A brand new concern has appeared on a listing of the highest issues dealing with the state, a survey of Washington adults reveals.
In a query asking what crucial downside dealing with the state is, no single downside got here anyplace near reaching a majority amongst respondents. And many of the high issues recognized by respondents are ones we’ve seen on earlier surveys that ask Washingtonians this query.
However there’s something new within the newest survey: For the primary time, tariffs appeared among the many state’s high issues.
Portland-based DHM Analysis carried out the web survey of 500 Washington adults from April 16-20 to evaluate the general temper and outlook of state residents.
Respondents had been requested to share what they felt was crucial downside dealing with Washington in the present day. Researchers categorized responses by 21 kinds of issues. If a response touched on a couple of sort of downside, it was counted in a couple of class.
Taxes/tariffs ranked because the No. 2 response statewide, recognized as Washington’s greatest downside by 17% of respondents. Taxes alone have been on the checklist earlier than — in July 2024, 7% of respondents recognized this because the state’s high downside — however tariffs are new.
It’s considerably shocking to see a nationwide situation like tariffs recognized as one of many state’s most essential issues. However that is undoubtedly a response to the steep protecting tariffs just lately enacted by President Donald Trump, which public opinion polling reveals are usually not in style among the many majority of Individuals.
The survey reveals a gender hole in relation to this situation, with 22% of males believing taxes/tariffs had been the state’s high downside, in contrast with 12% of ladies. Taxes/tariffs had been the highest response amongst males. Amongst ladies, homelessness/poverty was No. 1, recognized because the state’s greatest downside by 23%.
Older adults had been additionally much more prone to see taxes/tariffs as the highest downside — it was recognized as such by 29% of these 65 and older — in contrast with youthful of us. Amongst these beneath 30, simply 4% stated taxes/tariffs had been the most important downside.
However there have been no important variations by earnings, race/ethnicity or academic attainment. And roughly the identical proportion of adults who stay within the Seattle space recognized taxes/tariffs as crucial downside as residents in the remainder of Washington.
That was not true of the No. 1 downside, homelessness/poverty, which was a a lot larger downside for residents within the Seattle space than the remainder of the state.
Statewide, homelessness/poverty was recognized as the highest downside by 20% of respondents.
Homelessness/poverty is a long-standing situation in Washington, and it has been the highest concern statewide in earlier surveys by DHM. For instance, in July, DHM requested the identical query in a survey, and homelessness/poverty was additionally the No. 1 response, recognized because the state’s high downside by 25% of respondents.
In King County, homelessness/poverty was simply the No. 1 response, recognized because the state’s high downside by 25% of respondents. It was additionally No. 1 within the Puget Sound space, exterior of King County, at 27%.
However in the remainder of Western Washington, homelessness/poverty was recognized because the state’s most essential downside by simply 15%, and in Japanese Washington, solely by 11% of respondents.
The price of dwelling/inflation is one other downside that sometimes ranks close to the highest of the checklist in these surveys, and it got here in third this time, recognized because the state’s greatest downside by 16% of respondents.
DHM surveyed a consultant pattern of Washington voters and weighted the info to precisely mirror the inhabitants primarily based on political affiliation in addition to space of the state, age, gender, race, earnings and training. The margin of error for this survey is plus or minus 4.4%.
