Marylanders have mixed views about the state’s direction and remain concerned about crime, education and the economy, according to a new poll from Goucher College Poll and The Baltimore Banner.
And they’re also concerned about an issue that Governor Wes Moore has identified as one of his top priorities: eliminating child poverty in the state.
The poll asked a representative sample of 800 Marylanders for their views on the state’s direction. Almost half, 47%, said things are going in the right direction in Maryland, while 42% said things are on the wrong track. About 10% were unsure.
Respondents were also asked about several issues and whether they felt it was important for the governor to reach out to them, including crime, child poverty, public transportation, the economy, public schools, renewable energy, and racial justice.
“By and large, Marylanders want the state to make strides in crime, public schools, and the economy,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College and director of the survey.
Concern about crime was nearly universal, with 83% of respondents saying it was “extremely” or “very” important for the governor to address it. Only 13% said crime was only “somewhat” important and only 2% said it was not important at all.
“Crime is an important thing because I live in the county and work in the city, and I’m constantly commuting between the two,” said Chris Steets, a Parkville Republican who voted for Moore, a Democrat.
When contemplating where to go for dinner or entertainment, he and his wife more often choose to stay in the suburbs for dates due to crime in the city.
In the past, the couple often went out in the city, “but now in the district because it’s not worth it because of the dangers in the city.”
Steets said he supports giving people a second chance and probation instead of jail time. But he worries there is no documentation to suggest a person repeatedly gets into trouble if police don’t make arrests at all.
Violent crime worries many Maryland residents, especially as Baltimore City continues to suffer from relentless violence, including more than 300 homicides a year for the past eight years.
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Concerns about crime cut across party lines and across genders, ages, races, regions and income levels.
Moore, a Democrat, broadly spoke about working with local governments to fight crime and improve public safety when speaking to reporters last week about his first 100 days in office.
“There are certain things that we’re going to focus on — that we’re not going to wait until next January or the next legislative session — to get done,” Moore said. “Things like making sure we can deal with the issue of crime and public safety.”
Moore cited the state’s spending on helping local police departments and improving mental health resources as part of an “all of the above” approach to public safety.
“The best way to deal with this, and to tackle many of the root causes that we see in neighborhood violence and crime, is to focus on employment, focus on opportunities and make sure we don’t just think about it out of one.” Frame of punishment, but from a frame of opportunity to think about it,” Moore said.
Improving public schools also received strong support, with 82% saying it was “extremely” or “very” important. Only 13% said schools are “fairly” important, and just 3% said schools are not an important issue for the governor.
Improving the economy and jobs was also a big issue for respondents, with 79% saying it was “extremely” or “very” important and 19% saying it was “somewhat” or not important.
Regarding child poverty, 77% agree with the governor that it is an “extremely” or “very” important issue and 20% say it is “somewhat” or not important.
Moore has made ending child poverty a signature goal of his new administration. At the recently concluded General Assembly session, he passed legislation that would accelerate the minimum wage to $15 an hour, expand the childcare tax credit, and provide a permanent improvement in the tax break for the working poor.
These initiatives, the governor said, are the first steps toward his “bold goal” of eradicating child poverty.
“We can and we will end child poverty in the state of Maryland,” Moore promised in his February State of the State address.
Goucher College Poll surveyed a representative sample of 800 Marylanders, including 768 registered voters, between April 18 and April 23 using landline and mobile phones. The survey has an error rate of 3.5 percentage points.
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