Athens, Ga. – Despite acknowledging the value of early education, Georgians see the HOPE scholarship as a better means than the Pre-K program for increasing access to education for all Georgians. They also see HOPE as better for spreading the benefits of lottery revenue equitably across the state. Fifty-nine percent of the public believe that the HOPE scholarship program is better suited than the Pre-K program (19 percent) for increasing access to education. The public is much more evenly split on the question of which program is better suited to helping children from poorer families get ahead (41 percent say Pre-K; 37 percent say HOPE) and for improving the overall level of education in Georgia (38 percent say Pre-K; 39 percent say HOPE).
The Peach State Poll is a quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The most recent poll was conducted in June 2004.
“The data clearly show that the public sees the Pre-K program quite favorably, and the public recognizes the value of early education,” said poll director Rich Clark. “But the favorable view of the Pre-K program is not as great as that for the HOPE Scholarship.”
“While all evidence shows that investments in early education are among the most efficient use of funds and provide a great number of benefits to students – including increased scholastic performance, and thus access to education – the public may be responding to the idea that students have access to primary education with or without the Pre-K program,” explained Vinson Institute economist Jason Seligman. “Access to post-secondary education may be seen as more directly contingent on the HOPE Scholarship.”
Other Peach State Poll results:
* Although revenue from the Georgia Lottery funds both programs, the public is much more familiar with the HOPE Scholarship (85 percent “very” or “somewhat” familiar) than with the Pre-K program (58 percent “very” or “somewhat” familiar).
* Those who are most familiar with the Pre-K program hold more positive impressions of the program than do those having only passing familiarity.
* There is little support in the general public for establishing a needs-based criterion for participating in the Georgia Pre-K program. Sixty-one percent of the public say that the program should be free to all Georgians, as opposed to 35 percent who say that the program should be free only to those who could not afford it otherwise.
* Despite research that low-income Georgians are less likely to benefit directly from the HOPE scholarship program than are upper-income Georgians, the belief that the Pre-K program is better suited to improving the overall level of education is more prevalent in upper-income respondents.
These data were taken from a Peach State Poll survey conducted between June 8 and June 14, 2004. The poll included 801 telephone interviews of randomly selected adults in Georgia. For a sample of this size, the margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level is +/-3.5 percent.
The Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a public service and outreach unit of the University of Georgia, has as part of its mission to provide policymakers with systematic, objective research to inform policy decisions. In accordance with that mission, the Peach State Poll aims to give voice to the public on important policy matters and issues pertaining to political, social, and economic life in Georgia.
For more information on this poll or other Peach State Poll results, see www.vinsoninstitute.org/peachpoll.
