Delano, CA - A poll of registered voters commissioned by LOUD for Tomorrow and conducted by Poll Progressive identified widespread concern over issues facing the county.
The poll tested voter prioritization of air and water quality, healthcare costs and access, affordable housing and homelessness, and gang and gun violence. Kern County Voters were asked to place these issues within one of four priority levels- top, important but lower, less important, and not a priority.
The top prioritized issue was gang and gun violence. A majority (51%) of Kern County voters said the issue should be a top priority for the county’s elected officials, with an additional 36% saying it should be an important but lower priority. Prioritization on this issue cuts across party lines, with similar majorities of Republicans (52%), Democrats (50%), and Independents (51%) ranking it as a top priority.
On the issue of affordable housing and homelessness, a plurality (40%) of Kern County voters consider it a top priority. A majority (56%) of those 18-29 consider the issue a top priority, as well as a majority of Black voters (52%).
Air and water quality is considered an important but lower priority by a plurality (41%) of voters. This issue was considered a top priority among a majority (51%) of Hispanic voters. An age divide is also seen on this issue, with a plurality (46%) of voters under 30 considering it a top priority, while pluralities of all other age groups consider it an important but lower priority. Furthermore, 78% of voters said they were "very" or "somewhat" concerned about air and water quality in their area.
Just over a third (35%) of voters ranked healthcare access and costs as a top priority, while a plurality (39%) said it was an important but lower priority. Notably, three-quarters (76%) of those 65 and older identified this as at top or important priority.
Data was collected from January 25-26, 2022. The sample consisted of n=598 registered voters in Kern County, with a margin of error of +/-4.0%. Data was collected via SMS-to-web and IVR (Interactive Voice Response). Results were weighted by gender, age, party registration, and race based on 2020 voter turnout modeling. It is important to remember that subsets based on gender, age, party breakdown, ethnicity, and region carry with them higher margins of error, as the sample size is reduced.