MAP 150

On the road to a stronger Minnesota
Our Minnesota poll shows our state’s citizen’s care and their ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work
By Erin Sapp

Is Minnesota on the right track? Is it still the land of opportunity? Are citizens eager to have a voice, or is “civic engagement” just too boring? Can we, as Minnesotans, solve our problems, or have we become too divided to solve much of anything?

The Minnesota Anniversary Project (MAP 150) set out to answer these questions and to redefine how we engage Minnesotans in finding solutions to the issues they care about most. We began this project in January with two premises: the status quo wasn’t working to resolve our most important policy issues, and citizens need to be part of the process of finding new and better solutions. By reengaging citizens in policy-making, we believe we can produce better public polices that serve the common good better.

Over the summer, the MAP 150 steering committee and staff consulted experts and community leaders. Our MAP 150 journalists branched out across the state to gather stories from hundreds of Minnesotans. And we collected and analyzed facts and data on issues and civic engagement. Then came the moment of truth: using this information and input we crafted a statewide poll.

There have been plenty of polls over the years asking citizens what issues they care about, their opinions about individual policies or initiatives, and their political party affiliations. What these polls haven’t asked, however, is how Minnesotans feel about the political process and citizenship in general. How do they want to engage with policy and politics? What do they expect from government and politicians in return for their participation? From their fellow citizens? Just how big is their appetite for participating in the public-policy process? How do their views impact the Citizens League’s efforts to change public policy?

In September we conducted a statewide telephone survey of more than 800 Minnesotans. The survey included nearly 140 questions and took an average of 36 minutes to complete. One thing we learned among many was that Minnesotans are eager to talk about these issues. Of those contacted, fewer than 5 percent declined to participate; 70 percent of the respondents actually made an appointment to speak with an interviewer later so that they could put some real thought into their answers.

What does this all add up to? The results of the poll point to what Citizens League members have believed all along: Minnesotans care about public policy and they are ready to become agents of change.

That said, the poll shows there are some are some important fault lines that divide us: immigration, the role of government in personal morality, and differences that stem from economic class and geography. As a state, our citizens lack consensus on how to tackle these critical issues.

Is Minnesota on the right track? Is it still the land of opportunity? As much as anything, the answers to these two questions framed the responses we heard. Survey respondents told us they believe that as individuals they can be successful, and that they can solve their own problems. And they feel a personal responsibility to do so. They’re also confident about their future. Seventy-two percent said Minnesota remains the land of opportunity, and more than half of those folks felt “strongly” so.

But the respondents were less confident about the direction our state is taking. They don’t view government or elected officials as effective problem solvers. And they feel an increasing vulnerability in the face of a changing economy and other factors that are out of their control. They are worried about the affordability of healthcare, especially as they look into the future at jobs that are less secure, and they see that Minnesota’s traditional hand-up – public education – no longer meets needs of our state or our kids.

Minnesotans do agree on what issues are most pressing, but they don’t agree on the solutions. They see strong role for government in crafting those solutions, but at the same time they are losing confidence in government’s ability to be effective. Many said they would be willing to pay higher taxes if they believed their dollars would be well spent.

A state of eight

The survey sought to identify what issues, priorities, and views about policy and governance unite different groups of people. What we found was a startling break from the conventional wisdom. Rather than rallying around political parties and their ideologies, our survey showed that Minnesotans tend to cluster around eight voting profiles. Ninety percent of those surveyed fell into one of these profiles; 10 percent simply couldn’t be classified.

Government as a social force. People in this group see government as a safety net for those in need, but they think that citizens need to take more personal responsibility for broader community concerns. They see a strong role for government in morality, in closing the wealth gap, and for citizen involvement in government. Religion guides their views about politics and issues. Because they favor individual responsibility, MAP 150 has a real opportunity to tap their community spirit to help create a meaningful process for civic engagement.

Frustrated / Disillusioned. Made up predominantly of young people of all economic classes and genders, this group is disgruntled by the current political system and alienated from both major parties. They are extremely skeptical of the government and large business, and of Minnesota’s ability to solve problems. One way to look at this group would be see them as “disillusioned.” Another view shows that they are paying attention, but they are frustrated with the status quo-it isn’t working now and won’t work for them in the future. This is exactly the group that John Mayer talks about in his current rock/pop hit, “Waiting on the World to Change.” MAP 150 may have a real opportunity to reach this group with new methods of civic engagement. These people vote, and they care. They just don’t believe that the current political system works.

Financially Insecure. As the name implies, members of this group are defined by income. They struggle to make ends meet and they are worried about the future. One way to give this group hope is to increase their security, especially on issues like health care.

Libertarians. This group is made up of nearly classic Libertarians who believe in individual responsibility, self-reliance, and community-based problem-solving above all else. MAP 150 has an opportunity to engage these people to help maximize the role of citizens in crafting policy solutions.

No Problems. The members of this group are content. While the government and political process work for them, MAP 150 can harness their interest to make institutions and processes even better.

Raise the Drawbridge. This group is characterized by its stance on immigration (they’re against it) and the importance of religion in their lives (although they did not identify as evangelicals). They see immigrants as a threat to, and a burden on, Minnesota. They may also have the most in common with immigrants: they live in places where many immigrants have relocated, and they find themselves competing with the new arrivals for jobs. If the MAP 150 process could help them find common ground with their newest neighbors, it could ease their “us versus them” feelings.

Politically Empowered. Those close to the MAP 150 project joke that this group of “super citizens” are all Citizens League members. They are engaged in the current political process and involved in their communities. The overall mission of MAP 150 should appeal to this group of politically engaged individuals.

Welcoming Arms. They are the mirror image of the Raise the Drawbridge group-a perfect opposite on all classifying questions. They believe immigration strengthens Minnesota. Religion is not an important part of their lives. These young, liberal urbanites are more hopeful than the Frustrated group, and they may be receptive to MAP 150’s quest to create a meaningful process for citizen engagement, particularly toward creating conversations around immigration.

These profiles, or voting blocs, provide MAP 150 and the Citizens League the first insight into how citizens view their roll in politics and the issues that unite or divide them. They help us to understand how to reach out to people, to engage them in conversation, and they will help us develop a process that gives all Minnesota citizens a voice long after the Minnesota Anniversary Project is finished.

Opportunities for common ground

Despite the various and sometimes opposing profiles outlined above, Minnesotans do agree on some clear priorities for the future. The recent rise in property taxes weighs most heavily on people’s minds, followed closely by healthcare, education, and economic security. Figure 2 shows respondents’ first and second choices for the most important issues facing Minnesota today.

Another theme that emerged broadly across profiles was a near indictment of many of our existing systems-tax, health care, education, and politics in particular. The poll also dug beneath the surface, and asked respondents what about each of these systems concerned them.

Taxes
Those polled said quite clearly that they aren’t only concerned about the amount of taxes they pay; they want to better understand how their tax dollars are spent. More than 80 percent said that they would feel better about paying taxes if it were clearer how the money was being spent. Taxpayers are investors and Minnesotans want to be able to follow their investments. That said, nearly 60 percent think that state government does a better job than it gets credit for, and a majority are willing to invest more in their state if they can see clear results.

Healthcare
Forty percent of those surveyed ranked healthcare as their first or second most important concern. Affordability is key: cost is too high and Minnesotans don’t trust where the dollars are going. They worry whether health care will be affordable and accessible tomorrow? The biggest immediate concerns are long-term care and affordable health insurance. The responses illustrate the vulnerability Minnesotans feel given the current healthcare system. There is no consensus on solutions, however. A majority of Minnesotans polled are not yet willing to de-couple insurance from employment, but three-fourths think it is unfair that the quality of health insurance is often inked to the size of one’s employer. Respondents view health as a personal responsibility but healthcare as a community good, and they say that the government has a role in making it accessible, equitably, and affordable.

Education
By and large, those polled said that K-12 public education is failing their expectations on nearly every measure tested. But they haven’t written off public education and they are willing to invest in innovative solutions to fix it. Two-thirds are willing to spend more money on the right solutions. While there’s no overwhelming agreement on where best to invest, Minnesotans clearly want more choice, and most (52%) are ready for a total transformation in order to achieve the results they experienced in the past and have come to expect in the present and the future.

Economic Security
While nine out of 10 Minnesotans polled are satisfied with their jobs, they also say that their jobs are more stressful and less secure than a generation ago. They work harder for less security and fewer benefits. Despite this, respondents indicate they are confident about their ability to secure their own future, to pay for retirement and for their children’s education. They also see a clear role for the government to define and develop the economy.

Finding common ground for the common good

Minnesotans have the potential to find common ground. They agree on their top priorities- healthcare, education, economic security, and controlling taxes – and most see their state as a land of opportunity. At the same time, there is major support for change to ensure that Minnesota gets back on the right track.

Individuals are Minnesota’s core strength, but citizens also see a strong role for government in providing a safety net. Minnesotans expect and respect personal responsibility. They believe in the “pull yourself up by the bootstrap” road to success. While optimistic about their own futures, Minnesotans are worried that increasing numbers of their fellow citizens are vulnerable to a changing economy.

Minnesota clearly is a state grappling with change. MAP 150 offers a real opportunity to reengage citizens by creating a process that gives them a meaningful voice in politics and policy while developing an agenda for Minnesota’s future.