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Conservative think tank survey: State on wrong track, will lack future job opportunities

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A poll from a conservative think tank shows the majority of West Virginians believe the state is on the wrong track, with seven out of 10 people saying they are not confident there will be adequate job opportunities in West Virginia in the next 15 years.

The Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy released its State of the Mountain State poll on Nov. 14, the third such survey of the organization.

According to the poll, 51 percent of West Virginians believe the state is on the wrong track compared to 42 percent who say it is on the right track. Looking deeper, 52 percent of male respondents say the state is on the right track compared to 33 percent of women.

“The only thing I think can explain that is the idea that a lot of the jobs that are coming to West Virginia, a lot of the areas of revitalization that we’re seeing tend to be predominantly for males,” said Garrett Ballengee, the Cardinal Institute’s executive director.

“Coal mining, natural gas, manufacturing — things we’ve really seen bright spots — tend to be predominantly male, and maybe that is behind that.”

When asked if the state’s economic history still weighs on the minds of many West Virginians, Ballengee said it is possible.

“The state has not been widely prosperous, really, in any living person’s memory. And I tend to think that seep into the West Virginia psyche,” he added.

When respondents asked what measures need to be implemented to improve the state’s economy, 29 percent of respondents said improving the state’s roads and infrastructure followed by 21 percent who said improving the state’s K-12 education system.

“Folks have forgotten to link economic development and our state’s education system,” Ballengee noted. “We’re happy to see from this poll that folks are maybe starting to understand in order to have a brighter economic future, we have to have a brighter educational future as well.”

The third-highest polled measure was increasing government funding for small and start-up business grants.

MBE LLC conducted the poll via online panel sampling in September. According to the survey, 405 West Virginia registered voters took part in the survey, in which 42 percent identified as Democrats, 33 percent identified as Republicans and 25 percent identified as independent or other.





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