Poll finds economy, schools top issues

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Capitol Bureau Chief

Hawai'i voters believe the economy and education are the most serious problems facing the state today, but are not as worried about their jobs or crime as they were five years ago, according to The Honolulu Advertiser/News 8 Hawai'i Poll.

And despite a stream of headlines in recent months about investigations, allegations and some convictions of Democratic politicians, less than 6 percent of the voters surveyed said government corruption is the most serious concern confronting the state.

The poll found that 38 percent believe the economy is the most serious problem facing the state, followed by 29 percent who believe education is the most serious problem.

Although candidates have been saying all year that education and the economy top the voters' concerns, some observers were surprised by the apparent lack of concern about public corruption.

"To me, that's just a disconnect. I can't see why more people aren't paying more attention to that," said Paul Hooper, professor and chairman of American Studies at the University of Hawai'i. Hooper has also been involved in local politics for many years and was the founding chairman of Common Cause Hawai'i.

"Denial may be too strong of a word, but there seems to be a reluctance to acknowledge these things could really be happening here," Hooper said.

A number of Republican candidates, most notably Linda Lingle, have seized on the obvious issue of criminal convictions by politicians such as former City Council members Rene Mansho and Andy Mirikitani and former state Sen. Marshall Ige. In her standard campaign pitch, Lingle promises to "restore trust in government."

However, despite heavy coverage by the news media and Lingle's campaigning, the Hawai'i Poll suggests voters have other things on their minds.

Voters on O'ahu, voters who consider themselves to be political independents and Japanese-Americans voters were most likely to cite the economy as the top problem.

The voters most likely to cite education as their top concern were residents who have lived in the state for less than 10 years, younger voters who are less than 35 years old, Republicans and Hawaiians.

Ward Research Inc. of Honolulu conducted the statewide poll Sept. 23-26 of 604 residents who said they planned to vote in the general election. The poll's margin of error is 4 percentage points.

An Advertiser Hawai'i Poll in 1997 found that jobs, schools and crime were the top issues. Crime barely registered as an issue this time, with less than 3 percent of the voters citing it as the most important problem.

Despite O'ahu's clogged freeways, less than 1 percent of the voters cited traffic as the state's most serious problem. Neighbor Island residents were more likely than O'ahu voters to cite traffic as their top concern. That may be a reflection of the fact traffic has been a problem on O'ahu for decades, while gridlock is still relatively new to residents of Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island.

Hooper said it is logical that crime would decline as an issue in the voters' minds since crime rates dropped for many types of offenses. But he said the lack of concern about the traffic issue is puzzling, "given that commutes get worse each year."