll results show, that is not the case.

"I've been here a long time, and I was startled by how red state this looks," Jackson said.

Charles Leonard, visiting professor and polling director at the institute, said this poll was made necessary because of the lack of reliable local polling date available. In a recent statewide poll done by the institute, fewer than 70 respondents were from Southern Illinois - and that definition of the region included the Metro East.

More results from the poll are to be released in the next week. Yepsen said he expects policymakers and academic researchers will both have great interest in the poll, especially as it shows how attitudes change over time.

"I think it's important that this institute, and SIUC, focus their attitudes on some of the people who live here," Yepsen said, "so that not only do those attitudes not get lost in the public policy debate, but so that we can, over time, track the progress of public opinion in this region of our state."

rob.crow@thesouthern.com

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