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AP Poll: Americans Will Pay Higher Taxes for Better Roads

by Staff
July 6, 2004
3 min to read


According to an Associated Press poll released last week, 56 percent of respondents say they'd be willing to pay higher taxes if that would lead to significant improvements in roads and public transportation in their area. 55 percent of those surveyed said traffic in their area had worsened in the past five years, and three in ten say it's much worse. Only one in 20 respondents use mass transit. The Associated Press-Ipsos poll about the public's views of traffic problems is based on telephone interviews with 1,000 adults from all states except Alaska and Hawaii. The interviews were conducted June 18-20 by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Here is the entire poll. Numbers below are percentages. (ASKED OF THOSE EMPLOYED) 1. Are you currently employed outside the home, or not? --Yes, 93 percent --No, 7 percent (ASKED ONLY OF THOSE WHO SAY THEY ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED OUTSIDE THE HOME) 2a. How do you generally get to work, do you: --Drive yourself, 87 percent --Take mass transportation such as a bus or train, 4 percent --Ride with someone else, 4 percent --Walk, 3 percent --Something else, 2 percent (ASKED ONLY OF THOSE WHO DRIVE OR RIDE WITH SOMEONE ELSE TO WORK) 2b. How many minutes does it usually take for you to drive from home to work? --1-5 minutes, 14 percent --6-10 minutes, 18 percent --11-15 minutes, 22 percent --16-20 minutes, 14 percent --21-30 minutes, 14 percent --31-45 minutes, 11 percent --46-60 minutes, 4 percent --More than 60 minutes, 2 percent --Not sure, 1 percent 3. Would you say that traffic in your area is .... --A major inconvenience, 21 percent --A minor inconvenience, 39 percent --Not an inconvenience at all, 40 percent 4. How has the traffic in your area changed over the past five years? Would you say it has gotten a lot (better/worse) or only a little (better/worse)? --TOTAL: Gotten better, 6 percent --a lot better, 3 percent --a little better, 3 percent --Stayed about the same, 33 percent --TOTAL: Gotten worse, 55 percent --a lot worse, 31 percent --a little worse, 24 percent --Have not lived in same are for five years, 5 percent --Not sure, 1 percent 5. I'm going to read you a list of changes you might have made to your normal daily routine because of increased traffic. Please say which if any of these changes you have made to your own normal daily routine because of increased traffic. Have you ... --Allowed more time for travel, 63 percent --Avoided certain highways, 57 percent --Avoided driving during certain hours, 51 percent --Taken mass transit instead of driving, 11 percent (ASKED ONLY OF THOSE WHO WORK OUTSIDE THE HOME) --Left earlier for work, 51 percent --Changed working hours, 14 percent --Worked from your home more often, 11 percent 6. Which do you think should be the higher priority for government spending? --Building more roads and highways, 46 percent --Expanding public transportation such as buses, subways and trains, 51 percent --Not sure, 3 percent 7. Would you be willing to pay more in taxes if the money were used to make significant improvements in the roads and public transportation in your area, or not? --Yes, 56 percent --No, 43 percent

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