Illinois Voters Strongly Support
Land Protection

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — May 26, 2009 — Despite their worries about the economy, Illinois voters strongly support spending more money to protect land and water, according to a new poll.

A total of 79 percent of the voters surveyed voiced support for dedicating $350 million in a state capital budget to conserve land and water, and the support cuts across all major parts of the electorate.

The poll was released by Partners for Parks and Wildlife, a coalition of conservation organizations seeking support for increasing the state funding for land conservation. Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates conducted the telephone poll of 600 voters from May 12-14 on behalf of the coalition.

“Even in these difficult economic times, people in Illinois want to protect the places which make this such a wonderful place to live. We need to act now and make these kinds of investments,” said State Senator Susan Garrett.

State Senator Pam Althoff agreed. “This is about the long-term and making the kinds of investments in our land and water which future generations will appreciate and enjoy. Certainly we need to deal with today’s problems, but we also have to think about the future of Illinois, and these results show voters are doing just that.”

The key finding is that when asked if they support a $350 million capital investment in land and water protection, 79 percent voiced support for that level of investment.

The increases won the support of:

77 percent of women and 80 percent of men;
85 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of Republicans, and 74 percent of independents;
81 percent of voters under age 50 and 76 percent of voters age 50 and over;
78 percent of whites and 81 percent of voters of color; and
80 percent of Chicago residents, 80 percent of those in the Cook County suburbs, 76 percent of voters in the collar counties, 82 percent of those in the northern part of the downstate region, and 73 percent of those in southern Illinois.

While the State of Illinois currently spends very little on land acquisition, a large majority of voters want state spending on land and water conservation to be increased. Setting aside the specific issue of the capital budget, a 76 percent plurality of Illinois voters believe that state spending on land and water conservation should either be increased (40 percent), or at least be kept at the same level (36 percent). Fewer than one in five (14 percent) believe that it should be scaled back.

“For the last decade and across the country, local ballot measures for land and water conservation funding have won by landslide margins. There is an opportunity here in Illinois and voters know it. We are experiencing record low land prices and if we don’t act now to conserve the vital lands of Illinois we will look back at this as a great opportunity lost,” said Beth White, Chicago Region Director, The Trust for Public Land.

Voters support funding for land conservation funding despite their concerns about the economy. Ninety-one percent of voters surveyed said state budget deficits were a problem and 86 percent said they were worried about the economy.

But 73 percent of the voters polled agreed with the statement that “Even though state revenues are down, the Illinois state budget should include funding for land and water conservation.” A separate question, “We can protect land and water and have a strong economy at the same time, without having to choose one over the other,” won 83 percent agreement.

“We are encouraged by the results of this poll. It clearly demonstrates strong support for land conservation. The fact that folks are concerned about the economy and the state’s budget is no surprise. What some might find surprising, though, is that a large majority (over 70 percent) of Illinois citizens recognize the contribution that conservation makes to the economic vitality of our state generating $4 billion and 30,000 jobs annually.” said Susan Donovan, Director of Government Relations for The Nature Conservancy in Illinois.

Established in 2004, Partners for Parks and Wildlife is a grassroots coalition that aims to secure and increase funding for open space and park acquisition, natural area preservation, wildlife habitat protection and recreational opportunities in Illinois.

Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates (FMM&A) has specialized in public policy-oriented opinion research since the company was first organized in 1981. With permanent offices in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Madison, Wisconsin, the firm conducts research for political candidates, for ballot measure campaigns, and for businesses, non-profits, and government agencies across all fifty states and also in other countries.

FMM&A has conducted literally thousands of focus groups and surveys throughout its three-decade history. The firm conducts research for candidates at all levels of the ballot — from Presidential candidates like Howard Dean and Bill Richardson to races for City Council. FMM&A has also provided research and strategic guidance to well over 100 successful statewide ballot measure campaigns, including statewide conservation finance campaigns in New Jersey, Minnesota, Ohio, California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Washington and upcoming campaigns in Iowa and New York.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.

Illinois Voters Strongly SupportLand Protection

Illinois Voters Strongly Support
Land Protection