PULSE POLL 
CITY OF PHILADELPHIA VOTERS
JUNE 3 & JUNE 7, 1999

Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc.

1.) Are the problems with Philadelphia City Schools caused mainly by a lack of money, or have the schools been poorly run?

15%    Lack of Money
40%    Poorly Run
28%    Both
 4%     Neither
12%    Don't Know/Refused

2.) Do you think state government should pay a greater share of education costs?

77%    Yes
14%    No
 9%     Don't Know

3.) Do you believe teacher salaries are too high, about right, or too low?

13%    Too High
33%    About Right
37%    Too Low
16%    Don't Know

4.) In your opinion, is too much, about the right amount, or not enough tax money presently being spent on public education in Pennsylvania today?

14%    Too Much
18%    About the Right Amount
56%    Not Enough
12%    Don't Know
 1%     Refused

5.) Do you favor or oppose school choice which would give parents the option of sending their children to the PUBLIC school of their choice?

72%    Favor
21%    Oppose
6%      Don't Know
1%      Refused

6.) Do you favor or oppose a school choice plan that would allow parents to send their children to the PUBLIC or PRIVATE school of their choice?

66%    Favor 
26%    Oppose
 6%     Don't Know
 1%     Refused

7.) Do you favor or oppose a voucher system whereby parents would get money from the government to send their children to any school of their choice?

56%    Favor
37%    Oppose
 7%     Don't Know

9.) Many Philadelphia businesses have left the city in the past decade. Which of the following factors do you think is most responsible?

58%   Taxes  
19%   Crime  
 3%    Schools  
16%   All of the Above  
 6%    No Opinion 

10.) If the City of Philadelphia were to REDUCE one tax, which of the following do you think should be reduced?

45%     Wage  
13%     Business  
22%     Property  
13%     Real Estate Transfer  
 3%      All of the Above  
 1%      None of the Above  
 3%      Don’t Know

11.) Do you favor or oppose replacing property taxes with a LOCAL earned income tax?

33%     Favor
42%     Oppose  
23%     Don’t Know  
 1%      Refused

12.) Would you favor or oppose replacing property taxes with a sales tax?

31%     Favor  
55%     Oppose  
12%     Don’t Know  
 1%      Refused

13.) If property taxes HAD to be replaced by another tax, which would you favor, a local earned income tax or a local sales tax?

26%     Income Tax  
42%     Sales Tax  
 1%      Combination  
20%     Neither  
11%     Don’t Know/Refused

14.) Generally speaking, do you feel safer in your neighborhood than you did a year ago?

22%     More Safe
34%     About the Same  
44%     Less Safe  
 1%      Don’t Know  

15.) Do you think the Philadelphia Police Department is on the right track or the wrong track when it comes to combating crime in your neighborhood.

65%      Right Track
27%      Wrong Track  
 8%       Don’t Know  
 1%       Refused  

16.) In your opinion, are drugs a problem in your neighborhood?

57%      Yes  
39%       No
 4%        Don’t Know

17.) Do you think additional laws are needed to curb the sale of guns or do you think current laws are sufficient?

66%     More Laws Needed  
29%     Current Laws Sufficient  
 5%      Don’t Know/Refused

18.) Do you favor allowing private business to provide city government services if private businesses can provide such services at a lower cost?

69%     Yes  
22%     No  
11%     Don’t Know/Refused

19.) Should unions be forbidden from deducting money from union workers’ pay without their permission, then using that money for political purposes?

68%     Yes
28%     No
5%       Don’t Know/Refused

20.) Do you favor or oppose enactment of a Right to Work Law. Where a worker cannot be fired for either joining or not joining a labor union?  

70%     Favor
26%     Oppose
 5%      Don’t Know/Refused

21.) Do you think the right balance has been struck between improving Center City and improving the city’s neighborhoods?

28%     Yes
66%     No
6%       Don’t Know/Refused

(Of those saying the right balance has not been struck:)

22.) Where do you think too much emphasis has been placed, Center City or the neighborhoods?

 65%    Center City
 1%      Neighborhoods
 1%      Don’t Know

23.) How important is development of the Philadelphia shipyard to the future of the city’s economy?

58%     Very Important
29%     Somewhat Important
 6%      Somewhat Unimportant
 1%      Very Unimportant
 5%      Don’t Know

 24.) How important are efforts to bolster tourism to the future of Philadelphia’s economy?

 63%    Very Important
28%     Somewhat Important
 3%      Somewhat Unimportant
 2%      Very Unimportant
 3%      Don’t Know

     The Pulse Poll of City of Philadelphia voters was conducted for the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc. by Precision Marketing, Inc. of Easton, Pennsylvania on June 3 and June 7, 1999.  A total of 316 voters were sampled.  The survey has a margin of error of +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.