UNH SURVEY CENTER POLL FINDS GAMBLING HAS LIMITED SUPPORT, July, 2007

In a surprising blow to the casino lobby, a UNH Survey Center poll found that, among New Hampshire adults, legalized gambling comes in almost as low as sales or income taxes as a preferred means of raising state revenue:

The question:

“Many people think that in the long run, a different means of raising revenues in New Hampshire will have to be found.  This coming year, the state legislature will study several different sources of revenue. Please tell me which of the following you would prefer ... an income tax ... a sales tax ... legalized gambling ... increasing property taxes ... increasing business taxes ... increasing taxes on cigarettes and alcohol ... or some other way?"

The results:

Increase Cigarette/alcohol taxes 28%

Legalized gambling 22%

Income tax 16%

Sales tax 15%

Andy Smith of the survey center was kind enough to send us a detailed demographic breakdown of the poll results.  These show two sharp divergences in support for gambling -- in age and political ideology.

Legalized gambling is distinctly unpopular among self-described liberals, coming in fourth at 11 percent preference.

For those age 40 and up, gambling is also fourth in preference at 17 percent.  The slightly milder preference among all adults for legalized gambling is explained entirely by people 39 and under, who also express distinct distaste for sales and income tax.

Message to legislators:  there is absolutely no groundswell for casinos.  And, democrats … support them at your peril.

FRANKLIN PIERCE COLLEGE/WNDS-TV POLL, December 16, 1999

Question: "Would you favor or oppose the introduction of video gambling in the state?"

Statewide 56% opposed the introduction, 33% favored it, while 11% were undecided. There were no significant partisan differences. 55% of Democrats, 60% of Republicans, and 55% of Independents expressed their opposition. Conversely, 34% of Democrats, 32% of Republicans, and 33% of Independents indicated their support. The rest were undecided.

Question: "Would you favor or oppose the expansion of gambling in the state if it meant the introduction of 5,000 videoslot machines across the state?"

58% said they opposed this level of introduction, 33% still favored video gambling, and 11% remained undecided. Again, there were no significant partisan differences. 59% of Democrats, 63% of Republicans, and 56% of Independents expressed their opposition. Conversely, 32% of Democrats, 28% of Republicans, and 29% of Independents indicated their support. The rest were undecided.

This survey was conducted from Sunday, December 5th through Wednesday, December 8th. 795 registered New Hampshire voters were interviewed in a randomly drawn sample. Of these, 251 were self-identified Democrats, 251 were self-identified Republicans, and 265 consider themselves to be Independents. The margin of error for the full sample is +/- 3.5%. The margin of error for the Democrat, Republican, and Independent sub-samples is +/- 5.5%.