Illinois voters feel that the state is moving forward on a right track: Survey Report

The research office of the University of Illinois Springfield and NPR Illinois conducted the 2019 Illinois Issues Survey. The survey has found that more Illinois voters feel the state is headed in the right direction. The voters also think that the economy of the state is improving. JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, got 59% for his job performance in the survey.

In 2018, 14% of respondents were thinking that the state was headed in the right direction while in 2019, 18% of the respondents think that the state is heading in the right direction. A.J. Simmons, the director of the UIS Survey Research Office, said, “Perhaps surprisingly, there little variation across the different regions of the state.” Three in ten Republicans and Democrats say that the state is heading in the right direction.

In Cook County and downstate, three out of ten respondents say that the state is heading in the right direction. 15% of the respondents thought in 2018 that the economy of Illinois was good. In 2019, 23% of the respondents rate the economy as excellent or good. In Cook County and collar counties, 24% of the respondents rated Illinois economy good or excellent. In downstate, 21% rated the economy good or excellent.

In 2018, 53% of the respondents said that they thought about leaving Illinois while in 2019, 61% of the respondent say that they think about leaving Illinois. The respondents give three main reasons for moving out of Illinois including lower state taxes, state government policies, and better weather. Simmons said, “While a majority of voters say they have considered moving out of Illinois.”

The survey found that 59% of the respondents were satisfied with the performance of Pritzker. 79% of the Democrats and 32% of the Republicans were satisfied with the governor’s performance, according to the survey. The independent candidates gave a rating of 49% to the governor. The downside voters gave 51% score to Pritzker. 69% of Cook County voters approved the performance of him.