Idahoans show concerns about taxes, budget surplus and growth in Boise State survey

Idaho residents have grown more pessimistic about the direction of the state and the economy, according to research from Boise State University.

On Friday, the university’s Idaho Policy Institute released the results of its Idaho Public Policy Survey for 2023. The survey includes responses from 1,000 adults in Idaho, covering topics including growth, taxes, education, among others.

“The results of this year’s statewide survey show Idahoans are increasingly concerned about the future,” said Matthew May, the report co-author and survey research director for the School of Public Service. “Recognizing this rising concern and how Idahoans’ opinions on some issues have changed over time is useful as Idaho’s leaders and decision-makers evaluate policy options.”

Below are key takeaways from the survey.

According to the research, 44% of Idahoans believe the state is heading in the right direction while 41% believe it is on the wrong track. Similarly, 37% of Idahoans expect the state’s economy to worsen, and 36% expect it to stay the same over the next two years.

Education remains the top legislative priority for Idahoans, followed by jobs and the economy. Housing replaced health care as the third top priority from last year.

As for what to do with the state’s $1 billion budget surplus, most Idahoans said the funds should be used toward giving tax relief, followed by funding K-12 education (27%) and providing more workforce and affordable housing options (23%).

Among Republicans and Independents, tax relief was the top choice. Among Democrats, K-12 education was.

More Idahoans are concerned with property taxes in comparison to previous years. Data showed 56% of Idahoans feel that property taxes are too high, a ten percent increase from last year.

Additionally, most Idahoans support eliminating sales tax on groceries. Support was strong among renters, homeowners and all political parties. About 83% of Republicans, 84% of Independents and 80% of Democrats responded they support eliminating the tax.

This year, researchers asked Idahoans whether money for the federal student loan forgiveness program should be taxed by the states. The federal program could eliminate up to $20,000 under certain conditions for borrowers. Idahoans were split on the issue.

Most Democrats strongly favor a tax-free option while Republicans strongly favor taxing the loan forgiveness. Independents are largely split between both options.

As for growth, 67% of respondents said the state is growing too fast — a slight decrease from last year’s results (71%).

This year’s was BSU’s Idaho Policy Institute’s eighth annual Idaho Public Policy Survey. Results of the survey are from a randomized sample that is geographically and demographically representative of the state’s population. Researchers conducted the survey in November 2022.

This story was originally published January 21, 2023 at 1:11 PM.

Mia Maldonado

Idaho Statesman

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Mia covers breaking news for the Idaho Statesman. She’s an Idaho native and a recent College of Idaho graduate. Previously she was an intern at the Idaho Capital Sun where she covered housing issues and minority affairs. She started at the Statesman in August 2022. Support my work with a digital subscription