News Release

Education Top Domestic Issue in South Carolina Democratic Primary

Orangeburg, SC – With the first Democratic primary debate just days away, South Carolina Democratic primary voters rank education as their top domestic priority and are looking to the presidential candidates to provide a detailed plan for improving education, according to a new WIS-TV/Communities for Quality Education poll.

“An overwhelming two-thirds of voters say the most important thing the federal government can do to improve our children’s future is ensure that they have an opportunity for a quality education, a significant margin over the next most important item, health care,” said pollster Fred Yang. “Education could play a decisive role in next year’s South Carolina Democratic primary, especially among African-American voters, a pivotal voting bloc.”

The poll illustrates the strong support for improving education in the state, with voters surveyed listing education as a more important issue than jobs and the economy, energy independence, immigration, the federal budget deficit, and global warming. Education was tied in importance only with health care in an overview of all voters. Looking at the crucial African American voting bloc, education was the most important issue according to 47% of voters, with health care lagging nine points behind. A summary of the findings follows.

Importance of Education in South Carolina:

The highest percentage of voters (65%) feel that ensuring that all children have an opportunity for a quality education is the best action the federal government could take to improve our children’s future.
78% of all voters and 87% of African American voters are very concerned about the quality of public education in South Carolina

Education in the Democratic Primary:

The Democratic presidential candidates should focus more on improving public education according to 89% of all voters surveyed and 94% of African American voters.
81% of voters surveyed would be either much more or somewhat more likely to support a candidate for president who makes education a high priority in his or her campaign.

Ways to Improve Education:

61% of all voters feel the No Child Left Behind law needs major changes; an additional 20% feel it needs minor changes. Only 7% say it is fine in its current form.

64% of voters feel that public schools in this country do not have sufficient funding and 79% feel that the lack of funding should be addressed by the government at every level: federal, state, and local.

Conducted between April 9 and 12, 2007, Peter D. Hart Research Associates surveyed 801 likely Democratic primary voters in South Carolina. This survey is representative of the voters expected to vote in the January 29, 2008, Democratic presidential primary, and has a margin of error of +3.5%. The racial breakdown of the sample is 53% African-American and 45% white.

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